Blog

By Edward Purvis, Head of Collections Services

This month marks two years since the Gallery began its major redevelopment project, Inspiring People, which will transform the Gallery with a comprehensive re-display and re-presentation of our Collection, as well as - of course - a complete refurbishment of the building. This has resulted in our Collection heading off on tour or into storage during this time, all made possible by our amazing Collections Services team.
We last caught up with the team in December 2020, when Head of Collections Services, Edward Purvis, gave us a behind the scenes look at the removal process of our Collection and the additional challenges of undertaking this mammoth task during a pandemic, which you can read here.

We thought it was high time to check back in with Edward, to hear all about how the team are getting ready to rehang our Collection back up on the walls.

Take it away Edward…

Packed portraits during the removal in August 2020. Photograph by Edward Purvis.

Since the removal of the Collection was completed in October 2020, the Gallery and our team has been actively planning for its return.

On that very topic, I was enthusiastically speaking to my wife the other day about overcoming the challenges of reinstalling the National Collection. She doesn’t work in the heritage sector, but simply replied, “Well, it’s like going on holiday - easier to unpack than pack!” I paused for a moment, thinking to myself ‘if only it was as simple as that’, but nevertheless the sentiment resonated with me. The challenges of removal were as much about finding storage for all the works, a place in the ‘suitcase’ as it were, as it was for my teams physically undertaking the move.

Logistics aside, the reinstallation of over 1,300 works across 40 rooms along with the exhibitions is a serious challenge – nothing on this scale has been done before in the Gallery’s history. A challenge, not just for my teams to meet head on, who are responsible for the physical movement, conservation and installation of the works, but for the whole Gallery. As with removal in 2020, it will be a Gallery-wide effort. The entire operation’s mechanics have to be considered – at the end of the day, translating Trustee and Curatorial ambition into what visitors see on the walls and in cases.

Reinstall team tour of the main site to see the new display areas take shape. Photograph by Edward Purvis.

So, taking the holiday analogy a bit further – who has ‘unpacked’ like this before?

Learning from peers is critical in the world of care and logistics I operate in, and is no different for this mammoth operation ahead of us. We’ve already reached out to the Royal Academy and the Courtauld Gallery to learn from them what worked and what didn’t for their redevelopment projects. The devil is in the detail; and copious notes were taken.

One of the key things we learnt from our peers was ensuring good communication with the construction company. Also making sure areas are ready to receive collections is very important – from the right environmental conditions to ensuring areas are dust-free, especially when following on from the builders! Unpacking the collections is an important part of the process, but you need somewhere for all the empty ‘suitcases’ to go. Can you re-use for the loan of works in the future, or can another institution make better use of them? Helping out other publically funded museums during big build projects or activities has a long history; it is not uncommon for peers to travel considerable distances if plinths or showcases are going spare (‘buyer’ collects!). We have already realised that we are going to need plenty of time for managing change – preparing adequately for any last minute things you might otherwise have forgotten when going on or coming back from holiday. The conservator’s dusting brush is our ‘toothpaste’; the registrar’s labels are our ‘luggage tags’; works going out on loan naturally have their ‘work visa’; and an art handler’s tools are a ‘suitcase’s wheels’, transiting the art safely back for reinstallation.

Paintings conservator Sally Higgs undertaking treatment for Flora MacDonald by Richard Wilson (NPG 5848). Photograph by Alex Gent.

A strong Gallery project management process is the next vital piece in the puzzle; our ‘passport’ to success. As part of this, we’ve setup the Gallery’s Reinstallation Delivery Group to drive every element of the collections planning forward. The conservation of works is one of the central themes. On that note, the Inspiring People project means that there is now a great opportunity for works to have treatments that would have otherwise been on display. One such example is the below portrait of Katherine Parr attributed to Master John.

Katherine Parr attributed to Master John, circa 1545 © National Portrait Gallery, London

This is one of our key Tudor works which was on display before the Gallery’s closure in 2020. As it is an oil on panel, it is more vulnerable to movement than more robust works in our Collection. For its removal, it was carefully packed into a specially made crate and sent off to the Conservation Studio. As part of its treatment whilst off display, discoloured varnish was removed, and areas of overpaint corrected through sensitive retouching. This was all done to ensure its long-term preservation without detracting from its age. You can find out more about this portrait’s treatment in the video below.

Another great benefit of Inspiring People is the ability to show our world-renowned Collection around the UK and the world during our temporary closure. The newly conserved portrait of Katherine Parr will be on display at the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, during 2022 as part of The Tudors: Passion, Power and Politics exhibition, prior to being placed back on display for reopening in 2023.

The right colleagues around the table at the right time is always important as well, and how this feeds into decisions made by the Inspiring People Project Board, and other forums. Communication is the next part. The complexity of planning over several years can cast a long shadow if not handled correctly; it will have been two and a half years of planning the physical reinstall by the time the Gallery reopens in 2023. Everyone at the Gallery, whether involved directly with the planning or not, needs to have a good understanding of what’s going on; it is as much about how we operate as a Gallery once we open as much as the actual install.

Marshalling different scenarios and variables is also important; the project management process helps manage this, including risk registers. There can be countless thoughts, and rightly so. Late at night, I play with scenarios in my mind. What about road closures? How many lifts can we use? What’s the load bearing of the new areas? Considering the 40 rooms as a blank slate helps temper this – where do we setup ‘base camp’? Sustainability is an important part of our thinking – from recycling gloves to electric trucks.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, it is considering the whole picture (excuse the pun!). My teams have naturally an important part to play, but as I’ve indicated above, it is about the collective effort to reach the finish line. So, with that in mind, the Gallery’s founders look down expectantly from their roundels above; the great reveal awaits. Will it be worth it in the end? As you’d expect, there’s no doubt in my mind that it will. Then I will be off on a well-deserved holiday, suitcases appropriately packed!