Museums may be full of inanimate objects, but the buildings themselves are living things.
And Dundee’s own McManus Museum and Art Gallery is proving it, with new exhibition ‘What’s New’.
The free exhibition, which opened on February 11, showcases acquisitions from the last decade.
And it includes a major sculpture installation by Doug Cocker called The Plural, a rare studio portrait by John Duncan and work by Joan Eardley, Alberta Whittle and Katie Paterson, among many other contemporary artists.
Susan Keracher, curator for fine art at The McManus, explains: “New additions ensure that the collection remains alive, relevant, reflects contemporary concerns and the lives we lead today.”
She reveals that any new additions are carefully assessed against the museum’s collection policy, to make certain the collection reflects the diversity of Dundee and prevent a build-up of one type of offering,
“If we already have holdings by an artist, any potential acquisition is assessed to ensure that it offers some new aspect of their creativity,” she explains.
“One of Dundee’s most celebrated artists, James McIntosh Patrick, is already strongly represented in the collection. But an example of his little known portrait practice deepens existing holdings in a significant way.”
What’s New: Recent Additions to Dundee’s Fine Art Collection is free to view at The McManus. Find out more at the museum’s website.
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