Closure Of Inverleith House

EDM number 712 in 2016-17, proposed by George Kerevan on 23/11/2016.
Categorised under the topics of Art works and Museums and galleries.

That this House notes with concern the closure, without adequate consultation, of lnverleith House, one of Edinburgh's premier public art galleries, by the Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE); recognises the need to guarantee a future for lnverleith House, a historic Georgian mansion built in 1774 that sits at the heart of the Royal Botanic Garden; further notes the large degree of public opposition to the closure as expressed by the 10,000 signatures gathered so far in a public petition; further recognises the significant contribution made to national and local culture by lnverleith House since it opened as a gallery in 1960, first as home to the Scottish National Gallery (SNG) of Modern Art, exhibiting artists such as Picasso, Matisse, Miró and Henry Moore, and later, after SNG moved to a larger facility in 1986, as a popular centre for exhibiting contemporary artists, including Andy Goldsworthy and Damien Hirst; commends the gallery's long-time director, Paul Nesbitt, for creating a world-class exhibition program; welcomes the creation of a taskforce involving RBGE, the Scottish Government and Creative Scotland to explore options for the future of lnverleith House; and calls on all parties to work together to preserve lnverleith House as a home for the arts.

This motion has been signed by a total of 16 MPs.