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'''Herbert Art Gallery and Museum''' is situated in Jordan Well, [[Coventry]] city centre, England. It is named after Sir [[Alfred Herbert]], a wealthy industrialist who |
'''Herbert Art Gallery and Museum''' is situated in Jordan Well, [[Coventry]] city centre, England. It is named after Sir [[Alfred Herbert]], a wealthy industrialist who donated £200,000 between 1938 and 1954 towards its construction. Building began in 1939, with an interruption by the Second World War, and The Herbert opened in 1960.<ref name=autogenerated1>{{cite web|url=http://www.theherbert.org/index.php/home/about-us/history|title= History {{!}} The Herbert |publisher= The Herbert Art Gallery and Museum|accessdate=24 May 2011}}</ref> In 2008 it reopened after a £20 million refurbishment. Admission is free and The Herbert is run by a non-profit trust. Its derives financial support from donations, sales at the museum shop, and hiring the buildings out.<ref name=2010visitors>{{cite news |url=http://www.coventryobserver.co.uk/2011/08/31/story-Herbert-earns-top-attraction-tag-as-landmark-visit-looms-15764.html |title=Herbert earns top attraction tag as landmark visit looms |newspaper=Coventry Observer |date=26 August 2011 |accessdate=2 September 2011}}</ref> In 2010, the museum and gallery received over 300,000 visitors, making it one of the most popular free tourist attractions in the West Midlands. |
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==History== |
==History== |
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[[Alfred Herbert]] moved to Coventry in 1887 and established a successful machine tool company in the city. As well as being an industrialist, Herbert was a philanthropist within Coventry, building almshouses, supporting wounded servicemen through donations, establishing a camp for the city's poor children, and funding the rebuilding of Coventry Cathedral |
[[Alfred Herbert]] moved to Coventry in 1887 and established a successful machine tool company in the city. As well as being an industrialist, Herbert was a philanthropist within Coventry, building almshouses, supporting wounded servicemen through donations, establishing a camp for the city's poor children, and funding the rebuilding of Coventry Cathedral.<ref>{{harvnb|Donnelly|2004}}</ref> Plans for the museum and gallery were drawn up in 1938 after the Herbert donated £100,000 towards its construction and building began the following year.<ref name="Telegraph1">{{cite news | title=Bright New Look For The Herbert; First Phase Of City Art Gallery Revealed | work=Coventry Evening Telegraph | date=2 September 2005 | accessdate=7 July 2011 | author=McCarthy, James}}</ref> Only the basement was complete when the [[Second World War]] intervened, and the city's destruction during the [[Coventry Blitz]] meant that construction was suspended.<ref name="Telegraph1" /> New plans were drawn up in 1952, and in May 1954 the [[foundation stone]] was laid by Alfred Herbert, who donated a further £100,000 to the project.<ref name="Telegraph1" /> The building was opened by his third wife Lady Herbert on 9 March 1960,<ref name=autogenerated1 /> three years after Alfred Herbert's death.<ref name="Telegraph1" /> |
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[[File:Herbert art gallery 25s06.jpg|thumb|left|The Herbert in 2006]] |
[[File:Herbert art gallery 25s06.jpg|thumb|left|The Herbert in 2006]] |
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Revision as of 19:28, 2 September 2011
 The extension to the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum | |
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| Established | 1960 |
|---|---|
| Location | Jordan Well, Coventry, England |
| Public transit access | Pool Meadow Bus Station |
| Website | www |
Herbert Art Gallery and Museum is situated in Jordan Well, Coventry city centre, England. It is named after Sir Alfred Herbert, a wealthy industrialist who donated £200,000 between 1938 and 1954 towards its construction. Building began in 1939, with an interruption by the Second World War, and The Herbert opened in 1960.[1] In 2008 it reopened after a £20 million refurbishment. Admission is free and The Herbert is run by a non-profit trust. Its derives financial support from donations, sales at the museum shop, and hiring the buildings out.[2] In 2010, the museum and gallery received over 300,000 visitors, making it one of the most popular free tourist attractions in the West Midlands.
