Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum

I love the Kelvingrove Art Gallery, it’s a really special place that I like to visit alone and just have some me time. I was in the area today and decided to pop in for a quick visit. The building itself is spectacular and so inviting. The grounds surrounding it are always well maintained.
I arrived half way through the organ recital which was lovely. Seats are available (not too many) for those who wish to sit and listen and there’s also seats in the coffee shop (which was pretty much full at this point). After listening for a while, I decided to have a little wander.
Directly to my left I walked though to the Ancient Egypt collection which is probably one of my favourites. There is plenty of different objects to see and they are all well preserved. I then walked through to the Natural History exhibition which is a big hit with children and was quite busy. There are plenty of stuffed animals (which scare me a little to be honest!) and a collection of dinosaurs/​prehistoric animals.
I didn’t spend too long in the museum (or visit my favourite painting which is Van Gogh’s portrait of Alexander Reid) because it was so busy and I really just came for the organ recital. I do love this museum though; my gran worked here for many years. There is always a lot of different events running and I strongly recommend going on one of the museum tours — it lasts about an hour but you learn so much about individual pieces that you may normally just glance over (they are free of charge too)
I think this museum holds a special place in most Glaswegians hearts because the Glasgow Boys gallery is fantastic and not to be missed!
Whether you live in Glasgow or are just visiting, there is always something new going on at the Kelvingrove. The staff are really helpful and approachable. There are donation boxes near the entrance/​exit and the recommended donation is £3.00 which the museum definitely deserves (and more!).

Kelvingrove Museum is kind of a go to place for my wee family. My little one loves the animal displays and it’s a lovely way to spend a couple of hours.
Our latest visit’s main purpose was to visit the new Object Cinema: Life In The Rainforest event. It had been described as an immersive experience with sounds and surroundings of the rainforest. What we actually experienced was quite disappointing. The «exhibit» was a small dark box room with a few artefacts. There was a rather impressive anaconda shed laid across one of the walls but other than that this new exhibit didn’t hit the mark.
If my review was based on this alone then it wouldn’t be a high rating but with so much to offer at the museum we still had a lovely family day out. It remains a must see for anyone looking for an educational experience in Glasgow and also boasts the impressive KG Café if you’re feeling a little peckish. Try and catch the organ recital next time you’re there too (daily at 1pm. 3pm on Sundays).

Le Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum, c’est tout simplement mon musée préféré!!!
Je l’ai découvert lors de mon séjour à Glasgow en tant qu’assistante, et j’en suis tombée immédiatement amoureuse. Le bâtiment est splendide, dedans comme dehors. Il repose sur un écrin de verdure, entouré de cerisiers qui se parent de fleurs au printemps. Un magnifique orgue orne son intérieur, et l’arrangement des différentes salles en font un temple de l’art et la culture écossaise.
Vous y retrouverez des peintures, bien sûr, dont un David, mais également un condensé de l’histoire de Glasgow, avec notamment des œuvres de l’enfant chéri, Charles Rennie Mackintosh; une plongée dans l’identité écossaise et ce qu’elle signifie, mais aussi un aperçu de la faune et la flore qui peuple ce beau pays.
Il est très accessible à tous les âges, avec des animations prévues pour les enfants et de nombreux sièges et dispositions pour les personnes à mobilité réduite.
Au rez-​de-​chaussée, vous avez également un petit café qui vend boissons chaudes et froides et quelques snacks.
Le personnel est particulièrement accueillant et souriant, et il est très facile d’y accéder en bus ou à pieds.
Et en plus (comme s’il y avait besoin d’une raison de plus d’y aller), il est GRATUIT!!! Vous pouvez faire une donation à la fondation qui s’en occupe, mais ça s’arrête là.
Vraiment à voir si vous passez par Glasgow!!!

Ever-​changing exhibits mean something new to see every time. Definitely worth a visit if you’re in this neck of the woods. Pop over to Brewdog afterwards for a drink!

Combines everything into a «small» museum, from art, to a little bit of history and biology, the kelvingrove museum is a really nice place to explore with some friends. They even have a dissected specimen from the «legendary» haggis haha!

