Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum

🦚🦜It’s National Bird Day! 🐧🦅🦩

A trip to Kelvingrove Park might reward you with a glimpse of a heron, cormorant, goosander or even kingfisher in the River Kelvin. 🦆🦢

😃 If you come into Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, there’s even more on offer: a fossil of the flightless moa, a carved wooden Egyptian ba-bird, a great frigatebird from Malaysia, bird-of-paradise from New Guinea, Arctic tern eggs and an antique glass dome containing manakins, orioles, sunbirds, flycatchers and honeybirds – very similar to the dome containing an owl in John Everett Millais’ picture ‘The Ruling Passion’. 🦉

Can anyone identify the birds in this painting? 🐦It shows the natural historian and illustrator John Gould (1804-1881) sharing his collection of bird specimens with a group of children. The two youngest, who appear spell-bound, are the artist’s grandsons William and George.

Why not go on a bird hunt with your family? 🔍 Don’t forget the painting galleries. You might find some feathers in costumes…



John Everett Millais, ‘The Ruling Passion’, 1885, oil on canvas. © CSG CIC Glasgow Museums Collection

What is your New Year’s resolution? 📆 Eat healthier, drink less, go to the gym twice a week, read more books, learn to play a new musical instrument…? 💪🍎🥕🥦📚🎺

Perhaps it’s exercise in the great outdoors you’re after and are looking for some inspiration – and waiting for some better weather! 🚵‍♂️ 🌞 Sit back and enjoy these breathtaking views from the summit of Ben Lomond by Paisley-born artist John Knox. 🎨⛰️ 😍

These dramatic paintings are actually reduced versions of a single huge landscape panorama that Knox exhibited in a rotunda on Queen Street in Glasgow in 1810. An immersive 360 degree experience, it would have felt like you were really there on top of the mountain. 🏞️ Early 19th-century virtual reality!

Maybe it’s time to book that Scottish walking holiday. 🏕️
Or play with your new VR headset! 😎
Or why not take a trip to Kelvingrove? The health benefits of a museum visit have been scientifically proven. 🏛️ Sounds like a positive way to start the year to me. 😃👍



You can find these paintings in the Scottish Identity in Art Gallery on the first floor.

John Knox, ‘South Western View from Ben Lomond' and ‘North Western View from Ben Lomond’, c.1834, oil on canvas. © CSG CIC Glasgow Museums Collection.

‘I’m dreaming of a white Christmas
Just like the ones I used to know’ 🎄🤗

It's not looking like we will get a white Christmas this year, so we'll have to make do with snowy paintings. 🌨️❄️☃️

This picturesque snowy scene shows Rabbie Burns’ cottage in Alloway, South Ayrshire. It may be pretty but times were hard. We often forget that the Scottish bard started out in poverty. 😔

This Christmas we think of those who will struggle to keep warm and feed their families. Whether it snows or not, do remember that Kelvingrove will be open 27-30 December, offering a warm welcome as always. 😃



Sam Bough, ‘Burns' Cottage, Alloway’, 1876, oil on canvas. © CSG CIC Glasgow Museums Collection.

‘I'ma be under the mistletoe.’ 😚🎄

A visionary painting depicting the Celtic religious rite of bringing in the sacred mistletoe. Priests or druids in richly decorated ceremonial robes solemnly process down a wooded, snow-clad hillside in the moonlight. The mistletoe, having been cut from the sacred oak by a golden sickle held by the Druid leading the procession, is being reverently carried by two white bulls.

Mistletoe was a plant valued by the druids for its magical as well as medicinal properties – it was thought to cure infertility and act as an antidote to poison. 😃

Perhaps connected with the plant’s magical properties, since the 1700s it’s been a custom to kiss your loved one under the mistletoe at Christmas. ❤️😘

Who are you going to kiss this year? 🎄💝🥰



George Henry and E. A. Hornel, ‘The Druids: Bringing in the Mistletoe’, 1890, oil on canvas. © CSG CIC Glasgow Museums Collection.

