Kirkcaldy Galleries to be reopened next week by Jack Vettriano

Artist Jack Vettriano will be a guest when Gordon Brown opens the revamped Kirkcaldy Galleries next week.

 

For Mr Brown, the opening of the galleries, after a £2.5 million Fife Council-funded renovation, is a double celebration, also marking the 30th anniversary of his election as a Fife MP.

Mr Brown has been asked by Fife Council to reopen the library he once used as a child.

Mr Brown said: “I am very happy to reopen the library after its renovation, knowing that it is the library where I first borrowed books and learned about places far beyond Kirkcaldy.

“It will be a privilege to reopen the art gallery and museum after their renovation because the treasures within them are valued by the people of Fife and they tell us a huge amount about our history as an agricultural, mining and then industrial community,” he said.

The ceremony, on June 7, will be performed in front of Mr Vettriano — who has had record-breaking exhibitions in his home gallery — and author Val McDermid before the galleries are opened to the public the following day, with a week-long programme of events and activities planned to celebrate the occasion.

The new-look gallery and museum spaces will house an array of art, artefacts and objects from Fife’s collection, including a permanent museum display Moments In Time and a programme of changing museum and art exhibits throughout each year.

After first opening in 1925 as Kirkcaldy Museum and Art Gallery, 2013 isn’t the first renovation the building has seen, as in 1928 the library extension was added.

“Part of the town’s war memorial, the building is a piece of the town’s history.

Stuart Cross, chairman of Fife Cultural Trust Board, said: “The grand opening week will be a chance for the public to visit the Kirkcaldy Galleries for the very first time after an extensive refurbishment with support from Fife Council.

“To coincide with the opening, we’re hosting a variety of entertaining, exciting and informative events, all geared towards celebrating Kirkcaldy’s new Galleries and all they have to offer.

“This really is a special moment for Kirkcaldy and we hope the whole of Fife will embrace and enjoy it.”

Full article available at TheCourier.co.uk

Jack Vettriano's Signed Limited Edition Prints are available from Union Art here.