The Scottish Museums nominated for Art Fund Museum of the Year 2023

By Jen McLaren, 13.07.2023

Scapa Flow Museum, Museum of the Year finalist, 2023 (c) Janie Airey Art Fund 2023

The Burrell Collection and Scapa Flow Museum have been selected as two of the five finalists for Art Fund Museum of the Year 2023, the world’s largest museum prize.

The other shortlisted museums are Leighton House (London); The MAC (Belfast) and the Natural History Museum (London).

The winning museum will be announced at a ceremony at the British Museum in London on 12 July and will receive £120,000, specially increased for 2023 and beyond to mark 120 years of Art Fund supporting museums. Each
of the four other finalists will be given £15,000, bringing the total prize money to £180,000.

Art Fund says the shortlisted museums demonstrate transformational impact, redeveloping their offers with diverse and inspiring stories at their heart and shaping the response to vital issues of today.

The Burrell Collection in Glasgow’s Pollok Country Park is home to the 9000-object collection gifted to the city in 1944 by Sir William and Lady Constance Burrell.

Now managed by the charity Glasgow Life, it was officially reopened to the public in March 2022 following a major £68m refurbishment and redisplay, which took six years.

Sir William Burrell (1861–1958) was the owner of a prosperous shipping company, set up in Glasgow by his grandfather in the late 1800s. His success afforded him the ability to pursue a passion for collecting art for more than 70 years.

According to their specific wishes, the Burrells wanted the objects to be housed where people could appreciate the art in a countryside setting. Following years of searching for a suitable site, the original purpose-built museum opened in the beautiful surroundings of Pollok Country Park in 1983.

Its opening also marked the dawn of Glasgow’s culture-led regeneration, which culminated in it being named as European City of Culture in 1990.

The remarkable collection includes a significant selection of Chinese art, some of the world’s finest medieval stained glass and tapestries, and paintings by artists including Rembrandt, Degas, Cezanne and
the Scottish Colourists. It is ranked among the most notable civic museum collections in the UK alongside the National Gallery and the V&A in London.

Some of the many highlights include the ‘Meiping Vase’ (Ming Dynasty, Hongwu period, 1368-1398), Auguste Rodin’s sculpture ‘The Thinker’ (1880-
1881) a self portrait (1632) by Rembrandt van Rijn, the Wagner Garden Carpet (early 17th century, Safavid period) and stained glass from Canterbury Cathedral representing Princess Cecily (1483-1484).

Prior to closing in 2016 to undergo the renovation works, the Category A-listed building had fallen into disrepair and the exhibition spaces were not large enough to display the collection in its entirety.

The project aimed to repair the building, make it more sustainable and increase gallery space. Not only did
the redesign allow the objects room to breathe, curators also wanted to celebrate diversity through the museum’s rich and varied collection, thereby creating an accessible, inclusive and sustainable fine and decorative arts museum.

The redisplay was co-curated with a wide range of community groups to ensure that diverse and inclusive perspectives were represented, and the Burrell team also partnered with local schools and a range of community groups in order to amplify their voices.

In its first year after opening, the Burrell Collection welcomed over 600,000 visitors. Bailie Annette Christie, chair of Glasgow Life, said: ‘We are delighted to be shortlisted for Art Fund Museum of the Year 2023. The opening of The Burrell Collection in 1983 was the first demonstration of Glasgow’s commitment to culture-led regeneration. The benefits associated with accessing culture are tangible and the deep joy it can bring is visible every day at the reimagined Burrell Collection.

‘We received great support to develop new accessible displays for this impressive collection, created in partnership with the local community, all housed in a sustainable and stunning listed building.’

The winning museum will be announced at a ceremony at the British Museum in London on 12th July