A season of peace and cooperation.🕊️

This painting is one of two collaborative artworks that Glasgow Boys artists George Henry and E. A. Hornel made together in 1890-91. 🎨🖌️

👼 The angel raises its hand in a sign of peace and greeting to the shepherds seated around the fire. 💫 Henry and Hornel’s use of gold leaf over incised gesso enhances the painting’s decorativeness but also the sense of awe and wonder at this angelic being who says, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.’ 😃

May this Christmas be a time of joy and peace for everyone. ✌️❤️



George Henry and E. A. Hornel, ‘Star in the East’, 1891, oil on canvas. © CSG CIC Glasgow Museums Collection.

Best wishes for the festive season to all who celebrate.

We have limited cover over the holiday season on our social media channels.

Please phone us on 0141 276 9599 if you need to get in touch.

Here are our venue opening hours:

Monday 18 to Saturday 23 December: Open as normal
Sunday 24 to Tuesday 26 December: Closed
Wednesday 27 to Saturday 30 December: Open as normal
Sunday 31 December to Tuesday 2 January: Closed
Wednesday 3 January: Open as normal

Get opening hours info for all Glasgow Life venues here:

https://glasgowlife.org.uk/festive-opening-hours

Oranges! 🍊🍊🍊

A young boy clutches an orange with both hands. 🍊 You would think he would look a bit more cheerful. Oranges were expensive items in 1920s post-war Britain. So getting an orange in your stocking at Christmas was a special treat. 😃

Apparently there’s also some symbolism behind oranges in stockings. 🎅 They represent the bags of gold that St Nicholas secretly tossed down a poor man’s chimney, landing in his daughters’ stockings that were drying by the fire. 🔥🧦

Another theory is that oranges, with their segmented flesh that can be easily shared, are all about the joy of giving. 🍊🧡

What will you get in your stocking this year? 🎄🎁



Norah Neilson Gray, ‘Little Boy with Oranges’, 1920s, oil on canvas. © CSG CIC Glasgow Museums Collection.

We’re looking forward to having our second school choir of the festive season on Wednesday 20th. Dunard Primary will perform 12.15pm – 12.45pm. Come to the Centre Hall at Kelvingrove to hear them sing festive tunes. If you have time, why not stay for the organ recital at 1pm?

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Congratulations to the team at Kelvingrove on maintaining their 5-star grading from Visit Scotland following their recent mystery visit. We want to thank all our staff who work hard to deliver excellent visitor experiences and help make Kelvingrove the magnificent place it is! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

📣 Now open in Kelvingrove's Community Gallery - ERMAC Veterans Clyde Connections.

Featuring artwork by the Veterans at the Erskine Reid Macewen Activities Centre, the ERMAC Veterans Clyde Connections exhibition explores the connection between the River Clyde, Erskine and Glasgow and the importance of the river to the Armed Forces over the years. Just like the ever-changing surroundings of the River Clyde, the Veterans show how they adapt and evolve with the changes they face.

See the exhibition at Kelvingrove until May 2024.



Image description: A man wearing a grey sweater with a black cap and overalls makes a model truck out of clay.

🎁✨ Elevate Your Gifting Game: Give a Museums Membership! 🏛️✨

This festive season, unlock the magic of discovery with the perfect gift – a Museums Membership! 🎉🖼️ Treat your loved ones to a year of culture, creativity, and exclusive access to Glasgow's Museums, from just £28! 🌟

Membership perks include:
✨ Unlimited visits to paid exhibits
✨ Invitations to special events and exhibitions
✨ Discounts on museum shop and cafe purchases

Make memories, spark curiosity, and nurture a lifelong love for art and history. 🎨🌍
Give the gift of a Museums Membership today! 💌✨

LINK:

Museums Membership — Glasgow Life Museums Membership at Glasgow Museums for fundraising and donations

🎵 St Anne’s Primary School choir will treat visitors to an informal festive performance on Wednesday, 13th December, 12.15 pm – 12.45 pm 🎄Come along to the Centre Hall at Kelvingrove to hear them sing and, if you have time, why not stay on for the organ recital at 1pm? 🎹

Visit our website for our festive hours to help you plan your visits over the holidays 🎄

Get opening hours info for all Glasgow Life venues here: https://glasgowlife.org.uk/festive-opening-hours

Our best wishes for the festive season to all who celebrate ✨🎉

'Rizz'
Oxford University Press word of the year.
Definition: style, charm or attractiveness, derived from ‘charisma’. 😃

Described by her contemporaries as the ‘dark vivid type’, we reckon that Scottish artist Dorothy Carleton Smyth had rizz. 😍💥

Look at her cheeky smile and raised eyebrows in this 1920s self-portrait. DCS could have charmed anyone. 🙌

She was bold and original. And smart too. 🎨 An artist and costume designer, she made her own clothes and worked for companies in London and Paris. In 1933 she was appointed Glasgow School of Art’s first female Director but tragically died before taking up the post.

