Gallery of Modern Art, Glasgow

Last updated

Gallery of Modern Art
Gallery of Modern Art, Glasgow, angled view, 2018-06-27.jpg
Gallery of Modern Art, Glasgow
Established1996 (1996)
Location Royal Exchange Square
Glasgow
Scotland
G1 3AH
Coordinates 55°51′37″N4°15′09″W / 55.8602°N 4.25249°W / 55.8602; -4.25249
Type Contemporary art
Visitors576,689 (2019) [1]
Owner Glasgow City Council
Public transit access Glasgow Subway.svg Buchanan Street
Website Official website
Listed Building – Category A
Designated6 July 1966
Reference no. LB32818

The Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA) is the main gallery of contemporary art in Glasgow, Scotland.

Contents

GoMA offers a programme of temporary exhibitions and workshops. GoMA displays work by local and international artists as well as addressing contemporary social issues through its major biannual projects.

History

Opened in 1996, the Gallery of Modern Art is housed in a neoclassical building in Royal Exchange Square in the heart of Glasgow city centre. Built in 1778 as the townhouse of William Cunninghame of Lainshaw, a wealthy Glasgow Tobacco Lord who made his fortune through the triangular slave trade, [2] the building has undergone a series of different uses. It was bought in 1817 by the Royal Bank of Scotland who later moved onto Buchanan Street; it then became the Royal Exchange. Reconstruction for this use was undertaken by David Hamilton between 1827 and 1832 and resulted in many additions to the building, namely the Corinthian pillars to the Queen Street facade, the cupola above and the large hall to the rear of the old house.

In 1954, after purchasing the building for £105,000 in 1949, Glasgow District Libraries moved the Stirling's Library into the building. It also housed the Library of Patents and the Commercial Library. It was described as:

"A magnificent hall, 110 ft. by 60 ft.,... divided in to three parts by a double row of monolithic Corinthian columns and spanned by a 30ft high richly ornamented arched ceiling." [3]

Special book-cases were aligned with the columns, lit by fluorescent lighting to illuminate the books. There was a collection of over 100 books on the pictorial arts, 300 volumes of music books and scores, and 800 books for parents. Seven-foot-high (2.1-metre) display units were used to display items. [3] There was a magazine room with seating for fifty readers.

When the library returned to Miller Street, the building was refurbished to house the city's contemporary art collection.

Today

Statue of the Duke of Wellington with traffic cone Wfm duke of wellington.jpg
Statue of the Duke of Wellington with traffic cone

Since its opening in 1996, the gallery has hosted several million visitors. It has a dedicated Education and Access studio, facilitating workshops and artists talks and in the basement a Learning Library. The building also contains a café, free Internet access terminals, multimedia, art, and general book-lending facilities. Exhibits include works by David Hockney, Sebastião Salgado, and Andy Warhol as well as Scottish artists such as John Bellany and Ken Currie.

The mirrored pediment on the exterior of the building is by artist Niki de Saint Phalle, entitled Tympanum (1996). Saint Phalle also installed the mirrored vestibule to the gallery. [4]

In front of the gallery, on the Queen Street pavement, stands an equestrian statue of the Duke of Wellington sculpted by Carlo Marochetti in 1844. [5] The statue usually has a traffic cone on its head; for many years the authorities regularly removed cones, only for them to be replaced. [5] The jauntily placed cone has come to represent, particularly in tourist guidebooks, the city's light-hearted attitude to authority. Two exceptions were on the occasion of Glasgow hosting the 2002 UEFA Champions League final, when the cone was replaced by a football-patterned hat bearing the logo of one of the tournament sponsors, Amstel, [6] and in June 2010, on the run-up to the opening of hotel chain citizenM in Glasgow, when the cone was replaced with a 'feel free' branded glitter cone. Around the time of the Independence Referendum, a saltire was attached to the cone.[ citation needed ]

The cone was painted gold during the 2012 Olympics as a celebration of Scotland's contribution to the record haul of gold medals won by Team GB. [7] A gold cone was again placed on the statue for the 2014 Commonwealth Games. [8]

On 'Brexit Day' (31 January 2020), pro-European supporters placed a cone painted to represent the EU flag on the statue's head. [9]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scottish National Gallery</span> Part of National Galleries Scotland in Edinburgh

The National is the national art gallery of Scotland. It is located on The Mound in central Edinburgh, close to Princes Street. The building was designed in a neoclassical style by William Henry Playfair, and first opened to the public in 1859.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Niki de Saint Phalle</span> French plastician, painter and sculptor

Niki de Saint Phalle was a French-American sculptor, painter, filmmaker, and author of colorful hand-illustrated books. Widely noted as one of the few female monumental sculptors, Saint Phalle was also known for her social commitment and work.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sprengel Museum</span> Art museum in Lower Saxony, Germany

Sprengel Museum is a museum of modern art in Hanover, Lower Saxony, holding one of the most significant collections of modern art in Germany. It is located in a building situated adjacent to the Masch Lake approximately 150 metres (490 ft) south of the state museum. The museum opened in 1979, and the building, designed by Peter and Ursula Trint and Dieter Quast, was extended in 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery</span> Museum in Glasgow, Scotland

The Hunterian is a complex of museums located in and operated by the University of Glasgow in Glasgow, Scotland. It is the oldest museum in Scotland. It covers the Hunterian Museum, the Hunterian Art Gallery, the Mackintosh House, the Zoology Museum and the Anatomy Museum, which are all located in various buildings on the main campus of the university in the west end of Glasgow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph Edgar Boehm</span> British sculptor (1834–1890)

