The Hunterian at the University of Glasgow has been awarded £30,000 from Museums Galleries Scotland (MGS) to create a new interpretation space for the Mackintosh House, an integral part of the Hunterian Art Gallery on the University of Glasgow campus.

The new interpretation space will dramatically improve access to the Mackintosh House - one of Glasgow’s most popular tourist attractions.

The project is one of 15 in Scotland set to benefit from a share of £466K from the MGS Museum Development Fund.

The Hunterian is home to one of the world’s most important collections of the work of Scottish architect, designer and artist, Charles Rennie Mackintosh (1868-1928) and his wife, the artist Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh (1864-1933). The Mackintosh House is a meticulous reassemblage of the principal interiors from the Mackintoshes’ Glasgow home. The couple lived at 78 Southpark Avenue (originally 6 Florentine Terrace) from 1906 to 1914.

The interiors, completed in 1981, have been furnished with the Mackintoshes' own furniture - all to Mackintosh's design - and decorated as closely as possible to the original. The selection of bric à brac, fitted carpets, curtains and other soft furnishings is based on contemporary descriptions of the house and photographs of Mackintosh interiors of the period.

The award will also allow The Hunterian to increase the level of interpretation provided to its visitors and to create a Mackintosh House virtual tour, offering online access to this important attraction for the first time.

Steph Scholten, Director of The Hunterian, said:

'We are delighted to receive this award from Museums Galleries Scotland. Our Mackintosh collection is one of the best in the world and this valuable support will allow us to open it up further, improving the experience we offer to our visitors, both real and virtual.'

John McLeish, Interim CEO of Museums Galleries Scotland, said:

'MGS is pleased to be strengthening and supporting the resilience and ambitions of the sector by funding such a diverse range of projects. This was a strong round of applications and we look forward to seeing the long-term benefits brought by our Museums Development Fund for the museums and their visitors.'

The Hunterian is also a partner in a second project which will provide funding for a Partnership Coordinator for University Museums in Scotland (UMIS). The project received £41,105 and will allow (UMIS), a collaborative organisation comprising all the Accredited university museums in Scotland, to appoint a Partnership Coordinator. Part of their role will be to strengthen engagement with, and widen public and academic access to, their collections.

MGS is the National Development Body for museums and galleries in Scotland and offers strategic development support to the sector. Through the Museum Development Fund, MGS distributes a general funding grant from the Scottish Government as well as the ring-fenced grants for Scotland’s Recognised Collections.

First published: 18 December 2018

<< News Archive