What do you think? Does she have it? 👍👎



Dorothy Carleton Smyth, ‘Self Portrait’, 1921, oil on canvas. © CSG CIC Glasgow Museums Collection.

We're delighted to share that Alasdair Gray's Cowcaddens Streetscape in the Fifties has its new home in Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.

Gray credited his fledging love of painting to a weekend art class at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, so it's a circular moment that one of his most magnificent works, and what he described as “my best big oil painting”, has found a home here.

You can see this iconic artwork now in the Looking at Art Gallery.

Find out more ⤵️

https://www.glasgowlife.org.uk/museums/kelvingrove-art-gallery-and-museum/alasdair-grays-cowcaddens-will-have-its-new-home-in-kelvingrove-art-gallery-and-museum

Credit line: Alasdair Gray. Cowcaddens Streetscape in the Fifties, © The Estate of Alasdair Gray, 1964, oil (and mixed media) on board. Purchased with a grant from the National Fund for Acquisitions, 2023. ID no: 3795

Feeling the chill? 🥶 Warm up with one of our delicious hot drinks from our festive menu 🎄 Praline Flat White, Gingerbread Latte and Mulled Hot Chocolate ☕ Mmmm… 😋 Available for the whole of December!

God Jul! 😃

Jultomten is a cheerful gnome-like character from Swedish folklore who wears a red pointed hat, rides a sleigh and delivers presents to Swedish children on Christmas Eve. In gratitude, children leave a bowl of porridge for him at their front door. 🎅

❄️🏔️ Here he is losing his hat as he speeds down a snowy mountainside with a miniature Christmas tree in his hand. 🎄 Inscribed in Swedish is the festive message, ‘God Jul’ which means ‘Merry Christmas’.

This Christmas mat was made by Czech Holocaust survivor Marianne Grant after the war when she was a refugee in Sweden. It shows how she continued to bring joy through her art, particularly to children. 😍



Marianne Grant, ‘Swedish Christmas Mat’, 1946-51. © The family of Marianne Grant.

We are deeply saddened to hear of the death of John Patrick Byrne, a genius at whatever he turned his hand to. From fine art to murals, from theatre, television and film writing to set design, he combined it all with a dapper fashion sense. Byrne’s impressive, vast body of work rightly made him a cultural icon but first and foremost, Byrne was a painter and Glasgow Life Museums are fortunate enough to hold multiple works by him in the City’s collection.

Last year Glasgow Life Museums mounted a retrospective, 'John Patrick Byrne - A Big Adventure' at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. The exhibition was one of the most successful and loved shows in recent years. We are pleased and honoured to have worked with Byrne to produce the show. The exhibition could only show a small part of what was an extraordinary career. We hope other institutions across the country will follow in celebrating Byrne and his many talents.
Martin Craig, Curator of Art Post 1945 with Glasgow Life Museums

📣 Nature, Science and Empire tour of Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Saturday 2 December 🦍😀

Are you interested in how science, empire and nature interact? 🔎🔬🦜🌳Join us on Saturday to discover more about animals on display and their connections to colonialism. 🌍 🚢💰

This curatorial tour starts at 11:30am and will last about an hour. 🐘

Book your place using the Eventbrite link below:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/nature-science-and-empire-tickets-753166610607

Nature, Science and Empire Discover some of the histories behind the zoology collections at Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum and their connections to colonialism.

It’s the Tea Green Festive Market this weekend at Kelvingrove!

Discover an incredible line up of Scotland’s creative talent and secure the perfect Christmas gift.

