The Art Newspaper

Ulster Museum wins £100,000 Art Fund Prize

The Belfast museum reopened in October 2009, following a three-year closure for a £17.2m refurbishment

By Martin Bailey and Javier Pes. Web only
Published online: 30 June 2010

The Ulster Museum in Belfast

The Ulster Museum, Belfast, is the winner of the £100,000 Art Fund Prize for an outstanding new or refurbished museum, the UK’s highest—and most lucrative—museum award. The award, which was presented in London on 30 June, is judged by a panel of experts that included the artist Jonathan Yeo and the professor of philosophy A.C. Grayling. They reduced the entrants to a shortlist of four museums, which included Oxford’s Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology

The Ulster Museum reopened in October 2009, following a three-year closure for a £17.2m refurbishment. The roof has been raised to make a light-filled atrium between the original 1929 building and a 1972 extension, creating a welcoming entrance area. This has also increased gallery space by a quarter and the display is denser, so more of the collection is on show. Most of the costs were met by Northern Ireland’s Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure (£11.2m) and the Heritage Lottery Fund (£4.7m).

Kirsty Young, chair of the judges panel, said they “were moved and invigorated by our visit to the Ulster Museum. Here is a museum that shows how much can be achieved, and one that is building a lasting legacy…The transformed Ulster Museum is an emblem of the confidence and cultural rejuvenation of Northern Ireland.” Stephen Deuchar, director of the Art Fund, said the institution "is a brilliant example of a museum that is passionate about its public. The redevelopment is stunning, capturing its visitors' minds and hearts with exceptional creative flair."

The museum has three main collections: art, nature and Irish history. All galleries have been redisplayed, and the presentation is informative and sparks off curiosity.

For the opening, the nine fine art rooms on the upper levels are being used for a Sean Scully retrospective, with 90 works (the American abstract artist was born in Dublin and was twice on the Turner Prize short list). After it closes in February, these galleries will present highlights from the permanent collection. Although it includes old masters and art from the 19th century, the museum’s strength lies in modern Irish and British art.

The history galleries run from prehistoric Ireland to the Troubles (1971-98). Northern Ireland’s sectarian conflict was not previously dealt with by the museum, and the sombre new presentation comprises black and white photographs and text, without artefacts. Visitor numbers at the Ulster Museum are now expected to rise from 220,000 to 400,000 a year.