Scotland 2025: Glasgow - Art Galleries/Museums, Mural Trail, River Clyde

Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA) is located just off Buchanan St. on the Royal Exchange Square, housed inside the early 19th century Neo-classical building that was once the Royal Exchange, which served as a hub for merchants to trade commodities like cotton, coal, iron, and timber. Opened in 1996, GOMA’s permanent collection consists of modern and contemporary post-1945 art including paintings, sculptures, videos and installations, from which rotating exhibits are curated.  Given that the museum is fairly small, very few items are actually on display at any time.

Ironically, the most interesting art piece with the best back story that we saw at GOMA was the 1844 bronze sculpture by Carlo Marochetti of the Duke of Wellington sitting on his horse Copenhagen, found in front of the building.  This work has become infamous due to the battle that raged between 1980 through 2013 between local pranksters who repeatedly placed a traffic cone atop the sculpture’s head and the Glasgow City Council, which spent as much as £10,000 yearly by the early 2010s to continuously remove it.  In 2013, the council attempted to install a barrier around the sculpture but this drew so much public outrage that they scrapped the idea and has since allowed the cone to remain.  The image is so iconic that it has been reproduced in a variety of merchandise including T-Shirts, tote bags, post cards, prints and home items including mugs, tea towels, and coasters. In November 2025, a pigeon sculpture with its own traffic cone was placed on Wellington’s head but the cone soon reappeared.  In March 2022, a blue and yellow cone reflecting the colours of the Ukrainian flag, topped with sunflowers as a symbol of peace, temporarily replaced the usual cone in protest of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Although the selections on display from the collection were few, there were some interesting pieces.  Wrong Beat and Baby (2021) created with oil paints, marker and spray paint on canvas by France-Lise McGurn describes how motherhood changed for the artist who used to paint hedonistic scenes of nightlife and clubbing.  Instead of the beat of the music, she now feels a different tempo while caring for her baby. Hung next to this painting was the cartoon-like oil and canvas painting “Old Man” (1991) by Henry Kondracki.  Niki de Saint Phalle’s sculpture “Vache Vase” (1992) plays on the alliteration of the French word for cow compared with the English word vase.  The polyester and acrylic work is painted brightly and colourful on one side and dark on the other, reflecting the duality of the work as both a sculpture and a vase.  The painting Dream Baby Dream (2016) by Rabiya Choudhry is based on the comic strip Numbskull where the panels of the comic are found inside a head of similar shape.  In this piece, the many eyes comment on worries about mass-surveillance and information manipulation on the internet.  The whimsical Yellow Foot Sofa (1967) by Nicole L, made from vinyl, foam and metal is considered feminist art as it is inspired by the female body and part of her anthropomorphic body furniture series that critiques female objectification.  A poster depicting the “Cat and Mouse Bill 1913” comments on British legislation allowing hunger-striking suffragettes to be temporarily released when their health failed, and re-arrested once they recovered.

Kelvingrove Park is an 85-acre public green space divided by the River Klein that is in the vicinity of two of Glasgow’s largest and most prominent museums and art galleries, as well as walking trails, many sculptures, and a beautiful fountain.  Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum is situated in the southwest corner of park, south of the river while the Hunterian is a complex of museums and an art gallery located just north of the park. Because it took almost 30 minutes each way by subway to get there and back from our hotel, we decided to visit both museums and the large park in one day, which made it quite the packed agenda. To save time, we arrived at the park an hour before either institution opened and spent the time exploring the lovely green space before heading to the Hunterian as its doors opened. Exiting from the subway, the first building that we passed by was Kelvin Hall, open in 1918 as the site of the British Industrial Fair. Today, it is a cultural event space with a gym and sports facility added on the side.

Entering Kelvingrove Park across from Kelvin Hall, the first sculpture we saw was the Cameronians War Memorial, commemorating the Scottish Rifles regiment that fought in both World Wars. The powerful bronze sculpture depicts a sergeant advancing over the top (symbolizing victory), a fallen officer (representing sacrifice), and a Lewis gunner providing cover from fire. Following the path past Kelvingrove Art Gallery, we made our way to Kelvin Way Bridge and used it to cross the River Kelvin. Four sets of allegorical sculptures are found on the bridge with two on each side at either end of the span. Designed by Paul Raphael Montford, they represent Shipping and Navigation, Commerce and Industry, Peace and War, and Philosophy and Inspiration.

