MULTIMEDIA NEWS RELEASE - 28M pounds Sterling Refurbishment of Kelvingrove: Glasgow's New Take On An Old Masterpiece

MULTIMEDIA NEWS RELEASE - 28M pounds Sterling Refurbishment of Kelvingrove: Glasgow's New Take On An Old Masterpiece

When Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum first opened in 1901 it was the last and greatest achievement of the civic museum movement in Britain.

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More than 100 years later the much-loved attraction and most visited museum in Britain outside London, closed for a three-year, 28 million pounds (US$52 million, euro 41 million) restoration that is now nearing completion.

Reopening to the public again on July 11, Kelvingrove will seduce a whole new generation of visitors with its inimitable mix of priceless works displayed in a stunning Victorian setting.

However, the philosophy behind the new-look, revolutionary Kelvingrove has shifted from the approach of its Victorian creators to a 21st Century view that is object-based, visitor-centred, interdisciplinary and intent on telling a story.

With 8,000 exhibits equating to 60% more objects on display, the refurbished galleries will have 22 themes ranging from 'Ancient Egypt' and 'Conflict and Consequence' to 'Scottish Art: the Glasgow Boys and Scottish Colourists' and 'French Art' featuring the city's world-renowned collection of Impressionist and post-Impressionist paintings.

The creation of a new 'Mackintosh and the Glasgow Style' gallery -- dedicated to the work of Charles Rennie Mackintosh and the Glasgow Style movement of the early 1900s -- and the return of the legendary Salvador Dali painting Christ of St. John of The Cross (from Glasgow's St. Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art) are just two of the many highlights.

Also back on display will be Rembrandt's Man in Armour; as well as masterpieces by Whistler and Botticelli plus its unique arms and armour collection.

Among the host of new exhibits on view will be: the immaculately restored Spitfire LA198, 602 (City of Glasgow) Squadron and the loan of a collection of significant Egyptian treasures from the British Museum.

The long-planned refurbishment -- known as the Kelvingrove New Century Project -- is funded by Glasgow City Council, the Heritage Lottery Fund, the European Regional Development Fund, Historic Scotland and Scottish Natural Heritage.

Admission to Kelvingrove will be free. It will open to visitors: 10.00 - 17.00, Monday - Thursday & Saturday; and 11.00-17.00, Friday & Sunday.

Kelvingrove Fast Facts

* Before refurbishment began, the building and its contents were valued at
565 million pounds (US$1.03 billion, euro 818 million).
* The refurbishment cost 28 million pounds (US$52 million, euro 41
million), 12.75 million pounds (US$23 million, euro 18.5 million) of
which was raised by the Kelvingrove Refurbishment Appeal Trust.
* The Kelvingrove Refurbishment Appeal surpassed its original 5.5 million
pounds (US$10 million, euro 8 million) target to bring in additional
support to extend the projects worth by a further 7 million pounds
(US$13 million, euro 10 million).
* A public appeal attracted donations from more than 4,000 individuals,
and the nominated names of more than 6,500 people will be marked on a
wall in the main hall.
* 1.35 million annual visitors are expected to the new-look Kelvingrove.
Prior to its closure in 2003, Kelvingrove attracted just over a million
visitors each year.
* The Glasgow International Exhibition of 1901 was held to celebrate and
inaugurate the new Art Gallery and Museum building. It opened on 2 May
and closed on 9 November, was visited by over 11 million people, and
yielded a profit of 39,000 pounds (US$71,000, euro 56,000). It was
reopened as a museum in October 1902.
* Since its opening in 1901, the Kelvingrove Collection has been
recognised as internationally significant, holding high quality
collections across the entire array of museum disciplines -- European
and Scottish Art arms and armour, natural history, Scottish and
Mediterranean archaeology, world cultures and of course the work of
Charles Rennie Mackintosh and the Glasgow Style artists.

B-roll of Kelvingrove and Glasgow City Centre will be available to download free from: http://www.seeglasgow.com/kelvingrovemnr from 2.30pm on Thursday, July 6.

For more information regarding the feeds or to order hard copy tapes:

Media Relations at World Television
+44 207 388 8555
mediarelations@world-television.com

Further press information from:

Paul Kane - Media Officer
Glasgow City Council
Tel: +44 (0) 141 287 5387
e-mail: paul.kane@pr.glasgow.gov.uk
www.glasgow.gov.uk/kelvingrovemediaoffice

Moira Dyer - Senior Manager Public Relations
Glasgow City Marketing Bureau
Tel: + 44 (0) 141 566 0831
E-mail: moira.dyer@seeglasgow.comhttp://www.seeglasgow.com/media-office/kelvingrove

Related Links
http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/kelvingrovemediaofficehttp://www.glasgowmuseums.com/http://www.seeglasgow.com/media-office/kelvingrovehttp://www.seeglasgow.com/

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PRNewswire -- Aug. 15

Video: http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/worldtelevision/24797
Source: Glasgow City Council and World Television

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