Aberdeen Art Gallery facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Aberdeen Art Gallery
Aberdeen Art Gallery
General information
Location	Aberdeen, Scotland
Coordinates	57.1482°N 2.1024°W

The Aberdeen Art Gallery is the main place in Aberdeen, Scotland, where you can see amazing visual art. It's like a big museum filled with paintings, sculptures, and other artworks. The gallery first opened its doors in 1884. It was designed by a famous architect named Alexander Marshall Mackenzie. In 1900, it received a wonderful collection of art from Alexander Macdonald, who was a local businessman. Today, the gallery is known for its great collection of modern Scottish and international art. You can see works by artists like Ken Currie, Gilbert & George, and Bridget Riley here.

History of the Gallery

The idea for the Aberdeen Art Gallery came from a competition. The winning design was created by Alexander Marshall Mackenzie and James Matthews. Building started in 1883, and the gallery officially opened in 1885. More parts were added later by Mackenzie in 1901 and 1905, including a special area for sculptures.

In April 2020, the gallery made 50 of its artworks available online. You could see them using an app called Smartify. This was a cool way to explore art from home!

Later in October 2020, the Aberdeen Art Gallery won a big award. It was named one of the five winners of the 2020 ArtFund Museum of the Year Award. The prize money was increased to £200,000 that year. This was done to help museums during the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

What You Can See: The Collection

The art collection at the Aberdeen Art Gallery has been growing steadily since it first opened in 1885. It has many famous artworks. You can find pieces by well-known artists like Monet and Renoir. There are also works by more modern artists such as John Bulloch Souter and Ian Hamilton Finlay.

The gallery's permanent collection means the art that is always on display. This includes art from the 1700s by artists like Henry Raeburn and William Hogarth. You can also see art from the 1900s by Paul Nash and Francis Bacon. The gallery also features works by Post-Impressionists and the Scottish Colourists. Besides paintings, there are also beautiful crafts and applied arts.

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  Alexandre-Gabriel Decamps (1803-1860) - The Watering Place

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  Gustave Courbet (1819-1877) - The Stream

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  Henri Fantin-Latour (1836-1904) - Dahlias

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  Stanislas Lépine (1835-1892) - The Shepherdess

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  Jules Adolphe Aimé Louis Breton (1827-1906) - The Gleaner

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  Alfred Sisley (1839-1899) - The Banks of the Loing, France

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  Théodore Rousseau (1812-1867) - A Marsh in Les Landes, France

The Building and Its Updates

The Sculpture Court after its recent updates

The main hall of the gallery is very impressive. It has strong columns made of granite. These columns come in many different colors. The granite was brought from various quarries both nearby and far away.

At one end of the building, there is a special war memorial. This memorial was built in the 1920s. It was part of a big expansion of the gallery at that time. People donated money to help build it. The Memorial Court inside has books and lists that remember those who served and lost their lives. This includes people from World War I, World War II, and other conflicts after 1945.

Another important part added during this time was Cowdray Hall. Cowdray Hall is a place where concerts and performances are held. It was opened by King George V and Queen Mary in 1925. The hall was made possible by a generous gift from Annie, the Viscountess of Cowdray. She wanted to help people in Aberdeen enjoy art and music more.

The gallery closed in 2015 for a major update and renovation project. This big project cost £34.6 million. It was designed by Hoskins Architects and built by McLaughlin & Harvey. The gallery reopened its doors in November 2019. The project won an award from the Scottish Civic Trust. This award recognized its great contribution to the look and quality of the built environment.

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  The War Memorial inside the gallery

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  The War Memorial outside the gallery

See Also

• Culture in Aberdeen