Manchester Art Gallery is currently undertaking a review of the gallery’s furniture collection to understand its history, significance and future use. This is part of a wider review of our collections, their purpose and how they can best be used for the benefit of the people of Manchester and beyond.
The review is running alongside an ambitious capital-funded programme of storage improvements to secure the long- term preservation of the collection and improve access to collections in storage. Some of the furniture was acquired to dress historic houses for which the gallery was responsible in the past. We no longer run those buildings, so we are in the process of identifying which items still have relevance to the gallery’s collection and will be retained. Those items which fall outside the Collection Development policy would be transferred to another organisation where there is greater public benefit.
The review has drawn on the advice of historic furniture and textile specialists, combined with condition assessments by the Conservation Team and appraisals about significance and use by the Curators. We are closely following Museum Association guidelines for collection review and disposal which includes consultation with stakeholders as part of the review process. It prioritises transfer to other museums and galleries in the first instance, followed by other organisations who provide public access and can offer appropriate levels of care.