History
Alfred Herbert moved to Coventry in 1887 and established a successful machine tool company in the city. As well as being an industrialist, Herbert was a philanthropist within Coventry, building almshouses, supporting wounded servicemen through donations, establishing a camp for the city's poor children, and funding the rebuilding of Coventry Cathedral.[3] Plans for the museum and gallery were drawn up in 1938 after the Herbert donated £100,000 towards its construction and building began the following year.[4] Only the basement was complete when the Second World War intervened, and the city's destruction during the Coventry Blitz meant that construction was suspended.[4] New plans were drawn up in 1952, and in May 1954 the foundation stone was laid by Alfred Herbert, who donated a further £100,000 to the project.[4] The building was opened by his third wife Lady Herbert on 9 March 1960,[1] three years after Alfred Herbert's death.[4]
In 2005 The Herbert hosted an theatre project for children, showing them what it would have been like to be evacuees in the 1940s. The event won two awards, one for excellence in the field of heritage and the other for engaging children with history.[5][6] The first phase of a two-phase refurbishment was completed a year late in 2005 with £3 million of funds from Coventry City Council, Advantage West Midlands and the European Regional Development Fund.[4] In 2007 and early 2008 the second phase was completed at a cost of £20 million.
This regeneration resulted in:
- A new entrance on Bayley Lane
- A 500 sq metre glass-covered court
- New café area
- New education, training, gallery, creative media and arts information facilities.
- A Coventry History Centre
- New exhibitions telling the story of the city and its people
- New gallery spaces for touring and locally produced work
- More spaces for use by schools
- Facilities to preserve the city's archive and museum collections
During the refurbishment, it was considered that a painting by 17th-century artist Luca Giordano was too large and fragile to move. Instead the 3.020 by 5.825 metres (9.91 by 19.11 ft) canvas, which has been with The Herbert since the 1960s and described as one of the museum's most prized paintings, was bordered up in 2005 and reopened three years later in time for the opening.[7] The Heritage Lottery Fund granted nearly £200,000 to The Herbert and Wolverhampton Art Gallery in 2008 for acquisitions in relation to the theme of peace and reconciliation.[8][9] In 2009 The Herbert hosted a collection of fifty watercolours from British artists such as J. M. W. Turner and Dante Gabriel Rossetti.[10]
The museum won the Guardian Family Friendly Award 2010.[11] The same year, the gallery was shortlisted for the Art Fund Prize in recognition of its outstanding work in engaging new and diverse audiences.[12][13] Between The Herbert's reopening in 2008 and March 2010, 500,000 people visited the museum.[14] To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the museum's opening, The Herbert held several events throughout the year.[15] In March more than 1,000 people attended a special event where ten objects, including a 16th-century tapestry and Shakespeare's ring, illustrating the history of Warwickshire, were put on display.[16] In 2010 319,000 people visited The Herbert, an increase of 45% from the year before, making it the sixth most popular free tourist attraction in the West Midlands.[2]
The following year the museum raised £12,000 to buy The Coventry Album, a collection of paintings by William Henry Brooke in 1819. The album is one of the most important collection of historic pictures of Coventry.[17]
Ground floor
The ground floor has a 500 sq metre glass-covered court, a unique piece of architecture amongst Coventry's skyline. Underneath the court are the entrances to the Coventry History Gallery and Archive rooms, both offering an insight into Coventry's past. Further along the building are two galleries, as well as training and learning spaces.
First floor
The first floor of The Herbert Art Gallery and Museum houses several diverse and interesting galleries, and includes a large hireable exhibition space called 'The Studio', frequently used by the public and organisations. Also housed on this floor is the New Media Suite, with modern IT facilities, the Herbert Media Recording Studio (live and Control rooms) and MIDI Suite.
