Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow

I’m going to be completely honest here: Glasgow was my overall least favorite part of the 15 days I spent in Scotland. It’s kind of just an average city, absent the deep history on display that is so visible in many, if not most of the bigger European cities. The buildings aren’t that old – most are 1700s or newer, and it has a more industrial, working class feel. Kelvingrove Museum is the city’s shining star – a real treasure that the city has every reason to be quite proud of and for me the one reason I would return to Glasgow. 

Housed in a sprawling, grand, and opulent building adjacent to beautiful Kelvingrove Park, Kelvingrove Museum features 22 galleries divided between two major wings, each with two floors with satellite galleries surrounding big central halls. From the moment you arrive there is an undeniable “Wow” factor as you are greeted with the museum’s huge pipe organ up above the central hall. Free concerts are performed daily!

Kelvingrove has it all, meaning that you will find collections that fascinate you. I found the ancient Egyptian collection particularly interesting, with hundreds of objects which even included golden sarcophagi and mummified body parts! I was surprised at the extent of the museum’s holdings and found myself wishing Kelvingrove’s building was even larger because it felt a bit cramped in places. There is just SO much here – over 8,000 objects on display, many of which are big pieces.

Kelvingrove’s holdings include a few major works, chiefly Salvador Dali’s ‘Christ of St John on the Cross’ (which, sadly, was on loan when we visited and was expected to return to its display space the very next day!). The French Art gallery contains paintings by several big names including Monet, Manet, Renoir, and many others. The Dutch Art gallery is similar, with works by Rembrandt, Vermeer, and Van Gogh. 

While the gallery includes works by big name artist of international historical note, Kelvingrove is distinctly Scottish – specifically Glasgow-ish (is that a word?) with entire galleries devoted to the history of the city, including one gallery of works by The Glasgow Boys, a group of painters who began the modernist movement in Scotland in the 1880s. The Scottish History section was a real highlight for me, including myriad ancient historical objects like weaponry, suits of armor, carved stone grave markers, and domestic objects like sandals and a boat.

To really describe everything you could possibly see here would be a novel, which I will not write you. The other highlights include a pretty cool modern art gallery, a huge taxidermy collection including a full-size Asian elephant, and a section of “mini museums”. Kelvingrove also includes a cafe, restaurant, and gift shop, and is fully handicapped accessible. Additional food and tea/coffee vendors can be found outside the rear of Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum toward the river and Kelvingrove Park.

Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum is a top-notch experience on par with the world’s major museums like The Louvre and Rijksmuseum, but with more natural history along with art. The fact that it is free to enjoy is absolutely incredible. The museum’s diverse and extensive holdings mean you are sure to find sections that connect with your interests. If you visit, which you should, plan to spend at least four hours here, if not an entire day. We arrived around 2pm and had to rush through several parts – once you start exploring you will realize how gigantic Kelvingrove actually is when you look at your clock and discover you’ve been there for two hours already and haven’t even made it to the other half of the museum yet! Come prepared to spend some time here and leave feeling amazed!

After visiting the museum, or if you need a break for a while, consider taking a stroll through sprawling Kelvingrove Park, which includes a major fountain, several monuments and statues, a duck pond, skate park, playground, gardens, tennis courts, dog park, lawns, and miles of trails through the woods and along the River Kelvin. On the far side of the park is the University of Glasgow, who’s bell tower is visible above the trees for some distance.