Art Fund Museum of the Year, for those not in-the-know, is one of the UK’s most prestigious museum awards. Having existed in some form for over half a century, it’s a fab way of finding out which institutions are the doing the most exciting and innovative things right now.
And the results of this year’s Museum of the Year awards are in. After five institutions made the shortlist, the overall winner was announced on Wednesday (July 12) at an awards ceremony in London’s British Museum. The winner also receives £120,000 in prize money.
So which museum was crowned the best in the UK for 2023? Well, that’d be the Burrell Collection in Glasgow. The Burrell, which reopened in 2022 after a six-year, £22 million refurbishment, beat the likes of London’s Natural History Museum and Belfast’s The MAC to top spot. It’s the second time that the museum has won the prize.
And it’s difficult to think of a more deserving winner. The Burrell Collection contains over 9,000 objects which once belonged to merchant Sir William Burrell and his wife, Constance Burrell. The place features everything from Chinese art and British medieval armour to impressionist paintings – and, thanks to the recent revamp, all its treasures are in a very swish building, too.
Jenny Waldman, director of the Art Fund, said: ‘The Burrell Collection is extraordinary, a world-class collection displayed in an inspirational building, in harmony with the surrounding landscape of Pollok country park.’
If you’re like to book yourself a visit to the Burrell Collection, you can find out more about it with our official guide here.
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