Permanent gallery spaces include Sculpture, Old Masters, Art Since 1900, Elements (Natural History) and also houses four temporary exhibition spaces.
The temporary exhibition programme includes exhibition from national and international galleries such as The British Museum, V&A, Southbank Centre and Natural History Museum. Self created exhibitions are also created exploring local themes and social history.
Second floor
On the second second floor there are further Herbert Media facilities including the Standard Definition and High Definition editing suites, a corporate training room and arts information centre with excellent resources and reference library.
Herbert Media
Herbert Media is the museum's in-house media service. They provide recording studios, video editing rooms and training rooms, and produce much of the audio and visual sequences for the Museums exhibitions and permanent displays.[18] They also frequently coordinate 'community response' films to exhibitions within the gallery as a way of further connecting art to the community. They also specialise in making films and interactives for other museums and art galleries and were rewarded for their high standard of work in the 2009 Godiva Awards - winning the Innovation in Business Practice category.[19]
Associated Arts and Heritage sites
- The Lunt Roman Fort is located 3 miles from Coventry city centre and close to Coventry Airport. Near Coventry, it is a partial reconstruction of the fort that was established there in AD 60.
- The Priory Visitor Centre [20] is located in Priory Row, Coventry city centre. This boasts the remains of medieval buildings from Coventry's first cathedral.
References
- ^ a b "History | The Herbert". The Herbert Art Gallery and Museum. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
- ^ a b "Herbert earns top attraction tag as landmark visit looms". Coventry Observer. 26 August 2011. Retrieved 2 September 2011.
- ^ Donnelly 2004
- ^ a b c d e McCarthy, James (2 September 2005). "Bright New Look For The Herbert; First Phase Of City Art Gallery Revealed". Coventry Evening Telegraph.
{{cite news}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ Tappenden, Roslyn (26 May 2005). "Herbert Museum's Kids In The Blitz Project Is A Winner!". Culture24. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
- ^ Prudames, David (16 June 2005). "Kids In The Blitz & A Stately Rap – Roots & Wings Winners Revealed". Culture24. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
- ^ "Painting Left Insitu Survives The Herbert's Building Works Intact". Culture24. 18 July 2008. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
- ^ "Collecting Cultures – HLF Announces Grants For Acquisitions". Culture24. 5 June 2008. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
- ^ Cane 2010, p. 23
- ^ "Rare Watercolours And Drawings Visit Coventry's Herbert". Culture24. Retrieved 1 September 2011.
- ^ "Coventry Herbert Museum and Art Gallery wins Guardian Family Friendly Award 2010". Culture24. 1 April 2010. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
- ^ "Final countdown for shortlisted four as voting draws to a close in £100,000 Art Fund Prize race". Culture24. 18 June 2010. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
- ^ ""Stunning" Ulster Museum wins Art Fund Prize 2010". Culture24. 1 July 2010. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
- ^ Cane 2010, p. 7
- ^ Cane 2010, pp. 6–7
- ^ Cane 2010, pp. 17–18
- ^ "Herbert Art Gallery and Museum asks public to help display William Brooke's Coventry Album". Culture24. 9 August 2011. Retrieved 1 September 2011.
- ^ "Art Gallery Houses Media Suite". Coventry Evening Telegraph. 12 February 2004. p. 14.
{{cite news}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ "Herbert Media Wins Godiva Award" (Press release). Herbert Art Gallery & Museum. 2009. Retrieved 7 July 2011.
{{cite press release}}: Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help) - ^ The Herbert | There's more to do with the kids this Summer at the Herbert!
- Bibliography
- Cane, Simon (2010). "Renaissance West Midlands: Collections" (PDF). Museums, Libraries & Archives.
{{cite web}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help); Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help) - Donnelly, Tom (2004). "Oxford Dictionary of National Biography" ((subscription or UK public library membership required)). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
{{cite web}}:|contribution=ignored (help); External link in|format=|ref=harv(help)
External links
