THE BURRELL COLLECTION REVIEW

REVIEW OF ATTRACTION 2003

Sir William Burrell donated his huge art collection to the city of Glasgow but it took over 25 years of law changes and procrastination by the city council to turn his dream into reality. His gift (the collection), together with 250,000 pounds for the construction of a gallery, specified that the building should be within four miles of Killearn and not less than 16 miles from the centre of Glasgow as he was worried about the effect that industrial pollution might have on it.

Finally, despite the gift being made in 1944, the grounds of Pollok House, only five miles from the city centre, was selected in 1963 to play host to the collection.The collection comprises a variety of artefacts and paintings such as 19th-century paintings, including works by Degas, Cezanne, Renoir, McTaggart and Whistler and North European medieval art. In addition there are also stained glass, tapestries and sculptures and a variety of Oriental art which includes Chinese ceramics, Japanese prints and bronzes and jade, to name but a few.

In a strange way it is the diversity of the collection which it makes (in my opinion), well frankly, a bit boring. Once you have saw 10 plates/paintings/sculptures do you really want to see another 50/80/100/etc. Whilst an immense and impressive collection it isn't really the place you would go with children (it is very much a glass case exhibit type of attraction)and struggles to hold the interest for all but real "art buffs".

Of course perhaps I am being harsh and if you are in the area you should give it a try. If the weather is good you can always let the children "let off steam" in the nearby Pollok Park.