The Burrell Collection

The Burrell Collection is an international art collection in the city of Glasgow and it is housed in its own award-winning building, in Pollock Country Park on the south side of the city.

The eclectic collection was acquired over many years by Sir William Burrell, a wealthy Glasgow shipping magnate and art collector, who then gave it to the city of Glasgow Corporation in 1944, thanks to the skills and determination of the city’s art director Dr Tom Honeyman in whom Burrell had great confidence. The gift was made on the condition that the collection was to be housed in a building 16 miles from the centre of Glasgow, to show the works to their greatest advantage, and to avoid the damaging effects of air pollution at the time.

Works began with repairs to the roof and the installation of modern glazing making the building more air-tight and therefore reducing it’s overall energy consumption. We have also been working on make the space more accessible for visitors, adding a range of first-class facilities and carefully restoring and improving parts of the building.

On reopening, the museum’s gallery space will have increased by 35 per cent, allowing important and unique objects from the collection, which have not been seen for decades, or have never been on permanent display, to go on show. New displays will give visitors a better understanding of the artworks, the people who made them and some of the people who have owned them.