McManus Gallery

The McManus: Dundee's Art Gallery and Museum is a Category A listed museum and art gallery located in the centre of Dundee, Scotland. Housed in a Gothic Revival building, the institution holds collections of fine and decorative art alongside natural history specimens. Founded as the Albert Institute in 1867, it is recognised as the largest memorial to Prince Albert outside London. The building underwent a major £7.8-million redevelopment between 2005 and 2010 and now operates under the formal name The McManus: Dundee's Art Gallery and Museum.

The concept for the building originated as a memorial to Prince Albert, intended to accommodate lectures, a museum, a picture gallery, and a reference library for students, with support from the British Association for the Advancement of Science. Funding was to be provided by Dundee's inhabitants; the city contributed £300, and a guaranteed fund of £4,205 15/- was raised from 168 contributors, including a substantial £420 donation from the Baxter family. Construction began in 1865 on a site known as Quaw Bog, a small wetland at the confluence of the Scourin Burn and Friar Burn. The unstable ground, underpinned by large wood beams, prevented the realisation of architect George Gilbert Scott's original design for a large tower. The building opened as the Albert Institute in 1867. Two further sections were added by 1889: a central section designed by David MacKenzie to Scott's intentions, and Eastern Galleries by William Alexander, adding four art galleries and four museum galleries. The contents of the Watt Institute, founded in 1848, were incorporated into the collection before the opening of the civic museum and art gallery in 1873. Between 1873 and 1949, the buildings were administered as part of the public library service; the city corporation assumed direct administration from 1959. The building was later renamed to commemorate Maurice McManus, Lord Provost of Dundee from 1962 to 1967. Initially retitled McManus Galleries, it became The McManus: Dundee's Art Gallery and Museum after refurbishment in 2010.

The McManus holds a collection of fine and decorative art together with a natural history collection. During the 2005-2010 redevelopment, much of the collection was relocated to the former Carnegie Library on Barrack Street to remain accessible to the public. The collection includes works by Dundee-based artists James McIntosh Patrick and Alberto Morrocco. It also holds three paintings by Thomas Musgrave Joy commemorating Grace Darling's rescue of passengers from the paddlesteamer Forfarshire.

Among the notable works in the collection are three paintings by Thomas Musgrave Joy celebrating Grace Darling's rescue of passengers on the paddlesteamer Forfarshire. The collection also encompasses works by Dundee-based artists James McIntosh Patrick and Alberto Morrocco.

The McManus is a two-storey Gothic Revival building executed in the Decorated Style with Scottish Baronial motifs. It is constructed of yellowish sandstone and follows an approximately U-shaped plan. Notable features include slender, gable-mounted roof turrets set upon the slate-covered gable roofs of the side wings. The building sits on the northern edge of Dundee city centre, near the High School of Dundee and The Howff. The site was originally Quaw Bog, a small wetland at the confluence of the Scourin Burn and Friar Burn, which required drainage and underpinning with large wood beams due to unstable ground conditions. The building was listed as a Category A building in 1965, Scotland's highest category of historic building protection. Structural problems emerged in 1976 when cracks were discovered in the south-east corner; investigations revealed partial subsidence. Remedial work in 1979 involved installing load-bearing concrete piles and cross-beams to replace rotted timber supports. The building was closed to the public on 24 October 2005 for redevelopment by Page\Park Architects and reopened on 28 February 2010.

The McManus: Dundee's Art Gallery and Museum is located in the centre of Dundee, Scotland, at the northern edge of the city centre near the High School of Dundee and The Howff. The institution is owned and operated by the city of Dundee. Its official website is https://www.mcmanus.co.uk/. The building was closed to the public from 24 October 2005 until 28 February 2010 for a £7.8-million redevelopment, during which collections were displayed at the former Carnegie Library on Barrack Street.