Culture in Glasgow

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The city of Glasgow, Scotland, has many amenities for a wide range of cultural activities, from curling to opera and from football to art appreciation; it also has a large selection of museums that include those devoted to transport, religion, and modern art. The city often hosts exhibitions and events in these areas. The city even has the largest public reference library in Europe in the form of the Mitchell Library.[1][2]

[edit] Art in Glasgow

The Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum has a famous collection of paintings including many old masters, French Impressionists, etc. The Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery, of the University of Glasgow, has what is considered to be the best collection of Whistler paintings in the world. The Burrell Collection is an eclectic collection of art and antiquities donated to the city by William Burrell and housed in a museum in the Pollok Country Park. The People's Palace museum reflects the history of the city and its people, focussing on the working class of Glasgow.

The Gallery of Modern Art is on Royal Exchange Square, just off George Square.

[edit] Glasgow's museums

Spanish Workers Dying for Democracy banner exhibited in the People's Palace.
Spanish Workers Dying for Democracy banner exhibited in the People's Palace.

Glasgow's museums and galleries include:

[edit] Libraries

[edit] Entertainment

Scotland's leading cultural institutions, Scottish Opera, Scottish Ballet and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra are based here and the city also has a longstanding and lively popular music scene based around venues such as the Barrowlands and King Tut's Wah Wah Hut.

[edit] Theatres

Glasgow has a number of theatres, including:

[edit] Concert Halls

[edit] Performing Arts

[edit] Parks

Amongst the city's parks are:

[edit] Festivals

See also: Glasgow Festivals

As part of Glasgow's cultural renaissance, Glasgow is host to a variety of festivals throughout the year:-

[edit] Exhibitions

The city was host to the three Great Exhibitions at Kelvingrove Park, in 1888, 1901 and 1911. It later hosted the Empire Exhibition in 1938 and the Industrial exhibits of the Festival of Britain at the Kelvin Hall in 1951. More recently it held the Glasgow Garden Festival in 1988 and was European Capital of Culture in 1990, National City of Sport 1995-1999, UK City of Architecture and Design 1999 and European Capital of Sport 2003. The city will also host the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

[edit] Contemporary music

Glasgow has many live music pubs, clubs and venues. Some of the city's main venues include the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, the SECC and King Tut's Wah Wah Hut (where Oasis were spotted and signed by Glaswegian record mogul Alan McGee), the Queen Margaret Union and the Barrowland, a historic ballroom, converted into a live music venue. More recent mid-sized venues include ABC and the Carling Academy, which play host to a similar range of acts. Numerous small venues, cafes and bars play host to the many smaller local and touring bands which regularly play in the city.

Glasgow is also home to a thriving electronic music scene, with a particularly strong reputation for techno and house music. Venues like the Arches and the Sub Club, record labels such as Soma and Chemikal Underground and clubnights such as Optimo have supported this strong underground movement for the past two decades in the city.

The city also boasts a flourishing experimental music scene, and plays home to such luminaries as Alex Neilson and Richard Youngs. Glasgow hosts the longrunning Install and Subcurrent annual festivals, which have featured underground luminaries such as Gustav Metzger and Tony Conrad, as well as reclusive American musician Jandek's first ever live performance.

In recent years, the success of bands such as Franz Ferdinand, Belle & Sebastian and Mogwai has significantly boosted the profile of the Glasgow music scene, prompting Time Magazine to liken Glasgow to Detroit during its 1960s Motown heyday.[3]

The annual Triptych festival musical festival has featured performances from such epochal figures as Stockhausen, Terry Riley and Einstuerzende Neubauten.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Glasgow City Council new item
  2. ^ Scottish Parliament press release
  3. ^ Gerard Seenan. "Rock bands inspire Belle epoque for Glasgow scene", The Guardian, September 4, 2004. Retrieved on 2007-07-09.