Art gallery to shut for six-month revamp

Published on Tuesday 6 January 2009 00:54

ONE of Edinburgh's main public galleries is to shut down for more than six months this year to enable a full-scale refurbishment to be carried out.

A 750,000 revamp has been ordered for a host of outdated facilities at the City Art Centre, in Market Street.

The city council-run gallery dates back to 1980 and last had an overhaul in 1992 when a two-storey extension was unveiled.

This year's closure – which will rule the gallery out for the capital's summer festivals season – will see new heating, lighting and ventilation systems installed.

Officials say the current ventilation system needs replacing as staff and customers have long complained of "unbearable" hot conditions in summer.

Experts believe the poor temperature control system risks damaging works of art in the gallery, which has six separate exhibition spaces.

The closure, effective from the spring, includes the gallery's popular cafe. The shop will close down and relocate to the ground floor.

The City Art Centre (CAC), which houses the city's 3,000-piece collection of Scottish art, has long been one of Scotland's leading temporary exhibition spaces.

Among its biggest success have been Emperor's Warriors in 1985, Gold of the Pharaohs in 1988, and Star Trek in 1995. Huge crowds are expected later this month when a major exhibition of art created by the rock icon Bob Dylan goes on display.

The gallery will then be closed between May and December.

The revamp is expected to pave the way for another major extension of the gallery on to an adjacent gap site on Market Street. The Scotsman revealed last year that plans for a new science centre on the site had been shelved in favour of expanding the council's main gallery.

The city's collection was initially housed in the former Royal High School on Calton Hill until an old warehouse on Market Street – which was originally built in 1902 as part of the headquarters of The Scotsman – became available in the late 1970s.

Council officials have also revealed plans to install sophisticated lighting systems, so that the gallery can play host to the widest range of exhibitions, and install new plate-glass windows on the front of the building to reduce the huge amount of heat loss from which the CAC currently suffers.

Councillor Deidre Brock, the city's sport and culture leader, said: "The City Art Centre is a fantastic asset for Edinburgh and upgrades will help ensure that the venue continues to be one of the best places in the city to see the widest range of art exhibitions."