Crossing the river as we headed towards Hunterian Art Gallery, we stopped by the Stewart Memorial Fountain, a beautiful Victorian fountain built in 1871 in honour of Lord Provost Robert Stewart who secured fresh water supply from Loch Katrine. Designed in a French/Scottish Gothic style, the ornate fountain features stone carvings of lions, unicorns, toads, falcons and eagles, coats of arms, and is topped by a sculpture of the Lady of the Lake. Bronze cherubs are positioned at either end of the circular basin. Continuing on, we came to a memorial depicting a Royal Bengal tigress carrying a peacock in her mouth to feed her cubs who are at her feet.  The sculpture was presented to the city in 1867 by John Stewart Kennedy, prominent Scottish American financier and philanthropist. We also passed by the South African (Boer) War Memorial honouring the Highland Light Infantry soldiers who died in the Second Boer War.

The Hunterian Art Gallery is located on the University of Glasgow campus and forms a part of the Hunterian Museum complex which was established in 1807 from Scottish physician and anatomist William Hunter’s bequest of art, natural history specimens, coins, manuscripts and anatomical items.  In addition to designs and a reconstruction of a house belonging to architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh, which I described in my previous blog post, Hunterian owns the world’s largest collection works by James McNeill Whistler including his atmospheric 1864 oil on canvas titled “Battery Reach from Lindsey Houses” depicting a trio of women looking out at the River Thames.  Another striking painting by Whistler is titled “Harmony in Red: Lamplight”, depicting his wife Beatrice who was also an artist.  Although I am terrible at drawing, I had fun sitting with a sketchpad provided by the gallery and trying to reproduce one of the paintings on the walls.  I chose “The Visionary, Portrait of James Maxton” (1933) by William Douglas Macleod since I was drawn to his dark brooding face and thick eyebrows.  I also liked the abstract quality of Joan Eardley’s “Seated Boy” (1955) as part of the artist’s series of character studies of ordinary children and Glasgow street life.

Les Eus (1913) by John Duncan Fergusson depicts a ring of dancing nude figures that exude rhythm, movement, and a sense of celebration that is reminiscent of Matisse’s iconic painting “Dance”. We found the marble bust of politician and abolitionist Charles James Fox (1796) by Joseph Nollekens to be quite striking, especially the shaggy eyebrows and tousled wig. Several eclectic busts displayed in the middle of the room caught our eye.  The gold-coloured brass sculpture titled “Eastre: Hymn to the Sun” (1924) by John Duncan Fergusson is named after the Saxon goddess of Spring but is allegedly a portrait of the artist’s wife Margaret Morris. Pop artist Eduardo Paolozzi created the bronze “Euston Head” (1984) that has a cubist, robotic form. In the mid-70s, Paolozzi created a set of bas-relief aluminum doors decorated with designs resembling machine parts that were originally intended to be architecturally part of the gallery but ended up as an art piece.  Other items in the gallery fell into decorative arts as opposed to fine arts. For “Family Conversation Piece” (1998), artist Christine Borland used synthetic medical training skulls as casts to create versions made from bone china which she then decorated to resemble blue and white Chinese porcelain. The piece alludes to questions of value, appropriation and violent history and is displayed next to other porcelain. Phoebe Anna Traquair created a stunning “Casket with Scenes of Ten Virgins” (1908) from wood, silver, enamel, semi-precious stones as part of a re-dedication to handmade decorative arts as opposed to machine-made mass productions.

A special exhibit titled “Bird, Tree, Bell, Fish, Ring” is made up of artifacts from the museum that referenced the items in Glasgow’s coat of arms and ran during Glasgow’s celebration of its 850th anniversary.  Four of these symbols (all but the ring) are also symbols of St. Mungo (Glasgow’s Patron Saint)’s miracles and the saint is found at the top of the coat of arms.  We learned about St. Mungo on our first day in Glasgow when we visited the Glasgow Cathedral and saw his tomb.

Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum is one of Scotland’s largest, most prominent and most visited attractions.  It is home to 22 themed galleries exhibiting over 8000 objects ranging from fine art to natural history to cultural exhibits. The museum is a Spanish Baroque building constructed mainly with red sandstone with a 3-storey central tower with an impressive bronze sculpture atop the central porch over the main entrance. Created by George Frampton amongst others, the sculpture depicts Glasgow’s patron Saint Mungo seated on a throne and holding a pastoral staff while flanked by the female figures of Truth holding a mirror and Justice holding scales. The central tower, which houses the grand hall and concert pipe organ, is flanked by two other towers linked by passageways.

