Already picture-perfect to many, Dulwich’s renowned Picture Gallery prepares to mark its biggest re-development in over two decades with a weekend of celebrations on September 6-7, writes Emily Driver...
The upgrades introduce three major features: a family-focused ArtPlay Pavilion, an expanded Sculpture Garden, and a brand new canteen. The multi-million pound makeover aims to boost access, enhance sustainability and enrich the gallery’s educational opportunities.
The centrepiece of the redevelopment is the ArtPlay Pavilion. Designed by award-winning architects Carmoady Groarke, the purpose-built creative play area offers a space where children under eight can engage in activities inspired by the gallery’s collection. Supported by the Julia Rausling Trust and brought to life with playful installations from artist duo HoLD Collective, the pavilion is located within the gardens and surrounded by a newly planted “art forest” of 130 trees. The landscape design, by Kim Wilkie, also features a striking landform inspired by Rembrandt’s Girl at a Window.
The gardens themselves have been reimagined with an expanded programme of outdoor art. Visitors can find contemporary sculpture installations from artists Amy Stephens and Harold Offeh, as well as the newly created Lovington Sculpture Meadow – a former field now transformed into a biodiverse public space through funding from the Lovington Foundation.
Sustainability has been a central focus of the ‘Open Art’ redevelopment. The gallery now operates with a ground source heat pump and solar panels to cut carbon emissions. The project also sees the Gallery Cottage extended to house The Canteen, a multi-use space serving as a school lunch area during weekdays and a café shop at weekends.
Jennifer Scott, Director of Dulwich Picture Gallery, has said that the space stays “true to the Gallery’s founding idea that great art is made for sharing.”
To celebrate the reopening, the gallery will host a two-day programme of artist-led workshops, family-friendly activities, and guided tours of the new spaces on the weekend of September 6-7.
