Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art closes offshoot to save on costs

A modern art gallery has been closed for the rest of the year as part of the ongoing recovery from the Covid pandemic.

The Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art’s Modern Two gallery closed following the Barbara Hepworth exhibition which ended on October 2.

Access to the building, formerly known as the Dean Gallery, will now be by appointment only, following the decision.

The gallery said it will allow the saving of costs in a period they are “still recovering financially from the impact of the pandemic.”

Director-general of the National Galleries of Scotland, Sir John Leighton, told the Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee at Holyrood last month they faced a funding challenge “the like of which I have never before witnessed or indeed, imagined”.

A spokesperson for the galleries, added: “The culture sector was badly affected during the pandemic and, like so many national and local cultural organisations, National Galleries of Scotland is still in a period of recovery with visitor numbers and self-generated income still well below pre-Covid levels.

“On top of the lingering impact of the pandemic, we now have a cost-of-living crisis with rampant inflation and the prospect of dramatic increases in energy costs.

“It should be stressed that these were potential future scenarios and National Galleries of Scotland will, of course, work hard, with the support of Scottish Government, to do everything possible to maintain its ambitions and position as a flagship of Scottish culture in the years to come.”

The galleries say they will make an announcement regarding the 2023 programme for Modern Two in due course.