McLellan Galleries

Visited the (RGI) Royal Glasgow Institute Fine Arts Exhibition in the McLellan Galleries today. This is the biggest contemporary art exhibition in Scotland and this is the first time in 7 years that the McLellan Galleries has been open to the public.

Phil Miller, the arts correspondent for the Herald has covered a number of stories on the plight of this wonderful building. The RGI have been campaigning for the McLellan Galleries to be used again, as this is where they held their first annual art show in 1861. As Glasgow’s only purpose-built galleries they are in a league of their own.

By reopening the galleries and staging an exhibition of exceptional quality and variety, the RGI hope this will ignite public and political passion for the McLellan Galleries and see this incredible cultural asset permanently reinstated as a major venue for arts in Scotland. I am in full support of this campaign by the RGI, as this is the only galleries in Glasgow that can host an International Exhibition.

Designed by the architect James Smith, the Galleries were built in 1856, and named after their builder, Archibald McLellan. Following his death, Glasgow City Corporation bought the building, and it was used as an exhibition space.

In the 1980s the Galleries were ravaged by fire, but re-opened in 1990, following a £3 million restoration. This changed it from a general temporary exhibition space housing everything from trade shows to model railway exhibitions, to what was then the largest high-quality, air-conditioned, temporary exhibition space outside London.

The interior of the building is Category B listed. This is a view from the main entrance stairwell, looking up into the beautiful cupola.