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| Portrait of the Nation project receives £2 million grant The National Galleries of Scotland announced a £2 million boost to its Portrait of the Nation project, the ambitious scheme that will transform the Scottish National Portrait Gallery (SNPG) over the next two years. News of this generous award, which has been made by The Monument Trust, a Sainsbury Family Charitable Trust, comes in the week that building contractors moved into the Gallery, and work began in earnest on the refurbishment. In the two years since fundraising for Portrait of the Nation began, the campaign has built up a tremendous momentum, with very positive and generous responses from a number of trusts and private individuals. The Monument Trust grant puts the figure raised to date at more than 80 percent of the £17.6 million total, and builds upon the contributions of other major funders, such as the Scottish Government, which committed £5.1 million in December 2007, and the Heritage Lottery Fund, which confirmed its grant of £4.8 million in March 2009. Portrait of the Nation will involve the repair, conservation and creative adaptation of the SNPG, a magnificent Arts and Crafts building which opened in 1889, as the first purpose-built national portrait gallery in the world. The project will increase by 50 percent the amount of gallery space within the building, as well as creating a range of new visitor facilities. The building was handed over to BAM Construction on 2 November, and work will continue for the next two years. The refurbished Gallery is due to re-open in autumn 2011. write your comments about the article :: © 2009 Construction News :: home page |