Decided to spend a wet and windy afternoon here with my little girl and the other half. We had lunch downstairs in the lower café and it was lovely. It’s most definitely more of a restaurant than a café though and is veering towards the expensive side for lunch, especially if you are a young (ish) family on a budget. Molly had a packed lunch while we both had the pulled pork sandwich with BBQ sauce on caraway Rye. I have to say that the pork was succulent and deliciously tender with the BBQ sauce being a punchy, tangy flavour. I would recommend going for a different bread such as the wholemeal or ciabatta instead of the Rye though as the caraway and BBQ sauce clashed ever so slightly. After lunch we headed for a wander around the museum and loved it. They have some beautiful paintings, a wonderful selection of McIntosh items and plenty of other artifacts and interactive things to keep the little ones happy. The open space is perfect for toddlers to Potter about and the place just has a lovely relaxed atmosphere. It really is one of my favourite spots!

Prenez un bâtiment que l’on dirait tout droit sorti d’Espagne, des animaux empaillés, une collection de peinture européenne grande comme les halles de Rungis, un orgue et une organisation pensée autour d’une (deux? douze ?) bonne bouteille de scotch whisky et vous obtenez le musée préféré des glaswégiens de tous âges. C’est un peu comme si on mélangeait le musée d’Orsay, la galerie d’égyptologie du Louvre, la Grande Galerie du Muséum d’Histoire Naturelle avec un shaker géant et qu’un aveugle remettait les pièces au hasard au coeur du château du Palais du Luxembourg. Un résultat plutôt étonnant à prévoir…
En bon musée britannique, il est gratuit, plutôt fun, et permet cette errance au hasard si propre aux jours de pluie. Le parc aux alentours est plutôt chouette, et les 4* sont méritées rien que pour le gars qui joue le thème de Jurassic Park à 13h tous les jours.

Ja morei em Glasgow e visitava esta Galeria de arte e museu muito frequentemente. Voltei ha 3 meses, depois de 20 anos e o lugar continua imperdível. Observei algumas mudanças, fizemos o «free walking tour» e sai com vontade de voltar. Ou ficar.
Ampla, bonita e com varias opções de estilo para agradar a todos os gostos. Muito difícil selecionar o que comentar, há muito a oferecer. Não é um lugar para se visitar uma única vez. Em Glasgow, os museus tem entrada livre. Existe também a opção de se matricular em um dos inúmeros cursos que a Kevingrove Art and Galery oferece. O parque ao redor, com o mesmo nome é belíssimo e oferece uma vista excepcional da centenária e imponente Glasgow University tower.

Very nice museum. Saw a French exhibition of the painting «overturned basket of fruit» by Cezanne, the painting «Coco» by Renoir and a young painting by Van Gogh. Also saw exhibition of Salvador Dali «Christ of St John of the Cross». And «A Man in Armour» by Rembrandt. Also saw a Spitfire F12 «Glasgow’s Spitfire». This space is huge and it’s free admissions with a suggestion of whatever you can donate. This museum has a very large area to sit down and enjoy a beverage. The café is large and adjacent to a great museum shop. The only negative I saw was the walls could use a facelift inside and out. The docents seemed to be few and not available to ask questions.

Stunning. Loved it all. What’s not to like? I did get thrown out of the grounds while trying to fly my drone to photograph the place (from the bowling greens nobody was using)…but that’s all me. I love history, and this museum has all the local info, as well as some fantastic galleries. This should be the #1 spot for anyone visiting Glasgow.

Things I love about so many of the museums in the UK is the fact they are largely free of charge apart from the occasional exhibition. It’s great for parents who want a day out with the kids that won’t break the bank. But equally for when you have visitors. Like you can spend as much or as little time in the museum as you want without feeling guilty.
I popped in here with a friend who studied fine art largely to see the dinosaurs.. Kelvingrove currently has an exhibition on called Hatching the past: dinosaurs and the eggs. When we asked where it was, a staff member honestly said it was more aimed at kids than adults. On finding the place we choose not to go in as it was definitely swarmed with kids due to it being school holidays! I appreciated the staff being honest.
I love love love that they have a spitfire in all its glory. Having studied aeronautical engineering as my degree, I am fascinated by planes. I hope that one or two children get inspired by looking at it to do engineering.
The organ has daily recitals which I want to hear. I can imagine the sound just fills the whole hall area. The downstairs hall had plenty of seating and café areas. Although you can bring in your own food.
Some of the signs and exhibits looked slightly dated with some wear and tear but given the age of the place to be expected.
I was in here for just over an hour and was really impressed.

