Gallery of Modern Art

The Gallery of Modern Art, commonly known as GoMA, is the principal venue for contemporary art in Glasgow, Scotland. Opened in 1996, it occupies a prominent neoclassical building on Royal Exchange Square in the heart of Glasgow city centre. As the main gallery of contemporary art in the city, GoMA presents temporary exhibitions and workshops featuring local and international artists, with a particular emphasis on addressing contemporary social issues through major biannual projects.

The building that houses GoMA was constructed in 1778 as the townhouse of William Cunninghame of Lainshaw, a Glasgow Tobacco Lord whose fortune derived from the transatlantic slave trade. In 1817 the Royal Bank of Scotland acquired the property, later relocating to Buchanan Street. Between 1827 and 1832 architect David Hamilton reconstructed it to serve as the Royal Exchange, adding Corinthian pillars to the Queen Street facade, a cupola, and a large hall to the rear. Further alterations were carried out by David Thomson in 1882-1888 and again in 1896, with additional work between 1900 and 1915. Glasgow Corporation purchased the building for £105,000 in 1949, and in 1954 it became home to Stirling's Library, also housing the Library of Patents and the Commercial Library. After the library returned to Miller Street, the building was renovated to accommodate the city's contemporary art collection, opening as GoMA in 1996 following council approval of investment beginning in 1992-1993. The building was listed as a Category A historic monument in 1966. Visitor numbers reached approximately 577,000 in 2019 and about 382,000 in 2024.

GoMA's programme centres on temporary exhibitions rather than a permanent display, with a dedicated Education and Access studio facilitating workshops and artists' talks. The basement contains a Learning Library. The gallery's exhibitions address contemporary social issues through major biannual projects, showcasing both local Scottish and international artists. The building also provides a cafe, free internet access terminals, and multimedia, art, and general book-lending facilities.

The gallery has exhibited works by major international figures including David Hockney, Sebastião Salgado, and Andy Warhol, alongside significant Scottish artists such as John Bellany and Ken Currie. Other artists whose work has been shown at GoMA include Anthony Green, Beryl Cook, Jo Spence, and Ian Hamilton Finlay. In the summer of 2023, GoMA hosted "Cut and Run," the first solo exhibition by British street artist Banksy in fourteen years. The show ran for ten weeks, open twenty-four hours per day, and attracted 180,000 visitors. The building's exterior features Tympanum (1996), a mirrored pediment by artist Niki de Saint Phalle, who also installed the mirrored vestibule at the gallery entrance.

The neoclassical building stands in Royal Exchange Square in Glasgow's city centre. Its east-facing principal facade along Queen Street presents a striking portico with eight colossal Corinthian columns and a triangular pediment. The west facade contains a tall tripartite window set within a segmental arched opening, with Corinthian half-columns forming the mullions and Corinthian pilasters flanking it. Both facades feature widely projecting cornices with dentil moulding. The older eastern section of the building is articulated by a Corinthian pilastrade five bays wide, while the newer nine-bay western section is marked by six Corinthian columns. Above the structure sits a Corinthian lantern with clock faces and a shallow, curved dome. In front of the gallery on Queen Street stands the equestrian statue of the Duke of Wellington, sculpted by Carlo Marochetti in 1844. The statue has become a recognised symbol of the city through the persistent local tradition of placing a traffic cone upon its head.

The Gallery of Modern Art is located on Royal Exchange Square in the centre of Glasgow, operated by Glasgow Life. It functions as the city's main contemporary art gallery, offering free admission to its exhibitions and facilities. The gallery has hosted several million visitors since its opening.