The Whitworth Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids
The Whitworth


Former name	The Whitworth Institute and Park
Established	1889
Location	Manchester, England
Founder	Robert Darbishire
Owner	University of Manchester
Listed Building – Grade II
Official name: Whitworth Gallery
Designated:	2 October 1974
Reference #:	1246569

The Whitworth is a famous art gallery located in Manchester, England. It holds a huge collection of over 60,000 artworks. The gallery is found within Whitworth Park and is part of the University of Manchester.

In 2015, the Whitworth reopened after a big renovation. This project cost £15 million and made the exhibition spaces twice as large. It also brought back some of the building's original features. The gallery became more connected to the park around it. In its first year after reopening, over 440,000 people visited. The Whitworth also won the Art Fund's Museum of the Year award in 2015.

History of The Whitworth Gallery
- Artworks Recovered in 2003
Architecture and Design
- Modern Refurbishment and Extension
Art Collections
Gallery Directors
Images for kids
See also

History of The Whitworth Gallery

The Whitworth gallery was started in 1889. It was founded by Robert Dukinfield Darbishire. He used money donated by Sir Joseph Whitworth. At first, it was called "The Whitworth Institute and Park." The first building was finished in 1908. In 1958, the gallery became part of the Victoria University of Manchester.

In October 1974, the gallery was named a Grade II listed building. This means it is a special building that needs to be protected.

In October 1995, a new area called the mezzanine court opened in the middle of the building. This new gallery was mainly for showing sculptures. It even won an award from the RIBA, which is a group for architects. In 2010, the gallery had 172,000 visitors. This made it one of the top 10 most visited places in Greater Manchester.

In February 2015, the Whitworth reopened after its big £15 million renovation. It welcomed over 440,000 visitors in its first year. The gallery was considered for the Stirling Prize, a top award for buildings. It also won the Art Fund's Museum of the Year award in 2015.

Artworks Recovered in 2003

On April 26, 2003, three paintings were taken from the gallery. These included The Fortification of Paris with Houses by Van Gogh, Poverty by Picasso, and Tahitian Landscape by Gauguin. These artworks were thought to be worth a lot of money.

Later, someone gave a secret tip, and the paintings were found. They were rolled up in a public toilet nearby. A note found with them said the reason for taking them was to show that the gallery's security needed to be better. The paintings were then put back on display after some small repairs.

Architecture and Design

The Whitworth gallery is a Grade II listed building. It was built between 1895 and 1900. The design is in a style called free Jacobean. It was designed by J.W. Beaumont. The building has two main floors and a basement. It is made of red brick with matching terracotta details. The roofs are made of green slate.

The main part of the building has nine sections. It features two towers and a large, round porch that sticks out. This porch has stone columns and a stone frieze.

Modern Refurbishment and Extension

The Whitworth Gallery extension

In 2008, a competition was held to design an extension for the gallery. Money for the project was secured in February 2011. In September 2013, the gallery closed for the renovation and extension work. The £15 million project was supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund and the University of Manchester.

The architects, MUMA, planned for the gallery to reopen in summer 2014. However, some problems caused delays. The new design added more gallery space, a learning studio, and a study centre. It also included an art garden and a café.

Builders added a new extension made of glass, stainless steel, and brick. This extension has two wings that reach into Whitworth Park from the back of the gallery. A glass walkway connects these two wings. The extension made the gallery one-third larger than it was before.

The new extension opened on February 14, 2015. It doubled the public space inside the gallery. This extra space allows more of the gallery's 60,000 artworks to be shown. It also connects the building more closely to Whitworth Park.

The renovation and extension work won a RIBA National Award in 2015. It was also considered for the RIBA Stirling Prize, another major award for architecture.

Art Collections

The Whitworth has amazing collections of different types of art. These include watercolours, sculptures, wallpapers, and textiles. It has important historical works by artists like Thomas Gainsborough, Alexander and John Robert Cozens, and Thomas Girtin.

Some of the exhibitions at the Whitworth use artworks from its permanent collection. However, to keep the artworks safe, the Whitworth does not have any art on permanent display. This helps protect the pieces for a long time.

The gallery also shows art by modern and contemporary artists. Its collections include works by famous names such as Degas, van Gogh, Gauguin, Pissarro, and Picasso. Other artists featured are Moholy-Nagy, Paul Klee, Walter Sickert, Henry Moore, and Barbara Hepworth. You can also find art by Ford Madox Brown, Eduardo Paolozzi, Francis Bacon, William Blake, David Hockney, and L. S. Lowry. The gallery also has a great collection of works by J. M. W. Turner.

One of its most famous sculptures is Genesis (1929–31) by Sir Jacob Epstein. The gallery also houses the Musgrave Kinley Outsider Art Collection.

Gallery Directors

Sook-Kyng Lee became the director of the Whitworth in August 2023. She also became an Honorary Professor at the University of Manchester.

Before her, Maria Balshaw was the director. She left in June 2017 to become the director of the Tate galleries. After she left, Nick Merriman became the temporary director.

On October 11, 2018, it was announced that Alistair Hudson would be the new director. He now leads both the Manchester Art Gallery and the Whitworth. Before this, Hudson was the director at the Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art (MIMA).