The first time I was taken to the art gallery was when I was a child. It was a regular family day out. Since then I have been hooked, once the refurb took place I was like an eager child awaiting the re-​opening.
I cant say I was disappointed. I do miss the dinosaur greeting you into the building, but the artistic heads of expression are worth the look up.
I can spend hours in this gallery and always find something new to look at. Their exhibits are always worth a look when they change over.
By far my favourite day out in Glasgow.

I don’t quite know where to begin with a review of the Kelvingrove Art Galleries. This is a place I have visited repeatedly since I was born and yet there is always something new to see; a new exhibit or a spotting something different in your favourite part of the museum. Or finally noticing THAT haggis. I think it holds a place in many Glaswegian hearts, mine included.
If you’re new to Glasgow, this is somewhere you MUST (literally, MUST) visit. The building itself is stunning (and no, I will bust that myth right now, it was NOT built the wrong way round and the architect did not jump from the parapets to his death as a result. See here for more info:
) — marble floors, Baroque architecture and the beautiful pipe organ in the main hall all adds up to an art gallery that is itself a work of art.
Art lovers will appreciate the wide collection of paintings in the gallery; there is a large collection of Glasgow Boys’ paintings as well as Salvador Dali’s famous Christ of Saint John of the Cross. History lovers will enjoy the collections about the history of the city and its progression into the modern day. And everyone will appreciate the high caliber of exhibitions that pop up in the downstairs gallery; a recent favourite of mine was the Alasdair Gray exhibition, celebrating his art and his 80^th birthday.
The staff are always pleasant and helpful, the atmosphere is relaxed and fun, and if you’re visiting, make sure to time it to coincide with an organ recital as they are an auditory and a visual delight!

Wow! What a gem of a place this is-​both inside and out. First the out-​it is situated in a beautiful part of Glasgow which, unusually for such a flat city, is on an elevation. The Kelvingrove is like a sandstone palace and on our visit glinted in the sun like a giant pink marzipan cake. Across from it sits Glasgow University with its lovely lace work spire.
Inside is equally impressive. The entrance is grand in a solid Victorian way, with an inlaid ceiling and massive hanging lights. Opposite the entrance is a huge elevated organ which was briefly played on our arrival (though not for our arrival).
The Kelvingrove is both a museum and art gallery, so is like putting the Natural history museum with the national gallery. Stuffed animals jossle for space in the main lobby with modern art installations-​somehow it seems to work. We concentrated on the gallery rather than museum (can’t do everything!). It has some world class paintings by Rembrandt, Van Gogh, Cezanne and alll the other usual suspects. However, for me it was the exhibition of «the Glasgow Boys» which I really enjoyed. Here is one teeny moan-​the galleries are not well signed and sit off two corridors between the main entrance area. It made it seem a little disconnected, but that is only a small moan. Overall the Kelvingrove is an amazing asset to Glasgow. Currently there is an wonderful installation of human faces in various expressions which hangs over the entrance. Oh and did I mention it is free!

My kids and I enjoyed the temporary Dinosaur Exhibition and it was great value at £10 for a family ticket (I went as single parent and three kids, but you could go as two adults and two kids).

