By Amy-Leigh Barnard / Unsplash
The UK's National Portrait Gallery is closed until June 22 to carry out a vast £35.5 million (US$42.2 million) renovation project. It's an opportunity for the London museum to rethink its exhibition spaces. And part of this revamp includes a most surprising acquisition.
The UK's National Portrait Gallery is closed until June 22 to carry out a vast £35.5 million (US$42.2 million) renovation project. It's an opportunity for the London museum to rethink its exhibition spaces. And part of this revamp includes a most surprising acquisition.
The acquisition concerns former public toilets from the Victorian era, part of what became known as Tourist Island. They ceased to be used as lavatories in the 1970s, and since the 1980s a kiosk has been situated on top of the space. The kiosk served as a tourist information center, and between 2011 and 2021 it was possible not only to obtain information on the various tourist attractions of the English capital but also to buy theater tickets there.
These former latrines are located in the center of London, at the intersection of Charing Cross Road, Orange Street and Irving Street. The hexagonal kiosk measures some 250 square feet (around 23 sq meters) while an underground gallery is six times larger, according to Artnet news. London's National Portrait Gallery reportedly purchased them recently for nearly three million pounds (about US$ 3.56 million).
This surprising acquisition was made possible by a gift of £10 million (about US$11.87 million) from Ukrainian-born British-American businessman Len Blavatnik. It is part of the major renovation work being undertaken by the National Portrait Gallery in London since June 29, 2020. This colossal project, entrusted to the architectural firm Jamie Fobert, will create a new entrance to the north, intended to be more accessible and practical than the current entrance to the museum, a stone's throw from Trafalgar Square. It also aims to improve visitors' experience of the museum by transforming certain offices into exhibition spaces.
Added to this is the rehabilitation of Tourist Island. Art Newspaper says that the National Portrait Gallery is considering demolishing the existing kiosk to make the below ground space a proper annex to the main building -- although it will need to obtain a permit from Westminster Council to do so. An architectural competition will likely be launched for the redevelopment of these former public toilets, with the whole process probably taking years. In the meantime, the London museum is considering how to temporarily use its new digs next summer.
