Appointments

Art Fund has announced that Sandy Nairne will succeed Lord Smith of Finsbury as Chair of Trustees this autumn. Nairne was Director of the National Portrait Gallery from 2002-15 and has held positions at Tate, the Arts Council of Great Britain and the Institute of Contemporary Arts as well as working in television and writing.

The Society of Antiquaries of London has appointed a new General Secretary & Chief Executive. Natasha McEnroe will join the society of historians and archaeologists from April. McEnroe joins from the Science Museum, where she was Keeper of Medicine for seven years.

Society of Antiquaries of London appoints new Chief Exec from Science Museum

The Postal Museum has announced its new Chair Sue Wilkinson, following the eight and a half year tenure of Rick Wills, who steps down this month. Wilkinson is currently a Trustee of Historic Royal Palaces, the National Coal Mining Museum, Brighton and Hove Museums and Waterperry Opera Festival.

New Chair appointed at London’s Postal Museum

Openings & closures

Locomotion in Shildon, County Durham is to undertake the museum’s biggest ever rail shunt to create Europe’s largest undercover display of historic rail vehicles.Managed by specialist teams from Locomotion and the National Railway Museum, the shunt will see 46 vehicles (and one road vehicle) moved inside the newly constructed £8m New Hall. Once rail vehicles are in place, New Hall will receive new interpretation, seating, wayfinding, lighting and other finishing touches ready to open for visitors on Friday 24 May 2024.

The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust (SBT) has today announced a new project, which will see its collections moved to a new collections store within Stratford-upon-Avon. Located on the Avenue Farm development, a short distance from the centre of the West Midlands town, the new property, chosen following a feasibility study, is hoped to make the archive more accessible to a diverse audience. The project is due to start in earnest in spring.

A new UK sculpture park opens in the grounds of Compton Verney this month. Featuring work by eight modern and contemporary artists, the grounds will now be home to a new commission by Brazilian artist Erika Verzutti. Opens 19 March 2024.

https://advisor.museumsandheritage.com/news/compton-verney-annonuces-contemporaty-sculpture-park/

Blackpool’s Showtown Museum, the ‘museum of fun’, is set to open its doors tomorrow. The attraction, operated by the Blackpool Heritage and Museum Trust, has had its opening date pushed back more than once but will finally welcome visitors through its doors on Friday 15 March 2024.

Exhibitions

A new exhibition showcasing Sir William Burrell’s complete collection of prized works by Hilaire-Germain-Edgar Degas will open at The Burrell Collection in May. The exhibition is the first international, ticketed exhibition from the museum since its reopening in 2022. ‘Discovering Degas: Collecting in the Age of William Burrell’ is the first-time visitors can see all 23 Degas works from Burrell’s original collection together in one place, alongside a further 50 paintings, works on paper and sculptures. Almost 70% of the works in the new exhibition are on loan from the likes of The Courtauld, National Museums Liverpool Walker Art Gallery, The National Gallery London, The National Museum Cardiff, and the National Galleries of Scotland. Opens Friday 24 May 2024.

The V&A has released more details on the upcoming exhibition NAOMI: In Fashion, which will explore the 40-year career of the fashion model. The exhibition is set to draw upon Campbell’s own wardrobe, representing key moments in her career along with loans from designer archives and objects from the V&A’s collections. Around 100 looks and accessories will be on show, including designs by Alexander McQueen and Vivienne Westwood. Runs 22 June 2024 – 6 April 2025.

This spring, the Wallace Collection will explore the life and legacy of Maharaja Ranjit Singh the founder of the Sikh Empire. ‘Ranjit Singh: Sikh, Warrior, King’ Featuring historic objects from Singh’s court, courtiers and family members, and will also display objects connected with his son, Maharaja Duleep Sing. Runs 10 April – 20 October 2024

The National Galleries of Scotland has acquired Encounter, by Surrealist artist Remedios Varo. The rare painting is the first to enter a public collection in Europe, and is now on permanent display at Modern One. Its acquisition has been supported by Walton Fund, along with support from Art Fund and the Wendi Norris Gallery, San Francisco.

Funding

Museums Galleries Scotland (MGS), the national development body for the sector, has awarded £175,000 to five organisations to support collaboration with communities.

£175,000 awarded to Scottish museums to support community projects

Back to top

Image

The interior of Showtown Blackpool (Twitter /@ShowtownBPL)