ONE of Scotland's leading contemporary art galleries is to undergo a radical transformation in the coming year.
Edinburgh's Fruitmarket Gallery is to apply for cash from Creative Scotland's large capital fund in August to redevelop the space, which was originally built as a fruit and vegetable market in 1938.
One of the nation's key galleries for contemporary art, it has appointed the Glasgow-based firm Gareth Hoskins Architects, which worked on the recent successful revamp of the National Museum of Scotland, to lead the redevelopment.
The revamped gallery will have improved display spaces and better access and facilities for staff and visitors.
The project will "ensure environmental sustainability and maximise the building's income-generation potential," the gallery said.
The architect was chosen from a shortlist of six by a panel led by Seona Reid, director of the Glasgow School of Art.
The final cost of the revamp for the gallery, which sits alongside Waverley Station in Edinburgh, has not been revealed. Dr Reid said: "We feel unanimously that Gareth Hoskins Architects is the right practice to carry out the radical change the gallery needs in order to meet the new demands that the requirements of art and artists place on it, and to ensure that it retains and builds on its position of international significance."
A spokesman for Gareth Hoskins said: "It is really excellent news and we are delighted to be working with the gallery on this project, which is in a really important part of Edinburgh."
The Fruitmarket Gallery has been operating as a visual arts space since 1974.
Rescued by the Scottish Arts Council from demolition, the building was initially shared between the Scottish Arts Council, the New 57 Gallery and the Printmakers Workshop.
At the end of 1983 the Scottish Arts Council relinquished management of the building, and in spring 1984 the Fruitmarket Gallery became an independent space with the continued support of the Scottish Arts Council.
Early exhibitions staged by director Mark Francis included shows by Steven Campbell and a celebrated group exhibition, The Mirror and the Lamp.
The next director, Fiona Macleod, worked closely with Francis. She brought shows by Canadian Jack Goldstein and British Pop artist Richard Hamilton to Edinburgh.
In July 1992, Graeme Murray was appointed director of the Fruitmarket Gallery and later that year it closed for a major refurbishment, which introduced its glass front and brought natural light into the top floor.
In May 2003, Fiona Bradley, who had previously worked at the Tate and London's Hayward Gallery, took over the gallery's reins.
She has staged solo exhibitions of the work of Louise Bourgeois, Nathan Coley, Louise Hopkins, Lucy Skaer, Simon Patterson, Fred Sandback and Fred Tomaselli, among others.
Martin Creed's marble work on the Scotsman Steps, Work No 1059, was commissioned by the Fruitmarket Gallery and revealed in 2011.
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