National Galleries of Scotland

13/06/2026

⚽️ When Sam Heughan recently visited the National Gallery, we couldn’t resist asking him about Scott McTominay’s unforgettable bicycle kick, captured in a photograph that briefly went on display at the Portrait Gallery last December.

Sam joined Chair of the Board Catherine Muirden for a conversation about the importance of art in wellbeing, his favourite works and more. As their chat drew to a close, we couldn’t leave without getting his thoughts on the national team’s World Cup journey.

As Sam says, watching Scotland play really is a work of art - and we’re proudly cheering them on alongside him. Good luck, 💙⚽️

Keep an eye out for more from our conversation with Sam coming soon!

11/06/2026

The Art Works is our vital project to create a new free-to-visit experience in North Edinburgh. It will improve access to art, inspiring creativity and improving wellbeing. This innovative building will be home to Scotland's national collection, but it will also enable more loans of art across the country so you can enjoy art wherever you are.

Read more about The Art Works here: https://www.nationalgalleries.org/art-and-artists/features/art-works

The National Galleries of Scotland (NGS) is set to receive £56 million in funding to begin construction on The Art Works, a major new free-to-visit gallery in north Edinburgh. The Scottish government has committed to providing the funding over the next three years.

https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2026/06/10/national-galleries-of-scotland-announces-%C2%A356m-funding-boost-for-va-east-storehouse-like-gallery-in-edinburgh

11/06/2026

We'll be closing Level 3 and 4 of the National, including Espresso and our Changing Places toilet, from 2 - 5pm today for filming. This exciting activity will raise vital funds to help support our work.

The rest of the National, including the Scottish galleries, shop and Scottish Cafe & Restaurant, will remain open to visit as usual. You can come into the National using the entrance in Princes Street Gardens.

We hope you will also visit the Portrait gallery and the Moderns, both are free to enter and only a short journey away. Please check our website for more information, including directions and opening times.

08/06/2026

Co-presented with the Edinburgh International Book Festival, this artist talk explores the radical work of two cult American photographers: Del LaGrace Volcano and Catherine Opie. Volcano’s Love Bites Back is an exhibition of d**e photography, while Opie’s To Be Seen features nearly 80 portraits...

08/06/2026

Wendy McMurdo reveals part of her creative process through sequences of frames that lead to a final photograph.

From images made with children at to the evocative shoe dolls photographed at the Museum of Childhood, Wendy McMurdo: The Digital Mirror offers insight into the technologies and techniques the photographer has developed to create her distinctive dreamlike imagery.

In a limited release, 50 signed editions of Shoe Doll (contact sheet 1) are available, printed on Hahnemühle paper and presented in a folio with an edition card.

Shoe Doll (contact sheet 1) documents a toy from the Victorian and Edwardian eras. Shoe dolls were makeshift handmade toys created from the heels of discarded shoes by children or families who could not afford shop-bought toys. The object carries both the tenderness of childhood play and the realities of poverty.

Photographed against a black background, the doll is treated like a portrait sitter. McMurdo’s contact sheets become a thoughtful and poignant record, inviting closer attention to a small but powerful piece of childhood history. Link in bio to shop!

Throughout her career, Wendy McMurdo has explored the artistic possibilities of technological innovation while questioning the impact of virtual technologies on human experience, particularly that of children.

Wendy McMurdo: The Digital Mirror is open daily and free at the Portrait gallery.

29/05/2026

Avatar (i) began not with a study of ice skaters but as a study of children’s internet gaming habits. When Wendy McMurdo looked at the computer games played online, she noticed that many were based on extreme sports that children were unlikely to experience themselves.

Ahead of the opening of Wendy McMurdo: The Digital Mirror this Saturday, photographer Wendy McMurdo reflects on Avatar (i) (2008), a work inspired by the relationship between player and avatar in online gaming.

Photographed at Camperdown’s ice rink in Dundee where young skaters had previously aided 3D motion-capture technology for a Nintendo game, the suspended figures in Avatar (i) appear frozen mid-action - like paused frames from a game awaiting instruction to move forward.

Displayed alongside Henry Raeburn’s iconic portrait of The Reverend Robert Walker Skating on Duddingston Loch, the work creates a striking dialogue across centuries, highlighting technological and social advancement through two very different visions of skating.

Wendy McMurdo: The Digital Mirror opens Saturday 30 May at the Portrait gallery in Edinburgh. This exhibition completely free and open daily.

Wendy McMurdo, Avatar (i), 2008. Image courtesy of the artist and Patricia Fleming Gallery, Glasgow © Wendy McMurdo. All rights reserved, DACS 2026

29/05/2026

It's time to get your thinking caps on 🧢 for this month's

https://bit.ly/4wLwLEG

28/05/2026

27/05/2026

Today we launch our Strategic Plan to 2030, setting out the first steps in our long-term vision to transform access to Scotland’s national art collection. Our aim is that everyone, regardless of age or background, can experience the benefit of art.

At the forefront are children and young people, recognising that early engagement with art can spark lifelong creativity, curiosity and wellbeing. This includes the introduction of free entry to ticketed exhibitions for everyone under 18, beginning this summer with Gwen John: Strange Beauties at Modern Two and Catherine Opie: To Be Seen at the Royal Scottish Academy. We will also be strengthening our schools' offer and expanding our family programmes to deliver deeper engagement from an early age.

At the heart of our strategy is The Art Works, a major new free-to-visit home for over 130,000 artworks to complement those on display in the National, Modern and Portrait galleries. It will transform how Scotland’s art national collection is cared for, shared and experienced, while opening up new opportunities for learning and participation for young people across Scotland through more loans across the country.

To deliver this incredible new building we need to reprioritise, so our summer exhibition at the Royal Scottish Academy building will move to a biennial schedule with the next one planned for 2028. Our other galleries will, of course, remain open and free for all to enjoy.

Our work has never been more important. According to new research, in 2024/25 National Galleries of Scotland contributed £253million to Scotland’s economy through tourism, jobs and cultural activity. While 84% of our visitors report that their experience has a positive impact on their wellbeing, reinforcing the growing evidence that access to art supports health, creative confidence, community resilience and social connection.

We are so excited for the journey ahead. This significant milestone will lay the groundwork for a future where every child and young person in Scotland can build a meaningful relationship with their national art collection.

You can read more about our new Strategic Plan on our website:

https://www.nationalgalleries.org/about-us/plans-policies/strategic-plan-2026-2030