Scotland’s newest museum has announced the opening of only its second exhibition following an inaugural showing earlier this year.
The Wylieeum, a new space in Greenock dedicated to the work and legacy of one of Scotland’s most beloved and well-known artists, George Wyllie, will open to the public on Tuesday 15 October for a new exhibition that will showcase the artists’ sculptural work.
The museum is the first new purpose-built gallery to open in Scotland since 2018. This new show titled ‘A Wee Multitude of Questions: George Wyllie Scul?tures’ offers a rounded retrospective of Wyllie’s sculptural work - some of which have never been displayed in Scotland before.
Chair of The Wyllieum Board, Michael Dale: “We are delighted to show a range of works by George, giving a snapshot of his work but also the times he lived and worked in.
“We look forward to welcoming audiences this Autumn to engage with the works and see them in our new gallery spaces”
Organisers of the second exhibition of 2024 say it allows a new generation to engage with the artist's prolific practice.
Those who are more familiar with George’s work will have the opportunity to see some well-loved pieces of art in a fresh and contemporary setting.
The exhibition also marks the museum's curatorial desire to frequently rotate work on display, allowing Wyllie enthusiasts to always have reason to return. A range of education and engagement events will also coincide with the new hanging and curation of works.
Wylie, who died in 2012, was known for his signature question mark, and the name of the second 2024 exhibition is inspired by a poem written by his friend and poet Liz Lochehead.
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The new display is exclusively dedicated to Wyllie’s three-dimensional works. From the basement studio of his home on Tower Hill in Gourock, Wyllie created works such as HMS Discreet which draws attention to the malevolent nuclear submarines that had surfaced in his beloved Clyde.
Other works will also be on display including his very early sculptures like ‘Figures from the Glebe’ (1968) and his more light-hearted work like the Portable Palm (1988) which is a portable 12-foot palm tree made of chrome car bumpers.
Situated in Greenock, on the mouth of the River Clyde, The Wyllieum is close to both Wyllie’s home in Gourock and place of work, The Customs House. The purpose-built gallery is housed in the new Greenock Ocean Terminal Vi20sitor Centre, a Glasgow City Region City Deal project on the town’s waterfront.
The £20.1 million project includes a brand-new pontoon alongside the visitor centre, which was designed by renowned Scottish architect Richard Murphy OBE, and was officially opened in September last year. It is owned by Inverclyde Council and was built with funding from the UK and Scottish Governments via the Glasgow City Region City Deal.
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