The National Gallery in Edinburgh is getting a major overhaul, and it's about time. The iconic landmark, which has been a prominent feature of the city's skyline since the mid-19th century, is set to undergo a multi-million pound transformation to secure its long-term future. This revamp is not just about updating the building; it's about ensuring the National Gallery remains a vibrant, relevant, and essential cultural hub for generations to come. The project is being planned under a broader drive to enhance access to Scotland's national collection of art treasures, with a new waterfront attraction also in the works. The National Galleries of Scotland, which attracted over 2.6 million visitors to its three main sites in Edinburgh last year, has been a powerhouse for the city's economy, delivering £11 million in economic benefit for every £1 it receives from the Scottish Government. The overhaul of the National Gallery has been announced at a pivotal moment. New research reveals that the city's flagship art attractions are now worth more than £253 million to the economy, and the gallery has seen more than two million visitors flock to its doors in the last year alone. The National Gallery building, designed by Hoskins Architects and dating back to 1859, has already undergone significant expansions since the turn of the century. The first phase of work, completed in 2004 and costing £32 million, involved a refurbishment of the Royal Scottish Academy building on The Mound, as well as the creation of a new underground link to connect it to the National Gallery building. A lecture theatre, shop, and restaurant overlooking East Princes Street Gardens were also added. The more recent phase, unveiled in 2023 and costing over £38 million, saw the creation of 12 new exhibition galleries devoted to Scottish artists between 1800 and 1945. However, the next phase of the revamp, expected to cost well over £10 million, will focus on levels three and four of the National Gallery, which are usually accessed from The Mound precinct. This work will bring the galleries into line with the modern galleries created in 2023, allowing for the update of all the infrastructure behind them. It's about future-proofing these galleries to ensure they remain fit and suitable for future audiences, especially in the face of a climate crisis. The long-term refurbishment plans have been announced by the National Galleries months after it warned the Scottish Parliament that it needed to keep investing in its buildings to reduce its environmental impact and provide the best conditions for safeguarding and sharing its collections. The National Galleries said the level of risk and potential for a "catastrophic incident" at one of its buildings was "at a critical level never before seen." The Art Works project, which received planning permission at the end of 2023, was at risk of being postponed indefinitely last summer. However, the National Galleries announced in January that it was finally able to proceed after the Scottish Government confirmed a three-year funding commitment worth £56 million. The project is expected to cost at least £100 million and will become home to around 130,000 works of art when it opens in 2029. In an exclusive interview with The Herald, Director-General Anne Lyden said she expected The Art Works to become Scotland's equivalent to the new V&A East Storehouse at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in east London. The Art Works project is at the heart of a new long-term vision for the National Galleries, which also reveals that planning has started on the next redevelopment at The Mound. The blueprint states that the work will turn the A-listed landmark into a "refurbished and modernised building with a refreshed suite of galleries and displays that will take us through to 2050 and beyond." Works by some of Europe's greatest artists, including Rembrandt, van Gogh, Poussin, Gauguin, Canaletto, Monet, Titian, and Degas, are regularly on display in the exhibition galleries which are next in line to be refurbished. The complex, which attracted more than two million visitors for the first time in its history, has already been significantly expanded since the turn of the century. The National Galleries of Scotland plans to open The Art Works attraction in the Granton area of Edinburgh by 2029. The project, which is believed to be 60 per cent funded at the moment, is expected to get underway in Granton during the summer. It is hoped the UK Government will also support the Granton project, which previously put £50 million into the V&A East Storehouse project. The Art Works project will give audiences access to the collection in a way they have never had before. It will be a free-to-visit experience where people can engage with 97 per cent of the collection that would otherwise be hidden away. Only three per cent of the collection is on display in the galleries or out on loan. People will be able to pull out racks with paintings on it and explore a suite of viewing rooms for looking through photographs and drawings. If you are doing a deep-dive research project, the entire collection, archives, and library will be in one location for the first time. The project will also allow the National Galleries to loan work more efficiently, with people able to see more of the work around Scotland in the future. The Art Works will be both a destination hub and a distribution hub. Personally, I think this revamp is a necessary and exciting development for the National Gallery. It's not just about updating the building; it's about ensuring the gallery remains a vibrant, relevant, and essential cultural hub for generations to come. The National Gallery has been a cornerstone of Edinburgh's cultural landscape for over a century, and this overhaul will help it continue to thrive in the 21st century. The project is a classic case of redecorating one room in your house and the rest of the house then looking a bit tired. It's also a bit like rewiring your house to meet all of your technological needs. The National Galleries have been a powerhouse for the city's economy, and this revamp will help it continue to deliver economic benefit for years to come. The Art Works project, in particular, has the potential to transform what the National Galleries do, giving audiences access to the collection in a way they have never had before. The National Galleries have a responsibility to future generations to make decisions that will be looked back on favorably. This revamp is a step in the right direction, ensuring that the National Gallery remains a cultural treasure for all to enjoy for years to come.