Sir Joseph Edgar Boehm, 1st Baronet, was an Austrian-born British medallist and sculptor, best known for the "Jubilee head" of Queen Victoria on coinage, and the statue of the Duke of Wellington at Hyde Park Corner. During his career Boehm maintained a large studio in London and produced a significant volume of public works and private commissions. A speciality of Boehm's was the portrait bust; there are many examples of these in the National Portrait Gallery. He was often commissioned by the Royal Family and members of the aristocracy to make sculptures for their parks and gardens. His works were many, and he exhibited 123 of them at the Royal Academy from 1862 to his death in 1890.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Steell</span> Scottish sculptor (1804-1891)

Sir John Robert Steell was a Scottish sculptor. He modelled many of the leading figures of Scottish history and culture, and is best known for a number of sculptures displayed in Edinburgh, including the statue of Sir Walter Scott at the base of the Scott Monument.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scottish National Portrait Gallery</span> Art museum in Edinburgh, Scotland

National Galleries Scotland: Portrait is an art museum on Queen Street, Edinburgh. Portrait holds the national collections of portraits, all of which are of, but not necessarily by, Scots. It also holds the Scottish National Photography Collection.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art</span> Part of National Galleries of Scotland in Edinburgh

National Galleries Scotland: Modern is part of National Galleries Scotland, which is based in Edinburgh, Scotland. The Modern houses the collection of modern and contemporary art dating from about 1900 to the present in two buildings, Modern One and Modern Two, that face each other on Belford Road to the west of the city centre.

<i>Sun God</i> (statue) Sculpture by Niki de Saint Phalle in San Diego, California, U.S.

Sun God is a monumental statue by French-American sculptor Niki de Saint Phallelocated on the campus of the University of California, San Diego. The figurative sculpture is a 14-foot (4.3 m) multicolored bird-like creature, perched atop a 15-foot (4.6 m) tall arch-shaped, vine-covered concrete pedestal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carlo Marochetti</span> French sculptor

Baron Pietro Carlo Giovanni Battista Marochetti was an Italian-born French sculptor who worked in France, Italy and Britain. He completed many public sculptures, often in a neo-classical style, plus reliefs, memorials and large equestrian monuments in bronze and marble. In 1848, Marochetti settled in England, where he received commissions from Queen Victoria. Marochetti received great recognition during his lifetime, being made a baron in Italy and was awarded the Legion of Honour by the French government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jean Tinguely</span> Swiss sculptor (1925–1991)

Jean Tinguely was a Swiss sculptor best known for his kinetic art sculptural machines that extended the Dada tradition into the later part of the 20th century. Tinguely's art satirized automation and the technological overproduction of material goods.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Exchange Square</span> Public square in Glasgow, Scotland

The Royal Exchange Square is a public square in Glasgow, Scotland. The square lies between Buchanan Street and Queen Street, opening out Queen Street and Ingram Street to the south of George Square. It is also easily accessible from Buchanan Street on the west side of the square, through two prominent archways at Royal Bank Place. The square is a landmark due to its distinguished architecture which attracts many visitors. It is one of six squares in the city centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Anderson Lawson</span>

George Anderson Lawson was a British Victorian era sculptor who was associated with the New Sculpture movement.

Richard Wright is an English artist and musician. Wright was born in London. His family moved to Scotland when he was young. He attended Edinburgh College of Art from 1978 to 1982 and studied at Glasgow School of Art between 1993 and 1995 studying for a Master of Fine Art. He lives in Glasgow. and Norfolk.

<i>Stravinsky Fountain</i> Fountain in Paris, France

The Stravinsky Fountain is a whimsical public fountain ornamented with sixteen works of sculpture, moving and spraying water, representing the works of composer Igor Stravinsky. It was created in 1983 by sculptors Jean Tinguely and Niki de Saint Phalle, and is located on Place Stravinsky, next to the Centre Pompidou, in Paris.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Equestrian statue of the Duke of Wellington, Glasgow</span> Statue by Carlo Marochetti in Glasgow, United Kingdom

The equestrian statue of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington located outside the Royal Exchange, now known as the Gallery of Modern Art, Glasgow, Scotland, is one of Glasgow's most iconic landmarks.

Queen Califia's Magical Circle is an outdoor sculpture garden in Kit Carson Park in Escondido, California, named in honor of the legendary Queen Califia of California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Fillans</span> Scottish sculptor, poet and artist

James Fillans was a Scottish sculptor, poet and artist with a short but influential career in the early 19th century.

References

  1. "ALVA - Association of Leading Visitor Attractions". www.alva.org.uk. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  2. "BBC - History - British History in depth: Slavery and the Building of Britain". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
  3. 1 2 Joseph D., Hendry (1974). A Social History of Branch Library Development with special reference to the City of Glasgow. Glasgow: Scottish Library Association. p. 320.
  4. "Niki de Saint Phalle, Gallery of Modern Art, Glasgow". Herald Scotland. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
  5. 1 2 Council in road cone statue plea BBC News , 16 February 2005
  6. "Amstel standing. - Free Online Library". www.thefreelibrary.com. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
  7. Dailyrecord.co.uk (10 August 2012). "Duke of Wellington is awarded gold in honour of Scotland's success at the Olympics". Daily Record. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
  8. Limited, Alamy. "Glasgow, Scotland, UK. 31st July, 2014. In celebration of the success of the Commonwealth Games, the regular and iconic red and white traffic cone on the head of the Duke of Wellington statue (normally put there as a student prank) has been replaced by one painted gold. The statue, with a traffic cone on top, outside the Gallery of Modern Art in Royal Exchange Square has been used as an example of Glaswegian humour and is a continuing interest to tourists and locals alike. Credit: Findlay/Alamy Live News Stock Photo - Alamy". www.alamy.com. Retrieved 23 February 2022.{{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  9. "Scottish statue given pro-European makeover for Brexit Day". The National. Retrieved 23 February 2022.