Private Bill bid to let Burrell Collection 'go on loan'

The Burrell Collection will go on tour during the revamp from 2016 to 2020

Moves have started at Holyrood to allow Glasgow's Burrell Collection to go on loan - against the wishes of the shipping magnate who assembled it.

Sir William Burrell gifted more than 8,000 items to the city with a condition they were never loaned.

It is now hoped this can be changed as part of plans to close and revamp the museum which houses the collection.

Glasgow City Council has introduced a Private Bill at the Scottish Parliament to relax the terms of the bequest.

The collection, which includes medieval, Chinese, French and Islamic art, has been housed in the museum in Pollok Park since 1983.

Closure period

Trustees and Glasgow Life, which runs the museum on behalf of Glasgow City Council, have said the museum needs a significant overhaul.

They have outlined a revamp plan which would see the attraction close in 2016 and reopen in 2020.

This would allow the creation of extra gallery space, allowing more items to be displayed.

During the closure period, they hope to lend works from the collection within the UK and overseas.

Dr Ellen McAdam, head of museums and collections for Glasgow Life, explained why steps were being taken to relax the terms of Burrell's bequest.

Speaking on BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme, she said: "Sir William was very worried as a shipping magnate about the risks to the collection from transport.

"Now that we transport things by air there is much less of a risk to the collection.

"It's very important for any museum service to have an international profile and the Burrell Collection is generally of international significance.

"It would make a great difference to the way in which it was perceived around the world if we were able to lend in future."

Dr McAdam said that loaning parts of the collection while the museum was being refurbished would help contribute towards fundraising efforts.

Dr Ellen McAdam said the Burrell declines dozens of requests each year to loan exhibits

But she stressed that it was much more about "getting the collection known" and being able to exchange it with "other institutions of comparable stature".

She added: "There are a lot of instances where Burrell collected one of what was originally a set, so, we'll have one tapestry and the Victoria and Albert will have another and the Metropolitan Museum in New York with have a third.

"It's being able to bring those things together in exhibitions that show things in their original context that's really important."

Dr McAdam said the Burrell Collection had been turning down about 30 applications a year for loans of exhibits.

She said that if the Private Bill was successful, she expected that figure to double or triple.