Kelivngrove is my favourite museum in Scotland, there I said it. I’ve spent many a day in the museum, hiding away within its walls, searching for some new, undiscovered secret. As a Wendie, I often find myself walking in as I pass by on Argyle St, there’s just something about this place!
Kelvingrove Museum has been a hugely rewarding legacy of Glasgow’s International Exhibit of 1901, entertaining Weegies & tourists for 114 years (today is it’s birthday aww!) Despite living through the city’s sooty, industrial past & even sustaining bomb damage during world war 2, it’s hard to say that it’s showing its age. Thanks to a good amount of TLC over the years, Kelvingrove still stands on Argyle St as a monument to the city’s past riches.
The museum famously houses Dali’s Christ of St John of the cross, but it also home to Scotland’s only fossilised Haggis (although it has mysteriously disappeared from view). As well as housing a good number of important Scottish (& Glaswegian) art, there are Dutch & French art exhibits upstairs.
On the ground floor are a range of exhibits on zoology and prehistoric animals, including a cool, leaping dinosaur. There’s also an Egypt exhibit housing items lent by the Egyptian collection at the Burrell.
The museum houses a good deal of information on cultural identity (including a good number of items from the Commonwealth Games 2014) & Glasgow’s history.
In the main hall you’ll see a rather grand, carved wood organ, recitals are given daily in the main hall, they’re highly recommended as this is the only time they’re played. Sadly, outside of the recitals, the organ feels somewhat redundant, sat mute while the hall reverberates with the sound of visitors.
I love Kelvingrove both as a building and as a museum. The marble floors, vaulted ceilings, carved pillars are all testament to the importance of art & culture in the city’s heritage. I love the ramshackle feel of the exhibits in the main hall, with a spitfire hanging above animals in one wing, while at the other side, float a number of white oversized heads, frozen in various emotional states.
To anyone visiting the city, please do not miss this brilliant museum, it may not be as big and brash as many other large museums, but there is some kind of soul about it, which seems to sum up Glasgow. We’re not the biggest, won’t claim to be the best, but we have a certain charm which seems to draw people back.

Superior art gallery recommended for lovers of 19^th century paintings and sculptures.
This architecturally appealing municipal art gallery (that means: it’s free of charge) is located a little outside of Glasgow city centre (about a 12 minute bus ride or a 40 minute walk from the station, albeit through not terribly appealing parts of Glasgow) and certainly worth a visit. The building itself is slightly more impressive than the collections it holds, although there are minor international masterpieces and many important Scottish paintings and busts. Directly adjacent to the back of Kelvingrove Art Gallery you will find a large and beautiful park that invites a relaxing stroll before (or better) after a visit.
See the images I provided for some samples of the kind of paintings and other art objects at this gallery. There is a also a large and stylish café, and concerts are given in the ground floor area.
All in all a pleasing visit, be it for a solitary traveler such as myself, or as a day out with the kiddos. The buses stop just outside.

Spooky and educational!
If you like your history then this is a must see.
The main bonus is that its totally free so you can take in your culture on a budget.
Swatch the following wonders on your visit: the big elephant, spitfire and the mummy.
The building is architecturally impressive only overshadowed by the gothic Glasgow University.
Wam bam thats yer kelvingrove delt wae.

Now here is one of my favourite places to hang out. But I’ve put off writing a review of this spectacular place for fear of not being able to do it justice.
Being brought up in Glasgow, this is by far one of our best visitor attractions for both tourists and local alike. One of my earliest memories is being a small kid and coming in here with my Grandad. I remember standing in awe at the size and scale of the place, something that I still do now. When it reopened a few years ago I was so please to see that Sir Rodger (giant stuffed elephant) had been given pride of place as you walk into this expansive museum.
From the outside, this is one of Glasgow’s finest buildings. To take it in, pop across the road to Brewdog and have a been and sit in the window — after the beer, this view is the second best thing about Brewdog Glasgow.
I have spent many hours — possibly even days — wandering the galleries and exhibits in Kelvingrove Museum. Never to be missed is Dali’s St John on the Cross. There’s quite literally something for everyone inside. There are galleries dedicated to armour, history of the Scottish peoples, ancient Egypt, modern Scottish art as well as a large exhibition space that changes every few months; everything from Kylie’s costumes and Dr to Jack Vettriano and the Glasgow Boys — at the moment it’s a history of Glasgow from 1714 – 1837.
Organ recitals are held every dat at 13.00 — and at 15.00 on Sundays — this is a truly spectacular sound that echoes throughout the galleries. Try to catch this if you can.
So, if Glasgow summertime is dropping from the sky, head here — you won’t be disappointed!

