The refurbishment project, titled Portrait of a Nation, will double the gallery space of the Arts and Crafts building, which was the first one purpose-built to display portraits in 1889. There will be a new focus on both photography and Scottish art, reinventing the way the national collection is shown and reviving the gallery’s character by restoring original features.
A Stage One pass of £4,531,000 for the project (earmarked money while detailed plans are drawn up), has been announced by the HLF together with development funding of £269,000. The Scottish Government has today (December 14) announced a contribution of £5.1 million to the project.
Overall, Portrait of a Nation will cost £17.6 million, and fundraising will now begin for raising the remaining amount.
“Portrait of a Nation will be a very significant development for the National Galleries of Scotland,” said John Leighton, Director-General of the National Galleries of Scotland.
“Following this refurbishment we will at last be able to make effective use of one of the most outstanding buildings in Edinburgh. More important, the project will enable the wonderful collections to be presented in a coherent and understandable way, appealing to a wide range of new national and international audiences.”
“We are very grateful to the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Scottish Government for the generous support, which gives us the opportunity to let this much-loved institution reach its full potential.”
The Portrait Gallery will close in 2009 for work to begin, with a provisional completion date of autumn 2011.
