Imagined, Reborn, and Ready to Be Rediscovered : Scottish Cities Alliance
Established in 1885 by a group of civic-minded businessmen, collectors and artists, Aberdeen Art Gallery is now home to one of the UK’s finest collections. It spans over 700 years and includes a staggering range of works by Scottish, British and international artists, designers and makers. For over 130 years…
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Scottish Cities Alliance
Established in 1885 by a group of civic-minded businessmen, collectors and artists, Aberdeen Art Gallery is now home to one of the UK’s finest collections. It spans over 700 years and includes a staggering range of works by Scottish, British and international artists, designers and makers. For over 130 years we have been acquiring the best and most interesting contemporary artworks. Highlights of the collection include works by Tracey Emin, Barbara Hepworth, Joan Eardley, Claude Monet, Francis Bacon and the internationally-renowned fashion designer Bill Gibb. We’re proud to care for these treasures on behalf of the people of Aberdeen and to share their stories with local, national and international visitors.

Part of Aberdeen City Council (City Growth), the Art Gallery underwent an ambitious once-in-a-generation £34.6 million redevelopment project, which was completed in 2019. The project has made the gallery more welcoming, accessible and more sustainable. It has dramatically improved access and visitor facilities; created major new exhibition spaces and increased the number of items on display three-fold; established new commercial opportunities and delivered new ways of engaging with visitors through multi-layered interpretation and interactivity, with an exhibitions and events programme for all ages.

Today, Aberdeen Art Gallery is at the heart of the city centre and is a welcoming, safe and accessible civic space – a world class venue worthy of both the exceptional artwork it houses and our local, national and international visitors. The building is open daily and admission is free.

ORIGINS

The origins of Aberdeen Art Gallery & Museums can be traced to 1873 when flour merchant and art collector John Forbes White and a number of local art collectors decided to hold a public exhibition. From this developed a plan to establish a public art gallery for the benefit of citizens, an objective that continues to drive our programmes of activity today.

The fine granite building was designed by Alexander Marshall Mackenzie (the architect who was also responsible for the neo-gothic façade of Marischal College) and built on the site of a former monastery. It opened in 1885. The original displays combined industrial exhibitions with exhibitions of art and were greatly enhanced by generous gifts, including the private collection of Aberdeen granite merchant Alexander Macdonald in 1900. The initially modest suite of rooms quickly developed into a major complex of picture galleries, a grand sculpture court, a war memorial, and the Cowdray Hall concert hall. This series of expansions led to a disjointed and confusing complex, with poor visitor access and cramped staff and storage space.

In 2009 Hoskins Architects were appointed to transform the category A-listed building complex with two fundamental approaches – careful repair and confident addition. Exhibition specialists Studioarc were responsible for the design of the galleries, digital strategy and signage. Investment in the fabric of the 130-year-old Grade A-listed buildings includes a re-imagined Remembrance Hall, refurbished Cowdray Hall concert venue, new exhibition and collection display galleries and vastly improved visitor facilities including learning spaces, accessible toilets, café and retail space. The number of collection galleries has increased from 11 to 19, with a further three galleries presenting a programme of regularly changing special exhibitions. The number of items on display has increased from 370 in 2015 to 1,080 in 2022.

ACCOLAIDES

Aberdeen Art Gallery is one of the many classic granite buildings that help make the city “one of the most architecturally distinctive cities in Europe” (The Scotsman newspaper).

There was a tremendous public response to the redeveloped Gallery when it re-opened in November 2019, achieving over 100,000 visits in the first 100 days.

The re-imagined Art Gallery was officially opened by the then Duke and Duchess of Rothesay in September 2021.

It has received many awards, including being named a joint winner of Art Fund Museum of the Year 2020 and shortlisted for the European Museum of the Year 2021. The Gallery won the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland 2021 Andrew Doolan Award for Best Building in Scotland.

The RIAS press release reads: “At Aberdeen Art Gallery – Aberdeen City Council’s flagship cultural venue – Hoskins Architects have refurbished and extended a fine existing building and transformed one of Scotland’s leading cultural institutions, thereby demonstrating how contemporary architecture, historic building conservation and environmental responsibility can go hand in hand… the building is now more welcoming, more accessible and more sustainable.”

RIAS President Christina Gaiger PRIAS said: “Aberdeen Art Gallery is an outstanding building and a highly deserving winner of the 2021 Doolan Award. Hoskins Architects have brought a piece of Scottish heritage into the 21st century with humility, skill and sensitivity. In the face of the climate emergency, how we upgrade, respect and adapt our existing building stock is absolutely crucial. In Aberdeen Art Gallery we have an outstanding example of how a public building, thanks to the talent of Hoskins Architects and far-sighted clients Aberdeen City Council, exemplifies the smart re-use of an existing building, as part of a collective regenerative response to climate change.”

CULTURAL VENUE

As Aberdeen City Council’s flagship cultural venue, the Gallery plays an important role in supporting and developing the city’s social and economic recovery from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. We continue to strive to be a home for people to explore Aberdeen’s identity and culture, and its connections to the world – making Aberdeen a better place to live, work and visit.

Working in partnership with others, notably VisitAberdeenshire, VisitScotland, Aberdeen Inspired and Culture Aberdeen, we help promote Aberdeen as a vibrant year-round cultural destination, contributing to the refreshed Regional Destination Strategy and ‘Cruise Ready’ work. We work with colleagues across Aberdeen City Council to support and deliver city events such as the Spectra light festival.

Our Service Manager is driving Commercial Development rebuilding income streams and developing new opportunities: a diversified café offering, selling work by local makers in Shop At The Top, travel trade work and promoting venue hire.

Aberdeen Art Gallery fosters and promotes inclusivity, equity and representation for challenged or disadvantaged communities and individuals, strengthen our civic health through a holistic and purposeful programme for all people, filled with fun, learning, wellbeing and challenge. Accessible events are on offer, with staff taking part in BSL training, and we aim to introduce relaxed Mondays supported by an access guide and visual stories.

We will build on our digital offering, which was a focus of activity during the Covid-19 lockdowns. In 2022 we launched a number of new initiatives, including a digital gallery guide on the free Bloomberg Connects art and culture app, a virtual tour and a podcast series.

Aberdeen City Council’s smart re-use of an existing building as part of a collective regenerative response to climate change has resulted in an award-winning civic space fit for today’s visitors – more welcoming, more sustainable, and more accessible.

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