This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Kelvingrove gets its cash
29/05/2002
Culture Minister Mike Watson today handed over a £1 million cheque to help finance capital spending on restoration work at Kelvingrove, one of the Glasgow's landmark buildings.
The money is going into the newly-established Kelvingrove Reburbishment Appeal Trust, chaired by Lord Macfarlane of Bearsden (above right), and will contribute towards the multi-million expenditure required to ensure Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Mustem is maintained to 21st century standards.
The building is an imposing red sandstone building, first opened in 1901, and has gained a reputation of international renown. Today it houses a superb collection of paintings by (among others) Botticelli, Rembrandt, Monet, Van Gogh and Picasso.
Mike Watson said:
"I regard the launch of the Kelvingrove Refurbishment Appeal Trust as an imaginative development addressing the funding requirements for the Kelvingrove New Century Project.
"The Trust has been created with the objective of raising funds for the immediate capital needs of the Project. The one-off contribution of £1 million from the Executive to the Trust should not divert the Trustees from their fund raising effort; nor should it reduce the level of investment that the City itself has, commendably, identified for the Project."
The Executive also recently announced it is giving an additional contribution of £2 million to the overall development of Glasgow's Museums and Galleries Service towards realising its full educational and tourism potential.
The Executive's National Cultural Strategy contains a commitment to work with Glasgow City Council to examine the circumstances of the museums and galleries in the City. The Council has also campaigned for continuing revenue support for the museums service.