The Central hall is a towering cathedral-like space 125 feet in length that is surrounded on both sides with two floors of galleries and promenades and topped by an exquisite barrel-vaulted ceiling from which large chandeliers hang.  At one end of the hall is a stunning pipe organ with 2889 pipes that is encased win a walnut cabinet decorated with cherubs and trumpets.  Free organ recitals occur daily in the hall, which is also rented out for receptions, banquets, and other events.  In the West Court’s Life Galleries on the ground floor is a wildlife exhibit with taxidermy animals, fossils and interactive displays. A Supermarine Spitfire WWII fighter plane hangs suspended from the ceiling above this gallery.

One highlight of the museum in the East Court is the “Floating Heads” exhibit, created by Sophie Cave in 2006. It consists of 50 life-sized plaster heads hanging from the ceiling, with various facial expressions including laughter, scowling, pouting, grimacing, and open-mouthed shock, capturing a wide range of human emotions from elation to despair. We were waiting in the Central Hall for the main organ to play when we heard music coming from the East Court.  We ran back there and arrived in time to catch a mini concert in progress.  A smaller player organ was emitting tunes while the heads lit up in rotating bright colours. I’m not sure when or how often this occurs but we were very lucky to catch this performance which enhanced the pleasure of viewing the heads even more.

Also in the East Court is a collection called “Art Extraordinary” which displays over 1100 pieces of Scottish “outsider art” created by self-taught individuals without formal art training. The exhibits on display are community-curated with interpretive input from patients of local hospitals and mental health facilities.  There was an untitled ceramic sculpture by an unknown artist (2012) that elicited multiple comments including “Angelic figure holding a candle” and “Beautiful lady dressed for a ceremony”.  Several works on display were by Gordon Anderson including a painted wood piece that looks like a dog, a pair of New Guinea dancer, made from recycled metal and copper (2009), and a tin can rocket made from metal, plastic, plaster, and wood which he titled “Eyes Cast Out” (2012).  A whimsical felt mouse (2012) was created by an unknown maker from the Ross Clinic in Aberdeen.

The Glasgow Boys were an important group of about 20 Scottish painters, formed in 1880s, who rejected academic traditions of realist rural landscape scenes and Victorian sentimentality, instead focusing their works on modern depictions of every day Scottish life.  Leaders in the group included James Guthrie, John Lavery, George Henry and Edward Hornel.  Kelvingrove Art Museum holds one of the richest collections of works by the Glasgow Boys with a gallery dedicated to them.  John Lavery favoured portraiture and painted ballerina Anna Pavlova (1910) using strong contrast of light and shadow to simulate the lighting on stage during her dances.  George Henry and Edward Hornel spent 18 months in Japan from 1893, which greatly influenced their output.  Henry’s “In Japanese Garden” (1894) depicts two women visiting Kameido Tenjin shrine in Tokyo while Hornel’s Fish Pool (1894) features a group of children looking at fish in a pond. Henry and Hornel also collaborated on a pair of works including the pagan-themed “Druids Bringing in the Mistletoe (1890)” and Christian-themed “The Star of the East” (1891), depicting an angel announcing the birth of Jesus to shepherds in the field.

A very interesting gallery titled “Looking” explores how to look at and interpret art including an examination of how stories are told through paintings, depicting distance and use of colour.  Avril Paton’s watercolour painting “Windows in the West” (1993) was created during a freak snowstorm where she surveyed neighbouring units from her art studio and depicted people working from home.  LS Lowry’s “VE Day” (1045) shows crowds of people with the figures becoming smaller and smaller in the background.  The linear perspective of converging rooflines also helps to show distance.  Joan Eardley’s oil painting “Glasgow Kids, Saturday Matinee Picture Queue” (1949) uses bright colours including red faces and bold brushstrokes to convey the sense of excitement of the boys waiting to get into the movies.

