Julian Spalding and the museum that never was
He had the venue and the funding. Then, in 1999, the plan for a world class museum of Scottish art and design in Glasgow was blocked.
At the end of the last century, Glasgow almost had a world class museum of Scottish art and design. It would have been more extensive and wider in scope than the V&A in Dundee, bigger and broader than anything in Edinburgh.
Julian Spalding, then the city’s director of museums, had a grand vision for a cultural hub that would show visitors and locals the true extent of Scottish creativity over the centuries.
He had the venue and the funding. Then, in 1999, the plan was blocked, Spalding’s job was abolished and many of the treasures he wanted to display together remain in warehouses.
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