MORE INFO ⤵️
https://www.teagreen.co.uk/kelvingrove

📢 Have you seen the new artwork by artist Aqsa Arif? 👀😍

'Anam Ki Almari (The Trophy Cupboard)' is the culmination of a year-long residency at Kelvingrove, supported as part of the national commissioning project, 20/20 - led by the UAL Decolonising Arts Institute and supported by funding from Arts Council England, the Freelands Foundation and University of the Arts London. 😃

'Anam Ki Almari' is Aqsa's most substantial undertaking to date. The film installation and ceramic works delve into themes of South Asian ornamentalism with the museum, uncovering the narratives behind the objects within their collections. For the artist, exploring South Asian rituals, traditions, and the collective act of creation has been a profoundly cathartic way to challenge and reclaim the colonial gaze. 🧞‍♀️👍

As part of the research for the residency, Aqsa organised workshops looking at specific South Asian objects. These unveiled their meanings and histories, inspiring the film’s stories. She is very grateful to the Glendale Women’s Cafe, the Glasgow Sitare Singing Group and Our Shared Cultural Heritage (OSCH) for working with her. We would also like to thank Mount Stuart, Bute and the Glasgow Botanic Gardens glasshouses for support with the filming, and Aqsa’s film production team at Goldie Luck Productions and Blazing Griffin.



Aqsa Arif 'Anam Ki Almari (The Trophy Cupboard)’, 2023. Photo Glasgow Museums, courtesy & © the artist.

📢 Visit our newly released virtual tour featuring 📷 photographs, text, and audio recordings where people shown in the portraits of photographer Karen Gordon tell their stories of migration to Scotland.

The tour is part of the 'Putting Ourselves in the Picture' exhibition co-curated with Migrant Voice. Click on the link, sit back and enjoy the tour: https://app.smartify.org/en-GB/tours/migrant-voices. 😃

We hope that this virtual tour will make the exhibition accessible to those who may be unable to visit the gallery in person. You can also enhance your experience at the gallery by accessing the tour via the QR code displayed on the wall there. Visit the gallery to see the remaining portraits and a series of photographs taken by those who have made Scotland their home.

The 'Putting Ourselves in the Picture' project is funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.



Migrant Voice virtual tour. Copyright Karen Gordon 2023.

Smartify | Voices of Migrants The following audio tour was produced as part of the Putting Ourselves in the Picture ...

📢 😃 A new display co-curated with Colourful Heritage opens on Armistice Day at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, exploring the contribution made by South Asians – mainly from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh - during World War II, whether serving in the British Indian Army or supporting the war effort on the home front in Glasgow.

https://www.glasgowlife.org.uk/museums/kelvingrove-art-gallery-and-museum/glaswegasians



Henry Lamb, 'Driver Abdul Ghani, 1941, oil on canvas. © CSG CIC Glasgow Museums Collection.

📢 Today Dali’s famous painting ‘Christ of Saint John of the Cross’ goes on display at the Dalí Theatre-Museum in Figueres, Spain. 😃

Returning to Dali’s native country for the first time since it was painted in 1951, 🎨 the artwork forms the centre of an exhibition exploring its creation by the Surrealist master.

🏛️ Normally on display in Kelvingrove, the painting was a controversial purchase by Glasgow Museums in 1952. Today it is one of the city’s most beloved artworks. 😍

The exhibition, which includes previously-unseen archival material, runs until the end of April 2024.



Salvador Dali, 'Christ of Saint John of the Cross', 1951, oil on canvas. © CSG CIC Glasgow Museums Collection.

📣 Open now: A new permanent display looking at Glasgow’s links to slavery and colonialism.

Glasgow – City of Empire explores how the city’s past and present have been shaped by histories of slavery and Empire and their legacies.

Find the display on the South Balcony upstairs.

More on our website:

New exhibition at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum explores Glasgow’s links to slavery and Empire — Glasgow Life Glasgow – City of Empire explores how the city’s past and present have been heavily shaped by histories of slavery and Empire, and their legacies.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-67273989

Kelvingrove organist pays Friends theme tribute to Matthew Perry Paul Carroll chose the theme from US sitcom Friends, I'll Be There For You, for the gallery's daily recital.