I am not usually the biggest fan of museums. It’s not that I don’t appreciate art, but I usually just go through them really really quickly, and I usually choose not to spend my time or money that way.
FREE museums, on the other hand, I will go to, and if I have it in hand, I will actually drop some money into the donation box ;-)
This one ROCKS, and you can’t get any better than this. First of all, the building itself is gorgeous. Second of all, this museum actually contained quite a few pieces that I liked.
My favorites were the following —
1. HANDS DOWN — Christ of Saint John of the Cross by Salvador Dalí
He is by far one of my most favorite artists, and this is by far, one of my favorite paintings, and I didn’t even realize that his piece was in here till I arrived in Glasgow. I knew that there was a «reason» for my trip!
2. Pioneering Painters — The Glasgow Boys
The Glasgow Boys were a group of painters in the 1880s and 1890s who were associated with Glasgow. They included Joseph Crawhall, Sir James Guthrie, George Henry, EA Hornel, Sir John Lavery, EA Walton and Thomas Millie Dow.
They painted in an impressionist style and were heavily influenced by French realism and Japanese prints. The group often worked outdoors, producing colourful naturalistic scenes of rural Scotland.
Here is a blurb on them —
3. EXPRESSIONS
Here is a blurb on this —
What I noticed is that there seemed to have been something here for everyone — whether you like canvas, pottery, costume, taxidermy, design, etc. Note that I saw ppl of all ages, including little kids!
Lastly, Kelvingrove is a stunning piece of architecture.

Kelvingrove should be the top of your list to visit in Glasgow. I had the chance to visit Kelvingrove a few years back, but it was with a friend who wasn’t all that much into art. Our visit, however enjoyable, was relatively short. I hadn’t had the chance to fully take it in.
Just earlier this week I returned with the wife and my mother-​in-​law, both art lovers. Something I read last week whilst looking up info on the museum said that it is the most visited museum in the UK outside of London… it’s easy to see why. I planned on the 3 of us spending maybe two hours; after spending 3 hours getting though most of the first floor’s art, we walked to The 78 for a wonderful veggie burger, chips and a pint (I guess I can leave that for another review), and came back for another hour. By the time we finished looking at the art, it was half an hour before closing time, so we didn’t even get to check out the history and natural history exhibits… no worries, leaves more to see later.
When I had been to Kelvingrove in the past I seem to remember there being more Renaissance art, in particular religious art, which I really enjoy. They didn’t have much if any of this during this visit, or I could’ve missed that room, which is very possible. The place is huge. They had a good selection of French Impressionism. One exhibit that I found particularly interesting was Scottish Painters of Colour (or called something like that). And as before I thoroughly enjoyed the Glasgow Boys paintings. Some fascinating stuff.
If you only have a day to visit Glasgow, do your best to spend at least 1 – 2 hours there if you’re going to see anything in the city. If you have more than a day, then try to make a morning or afternoon of it. Oh yeah, and the parking is only £1 for 4 hours. And it’s pretty easy to get to from the subway.

This is a review of Kelvingrove, not as a museum but as a great place to get some work done if you’re lucky enough to be able to work remotely or even a student. I popped in yesterday afternoon and took a seat in the café on the ground floor. I really wanted to sit in the café downstairs but they seem to be more strict on eating when you’re down there. It was peaceful yet still lots going on, and I didn’t get disturbed the whole time I was there (a good few hours). They have great free wifi that is super quick to connect to, and didn’t drop out once the whole time I was there. It was fast and reliable which was a huge bonus meaning I could focus on what I was doing and get on with it.
It’s obviously a very creative environment and I was sitting within view of the John Lavery painting of Anna Pavlova which is really spectacular in real life, and made for a lovely backdrop to my afternoon. When the chat from the next table got too loud I simply popped in my headphones.
The only downside is that despite the advertised closing time being 5pm they seem to start packing up and ushering people out around 4pm. Efficient perhaps, but this can be a little distracting if you’d planned to stay until 5pm. Thankfully there’s pubs nearby to decant to (e.g. Dukes, BrewDog, Firebird).

