Wolverhampton Art Gallery

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The Art Gallery

Wider view

Wolverhampton Art Gallery is located in the Millennium City of Wolverhampton and opened in May 1884. The building was funded and constructed by Philip Horsman and built on land provided by the Council.

The Gallery was designed by Birmingham architect Julius Chatwin and the first floor is called a "blind floor", as there are no windows in the walls in order to give plenty of space for hanging pictures. The Gallery is faced in limestone from Bath and has six impressive red granite columns at the main entrance. The 16 characters on the frieze facing Lichfield Street represent the Arts, including sculpture, painting, architecture, pottery, glassblowing, and wrought-iron work. It is Grade II* listed.

Inside the Gallery provides a friendly, accessible and inclusive environment for visitors to explore art, at their leisure.

The downstairs galleries are used for temporary exhibitions which change regularly.

Upstairs there are two large first floor spaces which have been decorated to reflect the Georgian and Victorian artworks on display and a sculpture gallery designed to encourage visitors to use all their senses, as everything therein may be touched.

The gallery has recently completed a £6.7 million building programme, which has created two new triangular galleries due to open March 31 2007. The new spaces will house Wolverhampton’s extensive Pop Art Collection and provide additional space for special exhibitions of both contemporary and traditional art.