The Aberdeen Art Gallery is the largest public art gallery in northern Scotland, and houses one of the most important collections of art in the country, including works by master artists such as Henry Raeburn, William Hogarth, Joshua Reynolds, as well as more modern artists such as Stanley Spencer.
The gallery has an excellent collection of works by French Impressionist artists such as Renoir, Monet, and Cezanne, and works by modern masters like Damien Hirst and Gavin Turk.
There is much more to the collections than paintings, however; the gallery boasts a large collection of decorative arts, including glassware, ceramics, furniture, jewellery, metalwork, costume, and textiles. The Gallery is especially known for enamelling and jewellery, with works by local silversmiths.
In addition to the regular exhibits, there is a changing programme of temporary events and special exhibits. The James McBey Print Room also hosts a changing display of prints from the Gallery's collections.
History
The Gallery had its origins in a one-off event in 1873 when a local collector named John white convinced a group of fellow collectors to hold a public exhibition to show their artwork to the public. So successful was the event that it was decided to create a permanent gallery for the benefit of local residents. Local architect A Marshall MacKenzie was called upon to design a new gallery, which opened in 1885, with areas for art and industrial exhibits. The collection was expanded in 1900 when a wealthy granite merchant named alexander Macdonald donated his private collection.
