Alistair Hardaker | Image: A render of the upcoming The Art Works building
The Art Works free-to-visit building in north Edinburgh will house 130,000 artworks with £56m Scottish Government funding.
The National Galleries of Scotland has revealed a new strategic plan, ‘Art Matters: 2026-2030’, focusing on increasing access to Scotland’s national art collection, particularly for children and young people.
The plan includes free entry to ticketed exhibitions for under 18s, a revised schools offer, and the development of The Art Works building, a new free-to-visit home for over 130,000 artworks. The strategy aims to remove barriers to participation and ensure everyone in Scotland can experience the benefits of art.
The plan is announced as it reveals it contributed £253m to Scotland’s economy through tourism, jobs and cultural activity in 2024/2025, according to a new independent report by BiGGAR Economics.
Its new strategy aims to increase the number of visitors aged 26 and under by 9% by offering free entry to ticketed exhibitions for children and young people under 18.
The first exhibition with this offer will be ‘Gwen John: Strange Beauties and Catherine Opie: To Be Seen’ at National in August. The rest of its galleries are already free.
The National Galleries of Scotland has three galleries in Edinburgh; the National, Modern and Portrait, which were identified as a key motivators for almost two thirds of those visiting Edinburgh and almost half of those visiting Scotland, according to the BiGGAR report.
Its new strategy plan also includes ‘The Art Works’, a new free-to-visit home in north Edinburgh for over 130,000 artworks, which it said will make it easier for art to be loaned to local galleries across Scotland, the UK and internationally.
The Scottish Government has committed £56m over three years to create The Art Works. The project’s scale will see the National Galleries of Scotland “reprioritise” some other areas of work.
Its summer exhibition at the Royal Scottish Academy building will move to a biennial schedule, following this summer’s ‘Catherine Opie: To Be Seen’, the next exhibition planned will take place in 2028.
After competition of The Art Works, National Galleries of Scotland said it will look to its next capital project, renovating the Mound Level galleries at the National.
Its latest report also suggests that 84% of visitors to the National Galleries of Scotland consider their visit to have a positive impact on their wellbeing.
Anne Lyden, director-general at the National Galleries of Scotland, said: “Our priority is the creation and opening of The Art Works building. This vital investment will enable everything that follows. It is the foundation for how we will care for the collection, expand access and share Scotland’s art for generations to come.”
“These are our first steps towards 2050. By focusing on children and young people, removing barriers and investing in the future, we can ensure that art continues to enrich lives across Scotland.”
