An empty set of gallery spaces are helping experts learn more about some of Liverpool’s most historic art works and the city itself.
Rooms one to four inside the Walker Art Gallery have been closed to the public since January 2020 to undergo a major refurbishment costing in the region of £4.5m. They are set to reopen on July 29 as 'Renaissance Rediscovered', a collection of Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque treasures and works of art.
This collection has its origins with Liverpool collector and MP William Roscoe, who, when facing bankruptcy in 1816, sold his art collection with many being bought by the Liverpool Royal Institution. His associates and friends, part of the institution, bought many of the paintings which went on to form a core part of the Walker’s collection.
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The rooms set to house the returning works were initially built as an extension to the William Brown Street building in 1933. Many of the works had been on the walls in the gallery for 30 years prior to the closure, according to Kate O’Donoghue, curator of international fine art at National Museums Liverpool.
Since January the room’s objects have been in storage while the paintings themselves have been sent to National Museums Liverpool’s conservation building. There they have been treated by a team of specialists.
Ms O’Donoghue told the ECHO: “The renovation is a unique opportunity to care for the works. They will be cleaned and restored in the meantime."
Once in the conservation process, the paintings have been taken out of the frames and treated with imaging technology. This has included the use of X-ray and infrared.
The curator explained that this process shows new aspects of the works beneath the paint, such as sketches that the artist has followed. The work also helps remove layers of dirt that have built up on the varnish.
"It allows for greater analysis and study," said Ms O’Donoghue, “we’re learning things about the works that are 100 years old," adding: “It is a privilege to have this historical collection here in Liverpool.”
The spaces themselves are being viewed as “blank canvas” for the time being and have undergone a similar “makeover” as the artworks, according to their curator. This has seen major changes take place to the ceilings, with the previously suspended ceiling pulled back to reveal its original design.
Temperature control, lighting and changing the old wallpaper has also been carried out. The renovations will also allow the gallery to highlight different parts of its collection and certain narratives.
Many members and founders of the Liverpool Royal Institution, who purchased the paintings from Roscoe, made their fortunes through slavery and related businesses, according to National Museums Liverpool. Renaissance Rediscovered is therefore part of the Walker's ongoing work to address its links to slavery, colonialism and empire.
Once reopened, the galleries will feature new interpretation and research, sharing previously underrepresented and diverse histories. These will include Black, LGBTQ+ and women’s histories.
Renaissance Rediscovered reopens at the Walker Art Gallery on July 29. The gallery is also carrying out a fundraiser to help support the next chapter for the Walker.
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