The Whitworth

The Whitworth is an art gallery in Manchester, England, containing over 60,000 items in its collection. The gallery is located in Whitworth Park and is part of the University of Manchester.

The Whitworth
Former name
The Whitworth Institute and Park
Established1889
LocationManchester, England
Coordinates53.460278°N 2.229444°W / 53.460278; -2.229444
FounderRobert Darbishire
DirectorAlistair Hudson
OwnerUniversity of Manchester
Websitewhitworth.manchester.ac.uk

In 2015, the Whitworth reopened after it was transformed by a £15 million capital redevelopment that doubled its exhibition spaces, restored period features and opened itself up to its surrounding park. The gallery received more than 440,000 visitors in its first year and was awarded the Art Fund's Museum of the Year prize in 2015.[1]

History

The gallery was founded in 1889 by Robert Dukinfield Darbishire with a donation from Sir Joseph Whitworth, as "The Whitworth Institute and Park". The first building was completed in 1908.[2] In 1958, the gallery became part of the University of Manchester.[3]

In October 1995, the mezzanine court in the centre of the building was opened. The new gallery, designed chiefly for the display of sculpture, won a RIBA regional award.[4] In 2010, the art gallery received 172,000 visitors, making it one of Greater Manchester's 10 most-visited tourist attractions.[5]

In February 2015, the Whitworth reopened after a £15 million capital redevelopment and received over 440,000 visitors in its first reopening year. It was shortlisted for the Stirling Prize[6] and won the Art Fund's Museum of the Year[1] in 2015.

2003 theft

On 26 April 2003, three paintings thought to be worth a total of £4m — Van Gogh's The Fortification of Paris with Houses, Picasso's Poverty and Gauguin's Tahitian Landscape — were stolen from the gallery.[7][8] After an anonymous tip-off, they were found rolled up in a nearby public toilet with a note claiming that the motive of the theft was to highlight poor security at the gallery. The paintings were subsequently put back on display after minor repair work.[9]

Architecture

The Grade II listed gallery was built between 1895 and 1900 in a free Jacobean style to the designs of J.W. Beaumont. The gallery consisting of two storeys and a basement is constructed of red brick with bands and dressings of matching terracotta and has green slate roofs. Its nine-bay main range has two towers and a large projecting semi-circular porch with a screen of paired stone Ionic columns and a stone frieze below a balustraded parapet.[10]

Refurbishment and extension
The Whitworth Gallery extension

An architectural competition was launched by RIBA Competitions to design an extension in 2008 and funding was secured in February 2011.[11][12] In September 2013, the gallery closed for refurbishment and extension works.[13] The £15 million redevelopment was supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund and the University of Manchester.[13] The refurbishment works, undertaken by architects MUMA envisaged the gallery reopening to the public by summer 2014,[13] but complications delayed the opening.[14]

The development includes expanded gallery areas, a learning studio, study centre, an art garden and café. Developers have constructed a glass, stainless steel and brick extension consisting of two wings which extend into Whitworth Park from the back of the gallery building. The wings are connected by a glass promenade. The extension means the gallery is a third larger than previously.[14]

The extension, which opened on 14 February 2015 doubles the gallery's public space. It provides more space for displaying the more than 60,000 items in the gallery's collection and links the building to Whitworth Park.[15]

The refurbishment and extension work resulted in the development winning a RIBA National Award in 2015 and subsequently being shortlisted for the RIBA Stirling Prize.[16] The Whitworth won the Art Fund's Museum of the Year award in 2015.[1]

Collections

The Whitworth has notable collections of watercolours, sculptures, wallpapers and textiles. It includes major historic works by Thomas Gainsborough,[17] Alexander[18] and John Robert Cozens, and Thomas Girtin.[19]

