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Glasgow Gallery of Modern Art
Address: Royal Exchange Square, Glasgow,
G1 3AH.
Tel: 0141 229 1996
Gallery opening hours:
Mon - Wed & Sat (10:00am - 5:00pm)
Thurs (10:00am - 8:00pm)
Fri & Sun (11:00am - 5:00pm)
Located on the tasteful Royal Exchange Square, the Glasgow Gallery of
modern art is the second most visited contemporary art gallery outside of
London, attracting millions since its opening in 1996.
Standing out amongst some of the city centre's more contemporary buildings,
the widely acclaimed gallery is housed in a mix of both modern and neo-classical
architecture. Built in 1778 originally as a townhouse for the city's wealthy
tobacco lord William Cunninghame of Lainshaw, the building has been designated
a number of uses over the years - once bought by the Royal Bank of Scotland
in 1871 before becoming the Royal Exchange as the RBS moved on to Buchanan
Street.
Visitors are encouraged to stay for as long as the please to view the vast
range of work, incorporating international artists such as Niki de Saint
Phalle, David Hockney, Sebastiao Salgado and Andy Worhol to Scottish talent
such as John Bellamy and Ken Currie.
Among it's amenities, the gallery also provides a stylish café, guided
tours, internet access, a library and accomodates disabled patrons. With
a city centre location, the gallery is only 5 minutes walk from Buchanan
St. or St. Enoch subway stations and also 5 minutes from Queen St. and Argyle
St. train stations (10 minutes walk from Central Station). With such easy
access and free admission the gallery is 'must-see' for any visitor to Glasgow,
art enthusiast or other.
The gallery also has a dedicated education and access studio, facilitating
workshops and artists regularly hold talks for all age groups and levels
of art enthusiasts.
The gallery is renowned for it's statue of the Duke of Wellington on horse
back at it's entrance. However, not so much for the statue itself rather
the orange traffic cone rested upon the statue's head. Each time one is
removed, another is placed, to the extent many have never seen the statue
without it's mischievous addition. Authorities regularly removed the cone
only for it to be replaced and have now to have given up, this is said to
display the light-hearted nature of the city to the extent that when the
city hosted the 2003 Champions league final (the biggest prize in world
Club football) it was replaced by a hat bearing the name of the sponsor
Amstel.
... [Back to Glasgow
Galleries Index]
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