Wellcome Collection
Coordinates: 51°31′33″N 0°08′02″W / 51.52582°N 0.13385°W
| Wellcome Collection | |
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 Location within Greater London
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| Established | 2007 |
| Location | Euston Road, London NW1 |
| Type | Museum and exhibitions |
| Visitor figures | 300,000 per annum |
| Director | Dr Ken Arnold, Head of Public Programmes |
| Curator | James Peto, Head Curator, Temporary Exhibitions |
| Public transit access | Euston rail and London Underground stations |
| Website | http://www.wellcomecollection.org |
The Wellcome Collection is a museum at 183 Euston Road, London, displaying an unusual mixture of medical artifacts and original artworks exploring 'ideas about the connections between medicine, life and art'.[1] The Collection comprises three public exhibition spaces, an auditorium, events space, cafe and bookshop. The building is also the home of the Wellcome Library and The Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of Medicine at UCL[2]
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[edit] History
The Wellcome Trust was founded by Sir Henry Solomon Wellcome (1853–1936). An extensive and enthusiastic traveller, he amassed a huge collection of books, paintings and objects, on the theme of historical development of medicine worldwide. There was an earlier Wellcome Historical Medical Museum at 54a Wigmore Street, housing artifacts from around the world .[3]
The Wellcome Trust moved its administrative offices into their new Gibbs Building (designed for the Trust by Michael Hopkins and Partners) on the adjoining site in Euston Road, completed 2004: thereby creating an opportunity for a new public venue in the old Wellcome Building. The Collection opened to the public in June 2007.[4]
[edit] The collections
Medicine Man A permanent display of a small part of Henry Wellcome's collection.
Medicine Now A permanent exhibition using art, mixed media displays and objects to present some aspects of modern medicine and of the work of the Wellcome Trust. This area features a postcard wall where visitors are encouraged to contribute drawings.
Exhibition space A changing programme of events and exhibitions.
The building foyer includes works by Pablo Picasso[5] (originally on a wall in John Desmond Bernal's flat in Torrington Square) and Anthony Gormley.[6] A figure by Marc Quinn is displayed next to the entrance,[7] originally lying unprotected on the stone floor, but now inside a glass case.
[edit] Wellcome Library
The Wellcome Library provides access to collections of books, manuscripts, archives, films and pictures on the history of medicine from the earliest times to the present day[8]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Wellcome Collection short-listed for The Art Fund Prize 2008
- ^ The Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of Medicine
- ^ 54a Wigmore Street
- ^ Guardian report on the opening
- ^ Bernal's Picasso goes on show in London at Wellcome Collection
- ^ Installation of a cast iron figure by Anthony Gormley, suspended upside-down from the ceiling
- ^ White Cube: the Chemical Life Support figures, one of which is shown in the foyer
- ^ Wellcome Library
[edit] External links
- Wellcome Collection website
- Wellcome Collection blog
- Wellcome Images
- Surgery Live, a Wellcome Collection collaboration with Channel 4
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