Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery

http://www.bristol.gov.uk/ccm/navigation/leisure-and-culture/museums-and-galleries/

Initiated as the Bristol Institution for the Advancement of Science and Art, the organisation became part of Bristol City Council in May 1894 when the tobacco merchant, Sir William Henry Wills, donated money for the building of a city art gallery. The gallery was designed by Sir Frederick Wills and opened to the public in 1905.

Bristol's collection covers a wide range of work, including paintings by Lucas Cranach the Elder, Thomas Gainsborough and Edouard Vuillard, as well as a selection of Victorian paintings by Lawrence Alma Tadema and the Pre-Raphaelites.

The modern collection is dominated by the work of 20th century British artists including members of the St Ives's School. Contemporary works by Mark Dunhill, Roderick Buchanan and Ann Sutton also populate the collection.

Bristol has a vast craft collection ranging from coloured glassware from 18th century China to silverware produced in Bristol and a cabinet of works by contemporary applied artists.

Bristol shows a number of temporary exhibitions throughout the year in their contemporary gallery space, with works in the permanent collection rarely changing.


Editor's note:
Climb Park Street, the lovely Georgian shopping street in the heart of Bristol. Pass in front of The Wills Tower, past the University of Bristol, and there is the grand addition to Park Street's architecture, Bristol Museum and Art Gallery. The Victorian entrance hall, complete with suspended flying machine is welcoming with an ad-hock cafe.

There is a hidden gallery on the ground floor by the shop, sometimes with contemporary art exhibitions. The art collection is classic and the contemporary collection more of a gesture than a commitment.

The major Art Fund International project that the Museum is involved with in partnerhsip with Arnolfini, we understand, will create a new commitment to contemporary art. We really look forward to seeing the impact of this.