PLANS for a new £5.5m art gallery, along with a culture and research institute in one of the region’s town centres, have been unveiled today.
The new centre at the site of the former Barclays bank in Bishop Auckland’s Market Place has been acquired by millionaire philanthropist, Jonathan Ruffer of the Auckland Castle Trust and will include major Spanish masterpieces from the 16th and 17th centuries.
Due to open in 2018, pieces from the greatest artists of the period such as Ribera, Velazquez and Zurbarán will go on show along with El Greco’s Christ on the Cross, which was recently purchased for £2.5m by Auckland Castle with support from the Art Fund.
The new gallery is promised to become an international hub for the study and appreciation of Spain’s Golden Age and is expected to bring academics and tourists to Bishop Auckland, acting as a further boost for the town’s regeneration.
Award-winning architectural practice, Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios has designed the gallery spaces over three floors, along with a temporary exhibition space, an art history library, café and gift shop. Auckland Castle’s own Spanish fine art works will be showcased alongside loans from international galleries and important private collections.
The recent venture was inspired by the series of paintings by Spanish Baroque artist, Francisco de Zurbarán that presently hang in Auckland Castle.
The building next to the gallery will also be transformed into a major new research and education centre focusing on Spain’s golden cultural and creative age in the 16th and 17th centuries.
In time it is hoped it will become a focal point for an annual celebration of Spanish culture, covering everything from food and music to dance and literature.
Dr Chris Ferguson, Auckland Castle’s Curatorial Director, said: “It will be small – a gem – rather than massive in scale, and our intention is to show a limited number of great pictures, and ideally, art that is rarely seen by lovers of Spanish culture, especially in this country.
“For many it will be an introduction to the treasures of Spain, and we believe that with a mixture of loans from internationally famous museums and Auckland Castle’s own collection, it will be possible to achieve this.”
Dr Ferguson added: “We are very grateful for the support and generosity shown to us by the Art Fund, and we are thrilled that come 2018 we will be able to share El Greco’s Christ on the Cross by placing it on public display.”
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