The gallery also focuses on modern and contemporary artists, and the art collections include works by Degas, van Gogh, Gauguin, Pissarro, Picasso, Moholy-Nagy, Paul Klee, Walter Sickert, Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth, Ford Madox Brown, Eduardo Paolozzi, Francis Bacon, William Blake, David Hockney, L. S. Lowry, and a fine collection of works by J. M. W. Turner. One of its most famous works is the marble sculpture Genesis (1929–31) by Sir Jacob Epstein. It also houses the Musgrave Kinley Outsider Art Collection.[20][21]

Directors

In June 2017, Maria Balshaw stepped down as the director to take up her role as the director of the Tate. Nick Merriman then became acting interim director of the Whitworth.[22][23][24]

On 11 October 2018, it was announced that Alistair Hudson would be the new director of the Manchester Art Gallery and the Whitworth. Hudson, previously director at the Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art (MIMA), is a co-director of the Asociación de Arte Útil.

  • The Gallery in 1957
    The Gallery in 1957
  • Entrance hall
    Entrance hall
  • Gallery interior
    Gallery interior
  • Gallery interior
    Gallery interior
  • Gallery interior
    Gallery interior

See also

References
  1. Pes, Javier (2 July 2015). "Whitworth named UK museum of the year". The Art Newspaper. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
  2. Edward Morris (2001), Public Art Collections in North-West England: A History and Guide, Liverpool University Press, ISBN 0-85323-527-9
  3. "History".
  4. "Launch of Architecture Week North West: 16– 25 June". Arts Council / Architecture Week. 1 June 2006. Archived from the original (doc) on 22 May 2008. Retrieved 18 June 2008.
  5. Brooks-Pollock, Tom (30 November 2011). "Lowry gallery and theatre is most popular tourist attraction in Greater Manchester". Manchester Evening News. menmedia.co.uk. Retrieved 1 December 2011.
  6. "Riba Stirling Prize 2015: The Whitworth, University of Manchester". BBC News. 7 October 2015. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  7. BBC News (28 April 2003). "Art masterpieces stolen in raid". Retrieved 10 March 2008.
  8. Judith Moritz (28 April 2003). BBC News 24 (ram). BBC News. Retrieved 10 March 2008.
  9. BBC News (28 April 2003). "Stolen paintings can be repaired". Retrieved 10 March 2008.
  10. Historic England. "Whitworth Gallery (1246569)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
  11. "The Whitworth Art Gallery's new designs". Manchester Confidential. 1 October 2009. Retrieved 14 November 2012.
  12. "Whitworth Art Gallery gets £8m to double public space". BBC News. 18 February 2011. Retrieved 14 November 2012.
  13. Bainbridge, Pete (4 September 2013). "Whitworth Art Gallery closes doors for year-long £15m revamp". Manchester Evening News. Manchester. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  14. Walters, Sarah (16 September 2014). "Whitworth Gallery confirms February reopening following delays with the ambitious redesign". Manchester Evening News. Manchester. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  15. "The Tales of One City". artsindustry.co.uk. 17 June 2011. Archived from the original on 8 January 2016.
  16. "Whitworth gallery extension up for Stirling architecture prize". BBC News. 16 July 2015. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
  17. "Young Gainsborough: Rediscovered Landscape Drawings". rct.uk. Royal Collection Trust. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  18. "Earlier British Watercolours Lent By The Whitworth Institute". tate.org.uk. Tate. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  19. "Historic Art". whitworth.manchester.ac.uk. The Whitworth. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  20. "The Whitworth". outsiderartassociation.eu. Outsider Art Association. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  21. "Musgrave Kinley Outsider Art | Whitworth Art Gallery". whitworth.manchester.ac.uk. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
  22. Brown, Mark; Pidd, Helen (11 January 2017). "Tate to name Maria Balshaw as new director to succeed Serota". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
  23. "Maria Balshaw: Manchester gallery boss to be Tate's first female director". BBC. 17 January 2017. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
  24. Mark Brown (17 January 2017). "Maria Balshaw's Tate appointment confirmed by prime minister". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
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