Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum : Attraction of Glasgow

This museum is closed for refurbishment, and is due to re-open again in 2006.

Opened in 1902, this grand Victorian cathedral of culture should not be missed, particularly for its excellent collection of Scottish and European art. The impressive central hall is dominated at one end by organ pipes; recitals are an integral part of the museum program. An authentic museum shell emanates from the natural history of Scotland section, popular with school tours. Downstairs there’s a rather dowdy presentation of some interesting artifacts, including archaeological finds of prehistoric Scotland, European arms and armour, and silver.

The art gallery upstairs houses the city’s art collection of 19th- and 20th-century works. Scottish painters of luminous landscapes and still lifes are comprehensively represented - Arthur Melville, McTaggart, Cadell, Joseph Crawhill and, among the moderns, Eduardo Paolozzi, Bruce McLean, David Hockney and Jasper Johns. Other paintings include Rembrandt’s wonderful Man in Armour, and works by Botticelli, Monet, Van Gogh and Picasso.