Some interesting and diverse works were found on the upper floor including Salvador Dali’s Christ of St. John of the Cross (1951).  Shown from the unusual perspective, Christ (depicted without nails, blood or the crown of thorns) seems to be floating in space looking down on Earth at a boat and fishermen floating in a body of water.  Controversial at the time but now considered a masterpiece, it is displayed in its own special room.  A quirky fiberglass sculpture of Elvis Presley titled “Return to Sender” (1996) by Sean Read depicts “Saint Elvis” with a halo performing his hit song.  The poignant plaster sculpture “Motherless” (1889) by George Lawless depicts a father comforting his daughter after the death of her mother.  An ornate earthenware vase (2000) glazed is with gold luster, etched and decorated with stock transfer images of animals, flowers, fast cars, hunting scenes and caricatures.  In 1883, shoemaker John Fulton created an orrery, which is a working model of the solar system showing how the planets orbit around the sun.

In an urban revitalization effort to brighten up rundown streets, alleyways and vacant buildings through public street art, Glasgow’s City Centre Mural Trail was officially formed in 2014, expanding on a Clean Glasgow initiative from 2008.  A map on the City Centre Mural Trail website lists over 30 murals, mostly congregated around the downtown core.  Right in front of our apartment hotel on Dixon St. is a mural titled “Dr.Connolly, I Presume” (#12 on the map), which depicts Scottish actor Billy Connolly as a young man.  On the side of a building bordering Mitchell St. and Argyle St. is “Honey I Shrunk the Kids” (#9) where a girl peers through a magnifying glass to examine the pedestrians passing by.  Down a narrow alley named Renfield Lane are a pair of murals painted on the lengths of two buildings.  Titled “Bubbles” (#18), one wall depicts two little girls joyfully blowing bubbles while on the other wall, a bulldog quizzically reacts to the bubbles.  Actual fans, pipes and “No Parking” signs on the walls add to the industrial feel of the works.  Also on Mitchell St. is the mural “World’s Most Economical Taxi (#8)” where the vehicle is propelled by balloons and wind power.  This street art adds fun and whimsy to the streets of Glasgow.

The River Clyde stretches 106 miles across Scotland of which 15 miles runs through the centre of Glasgow.  There are 21 bridges connecting the north and south shores of the river.  World-leading shipbuilding arose along the river in the 18^th and 19^th centuries, producing such iconic vessels as the RMS Queen Mary.  There was access to the river just a block south of our hotel.  From there, we could see multiple eclectic bridges built with different architectural styles ranging from Victorian engineering including stone arches and suspension systems to modern sculptural designs including the balanced, cantilever steel Tradeston Bridge open in 2009 that is nicknamed “Squiggly” due to its playful S-curve.  We made a small loop, walking along one side of the shore before crossing one of the bridges and traversing the other side, admiring the buildings and the views along the way.

The Clyde Walkway offers a trail on either side of the river for walking, running and cycling east-west across the city, interspersed with small parks and public spaces.  Public art can be found along the walkways including “La Pasionaria”, a stone sculpture that pays to the tribute to the men and women who went to fight fascism in Spain between 1936-1939, and a milepost for the Walk Wheel Cycle Trust Charity titled “Fossil Tree” which is decorated with imagery of fossils (although I thought it looked like a fish).  The waterfront hosts cultural sites like the Riverside Museum, Glasgow Science Centre, and OVO Hydro Sports and Concert Space but unfortunately, we did not have time to get to any of these sites.

One of our first meals in Glasgow was at The Buttery, Glasgow’s oldest continuing operated restaurant since 1870 until it was taken over in 2007 and renamed Two Fat Ladies at The Buttery.  The restaurant is known for its historic Scottish décor including ornate, brass roosters sitting as decoration on each table, and serves Scottish food with a focus on seafood. A very good deal is offered as an “early bird menu” from noon-5:30 where you get a starter and main course for £35 or three courses including dessert for £43.  Because we foolishly ate a big lunch earlier in the day, we settled for the two-course meal. For appetizers, we chose hot smoked salmon & pea pannacotta with caviar, lemon, dill crème fraiche and brioche crostini, as well as braised pork belly with asparagus, wild mushrooms, and a chicken mustard butter reduction. For mains we chose the two fish dishes. I had pan fried fillets of sea bream with sun blushed tomato mash, toasted pine nuts, roasted cherry tomatoes and a basil pesto cream.  Rich picked pan fried West Coast coley topped with lemon and parsley butter, served with crispy capers, pea shoot and herb salad.  The food was delicious and it was too bad we were not hungrier since the desserts sounded great as well.