29 April 2016

Following an £8 million transformation, York Art Gallery has been shortlisted for the prestigious Art Fund Museum of the Year 2016 award.

The shortlist of the five museums competing for the award of the Art Fund Prize for Museum of the Year 2016 are (in alphabetical order):

Arnolfini, Bristol, South West
Bethlem Museum of the Mind, Beckenham, Kent
Jupiter Artland, West Lothian
Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A), London
York Art Gallery, Yorkshire

The Art Fund awards the Museum of the Year prize annually to one outstanding museum, which, in the opinion of the judges, has shown exceptional imagination, innovation and achievement. The prize of £100,000 is given at an awards dinner, before an invited audience of the UK’s museum and cultural leaders, which this year will take place at the Natural History Museum in London on Wednesday 6 July 2016.

The judges for Museum of the Year 2016 are: Gus Casely-Hayford, curator and art historian; Will Gompertz, BBC Arts Editor; Ludmilla Jordanova, Professor of History and Visual Culture, Durham University; Cornelia Parker, artist; Stephen Deuchar (chair of the judging panel), Director, Art Fund.

Stephen Deuchar, Director, Art Fund, said today: ‘Each one of these five museums is outstanding – not just for the collections they display, but for the people who work there, and the visitors whose lives they can change. Whether reaching audiences of thousands or millions, the best museums turn objects into culture, put audiences at the heart of their work, and engage with issues of the moment. This shortlist shows why and how UK museums lead the world.’

Reyahn King, Chief Executive of York Museums Trust, said: ‘We are thrilled that York Art Gallery has been shortlisted for The Art Fund Prize for Museum of the Year 2016.
To be one of only five finalists is in itself fantastic recognition of the transformation that has taken place at the gallery.

“We believe the new and improved spaces are a fitting home to our nationally important collections and enable us to give the public a fresh approach to the display and understanding of ceramics. We can achieve our ambitions to host internationally important exhibitions and extend the artistic offer to our gardens behind. With learning spaces, better facilities and a great welcome we think the gallery is a friendly, inspiring and fun place for our visitors.

“We are extremely proud to be shortlisted and we hope that it will help us build on our growing reputation as one of the best art galleries in the country.’

Today also sees the launch of a photography competition open to everyone to upload their own pictures of their favourite museum. Leading photographer Rankin will select one image per institution with the overall winner decided by public vote, which will be revealed ahead of the announcement of the winner of the Museum of the Year.

In partnership with the BBC, the Art Fund Prize for Museum of the Year 2016 will be celebrated across the network in a series of broadcasts and online.

Find out more about York Art Gallery on the Art Fund website here.