27 May 2016

York Art Gallery has been named Visitor Attraction of the Year (Over 50,000 visitors) at the Visit York Tourism Awards. The gallery, which reopened in August last year after an £8 million development, picked up the award at the annual ceremony last night, 26 May 2016.

It is the latest award the gallery has won, following three awards at the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Yorkshire Awards earlier in the month. The gallery has also been shortlisted for the Art Fund Museum of the Year 2016 and the York Design Awards and was included in the shortlist for the Lighting Design Awards 2016.

Reyahn King, chief executive of York Museums Trust, said:

“We are thrilled to have won the Visit York Award for the Visitor Attraction of the Year. The gallery has been totally transformed following its redevelopment and we are proud that it has been honoured in this way by the city.

“The challenge now is to build on this success and for us to bring the best and most exciting art, exhibitions and events to York for residents and visitors to enjoy.”

On 25 and 26 June 2016, the Trust will hold its first Open Weekend, for York residents to come and enjoy the gallery, York Castle Museum and the Yorkshire Museum for free. Reyahn said:

“This Open Weekend is a great chance to see the moving and thought provoking exhibition Truth and Memory at the gallery, featuring some of the most iconic art from the First World War. These are on loan from the Imperial War Museum and York is the only city outside London to be hosting the exhibition.

“This will be followed in September by Flesh which will include major historic, modern and contemporary works from national collections and private collectors.”

More details on Flesh will be released shortly on our website.