 Kelvingrove museum will reopen in 2006 |
One of Scotland's flagship museums will close its doors to the public on Sunday evening so work can start on a �27.9m refurbishment programme. The Kelvingrove Museum in Glasgow will remain closed for 30 months while contractors complete rewiring work and renovations to the basement.
Some of the museum's best exhibits will be moved to the city's McLellan Galleries during the period of closure.
Glasgow City Council, which runs the attraction, hopes to reopen it in February 2006.
A limited number of final day visitors will be given disposable cameras to record the last day for posterity.
The "Sunday festival" will also include special theatrical performances by students from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and street theatre group Mischief La bas.
International Exhibition
The council's head of museums Mark O'Neill will deliver a short farewell speech before an organ and piper-led procession leads visitors and staff out of the Kelvingrove.
The famous red sandstone building was built in 1901 at the time of the International Exhibition.
Since then it has housed Glasgow's burgeoning civic art collection - now considered to be one of the finest in the world.
The building and exhibits, which include masterpieces by Rembrandt, Van Gogh and Botticelli, have been valued at �565m.
It is also among the most visited attractions in Scotland - more than one million people visit the museum free of charge each year.
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