A real gem in the west end of Glasgow, Kelvingrove’s exhibited works are broad and well presented.
The collections include Scottish and European paintings, Dali’s Christ on the cross, natural history, local history, armour, and floating heads!
The building itself is magnificent and there are often organ recitals from the massive pipe organ.
The large downstairs café is surprisingly good and well worth a visit after walking the corridors and exhibitions upstairs.
A great place to spend an hour or whole day — if you live in Glasgow and have never visited (or not since the refurbishment) get there pronto! And for visitors to the city, this should be top of your to-​do list!

Le bâtiment est somptueux et imposant. Il se trouve au milieu d’un parcs et de lieux de loisirs.
Information importante, l’entrée est gratuite.
La musée débute avec des animaux empaillés, des objets de l’écosse ancienne, de l’art égyptien… Il y a un peu de tout dans cette partie du musée.
Ensuite, les étages suivants sont consacrés au tableaux et aux sculptures. Une salle est consacrée à l’art français. On peut y voir des peintures de Monnet, de Van Gogh,… Cela est très intéressant.
L’œuvre star de ce musée est le Christ de Dali. Un exposé est consacré à l’œuvre ainsi que plusieurs vidéos. Et enfin dans une petite salle vous avez la chance de vous dresser devant lui.
En conclusion, un très bon musée regroupant plusieurs thèmes et de toute manière comment pouvoir ce plaindre quand on sait que l’entrée est gratuite!

Kellingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow zeigt eine unüblich kunterbunte Mischung an Ausstellungsobjekten. Das reicht von Rüstungen, Waffen ausgestopfte Tiere, die Kellingrove Orgel bis zu einer Spitfire aus dem Jahr 1944, die im West Court hängt. Das einzig wirklich beachtliche Kunstwerk, wie ich fand, ist Der Christus des Hl. Johannes vom Kreuz von Salvador Dali. Den Kaffee trinkt man in der schönen großen Halle leider aus Plastikbechern.

Das Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum ist eines der größten Museen Glasgows und gehört zu den meistbesuchtesten Museen im Großbritannien. Es besitzt eine reichhaltige Sammlung, die quer durch verschiedene Gattungen geht: neben einer weltweit bedeutendsten Waffen– und Rüstungssammlung und einer umfangreichen naturhistorischen Sammlung verfügt das Museum auch über eine bedeutende Kunstsammlung, die neben Alten Meistern auch schottische Maler und Impressionisten einschließt. Es ist eine wahre Freunde von Raum zu Raum zu gehen und die kunst– und kulturhistorischen Schätze zu entdecken. Man merkt allerdings dem Museum an, dass es um 1900 erbaut wurde, da man heute die Räumlichkeiten eines Museums anders plant, um eine gute Hängung zu ermöglichen. Teilweise ist es im Museum nicht möglich, den Ausstellungsgegenständen eine gute Lichtsituation zu ermöglichen, so dass die Farben mancher Gemälde im Halbschatten verblassen. Schade, dass dieser Makel in der umfangreichen Sanierung des Museums (2006) nicht behoben werden konnte. Dafür muss ich leider einen Stern abziehen auch wenn ich ansonsten von diesem Museum sehr angetan bin.

Die abwechslungsreichste Ausstellung, die ich je gesehen hab!

Ce musée est très beau, aussi bien vu de l’intérieur que de l’extérieur. Très franchement, il n’y est rien exposé d’exceptionnel et c’est plus le magnifique bâtiment en lui même, le parc, la rivière Kelvin, et l’atmosphère paisible de ce morceau du West End qui en font un lieu attirant. Et puis, comme c’est gratuit, on né se prive pas de micro-​visites d’une petite demi-​heure, né serait-​ce que pour apprécier les quelques jolies pièces.

J’ai visité ce musée et je m’y suis perdue. Il y en a pour tous les goûts,… trop peut être, Beaux-​Arts, histoire de l’Écosse, en passant par l’archéologie ou les dinosaures.
J’avais trouvé ce musée très poussiéreux à l’époque, mais il parait qu’il a été rénové. Reconnu comme l’un des musées les plus visité de grande Bretagne, je n’en fait pourtant pas ma priorité.