Aberdeen Art Gallery

History

Following a competition, the winning design by Alexander Marshall Mackenzie and James Matthews began construction in 1883 and was opened in 7 July 1885. There were further additions, again by Mackenzie, in 1901 and 1905, including the addition of a sculpture court.

In April 2020, the gallery made 50 artworks available digitally via the Smartify app.

In October 2020, Aberdeen Art Gallery was named one of the five winners of the 2020 ArtFund Museum of the Year Award. ArtFund increased the prize money to £200,000 and changed the format of the award to five winners in response to the challenges faced by the museum sector during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Collection

The Fine Arts collection of the Aberdeen Art Gallery has grown steadily since its foundation in 1885, highlighted with works by such artists as Monet and Renoir as well as more modern artists like John Bulloch Souter, Ian Hamilton Finlay, and James McBey.

The permanent collection includes 18th-century works by Henry Raeburn, William Hogarth, Allan Ramsay and Joshua Reynolds, and 20th-century works by Paul Nash and Francis Bacon, the Post-Impressionists and the Scottish Colourists, as well as applied arts and crafts. File:The Duke of Wellington Writing Dispatches.jpeg|David Wilkie (1786-1841) - The Duke of Wellington Writing Dispatches File:Alexandre-Gabriel Decamps (1803-1860) - The Watering Place - ABDAG003157 - Aberdeen Art Gallery.jpg|Alexandre-Gabriel Decamps (1803-1860) - The Watering Place File:Gustave Courbet (1819-1877) - The Stream - ABDAG003054 - Aberdeen Art Gallery.jpg|Gustave Courbet (1819-1877) - The Stream File:Henri Fantin-Latour (1836-1904) - Dahlias - ABDAG002546 - Aberdeen Art Gallery.jpg|Henri Fantin-Latour (1836-1904) - Dahlias File:Stanislas Lépine (1835-1892) - The Shepherdess - ABDAG002511 - Aberdeen Art Gallery.jpg|Stanislas Lépine (1835-1892) - The Shepherdess File:Jules Adolphe Aimé Louis Breton (1827-1906) - The Gleaner - ABDAG002172 - Aberdeen Art Gallery.jpg|Jules Adolphe Aimé Louis Breton (1827-1906) - The Gleaner File:Alfred Sisley (1839-1899) - Les bords du Loing, France - ABDAG003023 - Aberdeen Art Gallery.jpg|Alfred Sisley (1839-1899) - Les bords du Loing, France File:Théodore Rousseau (1812-1867) - Un marais dans les Landes, France - ABDAG003933 - Aberdeen Art Gallery.jpg|Théodore Rousseau (1812-1867) - Un marais dans les Landes, France

Building and renovations

The central hall is supported by granite columns in a variety of colours, derived from different quarries in the local area and far beyond.

At the western end of the building, with a room inside and a monument outside, is a major war memorial. The war memorial was built in the 1920s as a part of the rapid expansion of the Aberdeen Art Gallery and was funded by a public subscription. The Memorial Court court has a display of several books of remembrance and rolls of honour, commemorating the fallen of World War I, World War II, the Merchant Navy and Fishing Fleets in World War II, and from conflicts after 1945.

Another addition to the Gallery during this time of rapid expansion was Cowdray Hall. Cowdray Hall is a concert venue for music and performances and was opened by King George V and Queen Mary on 25 September 1925. The hall was supported by a gift from Annie, the Viscountess of Cowdray, "with a view to encouraging the taste for art and music in the City of Aberdeen."

The Gallery was closed for a programme of renovations commencing in 2015. The £34.6 million redevelopment was designed by Hoskins Architects and carried out by the contractors McLaughlin & Harvey. The gallery re-opened in November 2019. The project won an award from the Scottish Civic Trust for making an outstanding contribution to the quality and appearance of the built environment, as well as the trust's National Panel Special Award.

File:DSCF1805 War memoriial in Aberdeen Art Gallery.jpg|War Memorial (interior) File:Aberdeen War Memorial (53599387867).jpg|War Memorial (exterior)

References

References

1. {{Historic Environment Scotland
2. (6 December 2012). "The Grove Encyclopedia of Medieval Art and Architecture, Volume 2".
3. (7 July 1885). "The Aberdeen Art Gallery — Opening ceremony". The Evening Gazette.
4. "Basic Site Details: Aberdeen Art Gallery". Dictionary of Scottish Architects.
5. (2020-04-07). "Art lovers can stay at home and enjoy Aberdeen Art Gallery thanks to new app".
6. "Meet our winners".
7. "Art Fund Museum of the Year 2020".
8. (2020-02-10). "Fine Art {{!}} Aberdeen City Council".
9. (20 March 2006). "Frommer's Scotland".
10. (10 May 2020). "Organisation and History {{!}} Aberdeen City Council".
11. (1 May 2021). "Cowdray Hall {{!}} Aberdeen City Council".
12. "DSA Building/Design Report: Aberdeen Art Gallery". Dictionary of Scottish Architects.
13. (22 November 2017). "Aberdeen Art Gallery £30m redevelopment delayed". BBC News.
14. Addy, Ben. (10 December 2019). "Tough love invigorates Aberdeen Art Gallery".
15. (2 November 2019). "Aberdeen Art Gallery to welcome more than 5,000 visitors this weekend".
16. (5 March 2021). "2021 Civic Trust Awards, Selwyn Goldsmith Awards for Universal Design & AABC Conservation Awards National & International Winners".