Glasgow Council backs National Gallery of Scottish Women Artists for GoMA building
The £8-10m project would repurpose part of the Gallery of Modern Art to showcase historically overlooked female artists, with a target opening of 2029.
Glasgow City Council has approved in principle a plan to create Scotland's first National Gallery of Scottish Women Artists by repurposing part of the Gallery of Modern Art in the city centre. The decision, made on 17 June, marks a significant step towards addressing gender imbalances in Scotland's national collections, where women currently account for less than 15% of works on display.
The proposal would see a permanent collection dedicated to historically overlooked Scottish women artists installed on the upper floors of the 18th-century former Royal Exchange building that houses GoMA. Developed in partnership with Creative Scotland and a consortium of curators and academics, the project carries an estimated cost of £8-10 million and aims for a 2029 opening if funding is secured.
Cultural leaders rally behind the proposal
The initiative has drawn support from prominent figures across Scotland's cultural landscape. Culture Secretary Angus Robertson has endorsed the project, alongside established artists such as Alison Watt, who argue that a dedicated gallery would finally give proper recognition to generations of Scottish women artists whose contributions have been systematically undervalued.
Councillors heard that the gallery would not merely display artworks but actively research and recover the stories of women artists whose work has been relegated to storage or forgotten entirely. The permanent collection would span centuries of Scottish art, from early portraitists and landscape painters through to contemporary practitioners working across all media.
Funding strategy targets multiple sources
Initial funding of around £8-10 million is being sought through a diversified approach combining Scottish Government cultural grants, National Lottery funding, and philanthropic donations. The council has requested that officials return later this year with a detailed business case that will outline the financial model and operational structure for the new gallery.
The funding package would cover not only the physical renovation of GoMA's upper floors but also acquisition costs for artworks, curatorial research programmes, and the establishment of educational initiatives designed to highlight women's contributions to Scottish cultural heritage.
Addressing historical imbalances in national collections
The proposal directly confronts a stark statistical reality: women account for less than 15% of works currently on display in Scotland's national collections. This figure reflects broader patterns of historical exclusion that have seen women artists marginalised in favour of their male contemporaries, regardless of artistic merit or contemporary recognition.
The new gallery would function as both exhibition space and research centre, working to identify and acquire works by Scottish women artists that have been overlooked by traditional collecting institutions. Curators involved in the project have indicated that preliminary research has already identified dozens of significant artists whose work deserves national recognition.
Community consultation and next steps
The council has committed to extensive consultation with local communities, equalities groups, and the wider Scottish art sector before finalising the proposal. This process will inform the detailed business case expected later in 2026, which will address practical considerations including visitor access, educational programming, and integration with GoMA's existing operations.
The consultation phase will also examine how the new gallery might collaborate with other cultural institutions across Scotland to create a more comprehensive narrative of Scottish artistic achievement. According to the BBC report, the project represents part of Glasgow's broader strategy to cement its position as a European arts capital whilst addressing long-standing inequities in cultural representation.
If approved and funded, the National Gallery of Scottish Women Artists would join a small but growing number of institutions worldwide dedicated specifically to showcasing women's artistic contributions. The 2029 target opening would coincide with several significant cultural anniversaries, potentially positioning the gallery's launch as a landmark moment in Scottish cultural history.