Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum

　　Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum is a museum and art gallery in Glasgow, Scotland, and also the most popular free tourist attraction in Scotland, surpassing Edinburgh Castle as the most visited museum in the UK outside London. It is located on Argyle Street in the city's West End, by the River Kelvin, opposite the architecturally similar Kelvin Hall.

　　Part of the funding for the construction of Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum came from the profits of the 1888 International Exhibition held in Kelvingrove Park. The architects were John William Simpson and Milan Allen, and it opened in 1901. It is built in the Spanish Baroque style and follows the Glaswegian tradition of using local red sandstone. Although it was designed as a permanent structure, it was originally intended to be the main building for another world exhibition (in 1901) held in the park. This explains why the building appears to have its front and back reversed. Today, most visitors enter through the back door facing Argyle Street, the main road, rather than the front entrance from the park.

　　The museum's collections primarily come from the McLellan Galleries and the old Kelvingrove Museum in Kelvingrove Park. It houses one of the world’s finest collections of arms and armour, as well as extensive natural history collections. The art collection includes many outstanding works of European art, featuring pieces from Old Masters, French Impressionists, Dutch Renaissance, Scottish Colourists, and the Glasgow School. The museum also holds Salvador Dalí’s famous painting Christ of Saint John of the Cross. Between 2003 and 2006, the painting was temporarily moved to the St Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art.

　　On July 11, 2006, after three years of closure for renovation, Queen Elizabeth II presided over the reopening ceremony of Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. The restoration cost over £28 million and included a new restaurant and a large underground exhibition space housing 8,000 items.

　　Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum Must-visit reason: The most popular free tourist attraction in Scotland Continent: Europe【Europe】 Country/Region: Britain[Britain] Province/State: Glasgow [Glasgow] City: Glasgow [Glasgow]