Whitworth Art Gallery

The Whitworth is an art gallery in Manchester, set in Whitworth Park in the north-west of England. It belongs to the University of Manchester and holds over 60,000 works. The building stands among trees and lawns, its red-brick walls and terracotta dressings dating from the 1890s. A Grade II listed structure, it mixes Jacobean style with classical columns and a stone frieze. Inside, a 1995 mezzanine court was built chiefly for sculpture. After a £15 million refurbishment finished in 2015, two glass-and-brick wings extend into the park. The gallery is worth visiting for its recognised collections and recent awards. In its first reopening year it drew more than 440,000 visitors and won the Art Fund’s Museum of the Year prize. Its watercolours, textiles and wallpapers form a Designated Collection under Arts Council England. Major historic works hang beside modern pieces by Degas, Picasso, Bacon and Hepworth. A 2003 theft of three famous paintings led to tighter security and their eventual return. Visitors find spacious galleries, a learning studio and a study centre. An art garden and café sit beside the new wings, connected by a glass promenade. The extension doubled public space and links the building to the park. Temporary exhibitions rotate alongside permanent displays. Works by Turner, Blake and Lowry share walls with Epstein’s marble sculpture Genesis. The surroundings remain calm, with the park’s trees framing the red-brick façade.