The Burrell Collection in Glasgow has been named as the 2023 museum of the year after judges described it as a world-class treasure trove of objects.
It topped a shortlist of five museums around the UK to secure the £120,000 award, the largest museum prize in the world.
The artist Sir Grayson Perry presented the award to Duncan Dornan, the head of museums and collections for Glasgow Life, the charity that manages the collection, at a ceremony at the British Museum in London on Wednesday evening.
Jenny Waldman, the director of the Art Fund, which runs the museum of the year, and chair of the judges, said: “The Burrell Collection is extraordinary, a world-class collection displayed in an inspirational building, in harmony with the surrounding landscape of Pollok country park.
“Reopened in 2022, the sensitive renovation and collection redisplay invite exploration and delight, with innovative digital displays offering new ways of understanding the art and objects in the museum’s light, welcoming spaces.
“All this was achieved with a strong shared purpose and with the involvement of local community groups in Glasgow … This museum is truly for everyone to enjoy.”
The Burrell Collection is home to the 9,000-object collection of Sir William Burrell, a shipping merchant, and his wife, Constance Burrell, who were avid art collectors. Burrell bought his first painting at the age of 15 with a few shillings he had been given for a cricket bat.
The collection includes one of the most significant holdings of Chinese art in the UK, medieval treasures including stained glass, arms and armour, more than 200 of the world’s finest tapestries, and paintings by renowned French artists including Manet, Cézanne and Degas.
The museum reopened in March 2022 after a six-year refurbishment that cost £68m and was funded by Glasgow city council, the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Scottish and UK governments. It is on a par with the National Gallery and the V&A in London.
The historian Mary Beard, one of the judges, said: “The Burrell Collection is a treasure trove of objects to discover, with everything from one of the UK’s most important collection of Chinese art, to medieval tapestries and stained glass, and works of art by Rembrandt, Degas and more.
“They have realised, with real rigour and imagination, the true depth of what it means for a museum to be accessible.”
Burrell, who was knighted in 1927 for services to art, believed in free education for all and wanted the people of the city to be able to access his art collection. In 1944, the Burrells gave their collection to the city of Glasgow, specifying it was to be housed where people could appreciate the art in a countryside setting.
Highlights of the collection include a 15th-century stained glass panel depicting Princess Cecily, the daughter of Edward IV, that was originally displayed in Canterbury Cathedral.
A Ming vase from the 14th century showing a five-clawed dragon and the 2nd-century Warwick vase, found in the villa of the emperor Hadrian outside Rome, are also on display.
The other shortlisted museums were Leighton House in London, the MAC in Belfast, the Natural History Museum in London and Scapa Flow Museum in Orkney. Each will receive £15,000.
The finalists were all “at the top of their game, offering inspirational collections and programmes for their communities, for visitors from across the UK and around the world”, said Waldman.
