KELVINGROVE ART GALLERY AND MUSEUM
A $228 million refit has rejuvenated Glasgow’s Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. Mark Robertson meets Muriel Gray — writer of a book on the past, present and future of the building — and gets a sneaky peak at the shape of things to come.
I doesn‘t matter who _\ou are. _\ou ne\ er get
Used to seeing l‘amiliar laces out ol conte\t.
l'\e just caught one of Scotland's o\\ n original cultural pol}maths. .\luriel (Era). gesticulating wildl) at a pair of rotting stags. This isn’t a mountainside in (ilencoe. though: we are in fact in the bowels ol Kch ingro\e .'\rt (ialler) and Museum in (ilasgow's \Vest lind. In a space where _\ou'd normally e\pect to .see school parties gawping and jahhering or the occasional pensioner strolling contemplati\e|_\' through. (ira) is explaining a with l‘urioUs actions ol‘ course - just how this most
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impressh e ol‘ the cit} 's art institutions has been sa\ ed lrom heing institutionalised.
The building’s reimenation is displa}ed on (Bra) ‘s lace and e\pressed in her moxements as \llc l‘lc‘ttc‘ltch from room [0 room. e\hihit It) e\hihit. She should know as well as amone: she has just completed a hook. Kt'lt'i/tQ/‘oi't'.’ (i/usgg’mt'w l’m‘lu/ In [/Il' llitl‘ltl. \Klllc‘ll L‘\pl;tlns
~itist w h_\ the galler} holds such a warm place in
the hearts of so man) (ilaswegians. Alter three )c‘;ii's ol‘ the doors being closed. the huge project is about to come to fruition.
'lt's ahsolutel) tremendoUs.‘ (int) heams. 'lixer} titne I come here there are more things in place and it's Ver) nearl} complete.‘
li\ en the term 'inuseum‘ has changed its meaning in recent _\ears. ln l'ormer times it defined a temple ol' cultural and anthropological enlightenment. while toda) it more readil} means something antiquated and outdated. Kehingrme's transformation is singular in that notions of the past give wa} to e\periences of the present. .-\s someone who spent rain} summer da_ss wandering the hone}comh of rooms trying to make sense of
old masters. trihal li\ ing or animal exolution. it l‘ecls to me like a new heginning.
\Vhat man} people l'orget is. Kchlttgt‘tne is popular. Huge/r popular. It is the si\th most \isited museum in Britain and in relation to (ilasgow‘s population is the most \isited inuseum in the (K. 'l‘hat's wh} rexamping it so completel} was a massi\e joh. (ira} retells a stor} ol the galler} 's linal da} hack in 2003,
'()n the last Lla} below the} closed down. there were 13.000 people through the door to ‘1‘} i—‘Httdhye to the place. There was this rather rough looking chap who came up to the head of museums and galleries at (ilasgow (‘it} ('ouncil and said: "Are )ou Mark O'Neill?" "YCN." he said expectantl}. 'l‘hc hloke looked right at him and said. "Don't luck it up."
He needn't hax'e worried. (ireat moments in the new Kelx'ingrme are numerous. 'l‘hc tnain central space has been cleared of clutter like the gilt shop that now resides in the l’reshl} excavated basement alongside the cale and restaurant. educational wing and a special climate controlled space for guest exhibitions.
The cliches ol‘ mUseums are gone. replaced