Manchester Art Gallery | Art Print

Price range: £40.00 through £75.00

Printed on high quality 165gsm Matt finished coated paper using UV Fade resistant inks.
Each print has a 5mm white border.

Prints are supplied in a sturdy cardboard tube.

Category:The Manchester Collection

#Art #Illustration #Manchester #Manchester Art Gallery #Poster

Description

Manchester Art Gallery – The Civic Temple

A study in neoclassical precision and modern transparency. This print captures Manchester Art Gallery, a landmark that represents the city’s transition from an industrial powerhouse to a global cultural hub.

The original structure, designed by the legendary Sir Charles Barry (architect of the Houses of Parliament), was completed in 1835. It is considered one of the finest examples of Greek Revival architecture in the United Kingdom—a “secular temple” built to elevate the arts in the heart of the “Shock City” of the Industrial Revolution.

Architectural Pedigree

The Barry Legacy: Commissioned when Barry was still in his twenties, the gallery features a magnificent six-column Ionic portico. The design was a deliberate attempt to bring the “beauty and utility” of Ancient Greece to the smoky streets of 19th-century Manchester.

Material: Built from yellow ashlar sandstone, the building is defined by its rhythmic symmetry, dentilled cornices, and a series of carved panels by John Henning Jr. depicting the arts and sciences.

The Hopkins Evolution: In 2002, the gallery was transformed by Michael Hopkins and Partners. The project seamlessly linked Barry’s original building with the neighboring Italianate Athenaeum via a soaring glass atrium and “crab-shell” concrete vaults, creating a masterclass in how to merge historic preservation with high-tech Modernism.

Building Facts

Architects: Sir Charles Barry (Original), Hopkins Architects (2002 Extension).

Completed: 1835 (Extension completed 2002).

Status: Grade I Listed (The highest level of protection for heritage buildings).

Defining Feature: The central five-bay pedimented portico, which served as a blueprint for Barry’s later work on the Palace of Westminster.

Curated for the Design-Led Home

The “Ideal” Form: While the gallery is now a complex of three connected buildings, my Subtractionist perspective returns to the original 1835 elevation, celebrating the clarity and “symmetry of plan” that Barry intended.