Talbot Rice Gallery is the public art gallery of the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 1 ...

, in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...

. With a 19th-century former natural history museum and a contemporary white cube gallery.

History

The University of Edinburgh's historic Old College was designed by

Robert Adam Robert Adam (3 July 17283 March 1792) was a British neoclassical architect, interior designer and furniture designer. He was the son of William Adam (1689–1748), Scotland's foremost architect of the time, and trained under him. With his ...

and completed by

William Henry Playfair William Henry Playfair FRSE (15 July 1790 – 19 March 1857) was a prominent Scottish architect in the 19th century, who designed the Eastern, or Third, New Town and many of Edinburgh's neoclassical landmarks. Life Playfair was born on 15 ...

. In 1967 the library collection was moved to a new location. An arts centre with an exhibition hall was opened in the Quad in 1970, following a £20,000 renovation paid for by the

Gulbenkian Foundation The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation ( pt, Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian), commonly referred to simply as the Gulbenkian Foundation, is a Portuguese institution dedicated to the promotion of the arts, philanthropy, science, and education. One of ...

. The gallery was opened in 1975 under the guidance of Prof

Giles Henry Robertson Giles Henry Robertson FRSE RSA (Hon) (1913–1987) was a 20th-century British art historian and expert on the Italian Renaissance. Life He was born in Cambridge in 1913 the son of Prof Donald Struan Robertson, professor of Greek at Cambridge ...

and takes its name from his predecessor, Prof

David Talbot Rice David Talbot Rice (11 July 1903 in Rugby – 12 March 1972 in Cheltenham) was an English archaeologist and art historian. He has been described variously as a "gentleman academic" and an "amateur" art historian, though such remarks are not ...

, the Watson Gordon Professor of Fine Art at the University of Edinburgh from 1934 to 1972. The Gallery fundraises for their artistic programme, and has to date received support from

Creative Scotland Creative Scotland ( gd, Alba Chruthachail ; sco, Creative Scotlan) is the development body for the arts and creative industries in Scotland. Based in Edinburgh, it is an executive non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government. The or ...

, as well as international and grant support including Mondriaan Fonds, Culture Ireland and the Freelands Foundation. In 2019, the Gallery was awarded an Arts and Humanities Research Council grant for the first time. The Talbot Rice Gallery is open to the public and admission free.

References

{{authority control Buildings and structures of the University of Edinburgh Art museums and galleries in Edinburgh University museums in Scotland 1975 establishments in Scotland Art museums established in 1975 Scottish contemporary art