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National Galleries of Scotland secures £8.5m for The Art Works

Added: 03 Aug 2026

The National Galleries of Scotland has received £8.5 million from The National Lottery Heritage Fund towards its landmark The Art Works project, bringing the ambitious development another step closer to construction.

The funding follows the Scottish Government’s commitment of £56 million announced earlier this year and represents a major milestone in creating a new, free-to-visit cultural destination in north Edinburgh.

The Art Works will provide a new home for more than 130,000 artworks – around 97% of Scotland’s national art collection – ensuring the collection is preserved for future generations while making it more accessible than ever before.

Designed as far more than a collection store, the new facility will give visitors the opportunity to discover Scotland’s art in new ways through exhibitions, events, learning programmes and behind-the-scenes access. It will also support a national programme of loans, touring exhibitions and digital engagement, helping people across Scotland experience the national collection closer to home.

The project also aims to inspire the next generation, with an ambition that every child in Scotland will have the opportunity to engage with the national art collection, whether by visiting The Art Works, seeing artworks on loan in their local community or exploring them online.
Alongside improving public access, The Art Works has sustainability at its heart. Once complete, it will become Scotland’s largest cultural Passivhaus building, supporting the National Galleries of Scotland’s environmental ambitions and contributing to Scotland’s journey towards net zero.

The development will also strengthen collaboration across the cultural sector through the creation of a National Collections Hub. Alongside the National Galleries of Scotland’s collection, it will house collections from the Royal Scottish Academy, the Demarco Archive Trust and the ARTIST ROOMS collection, shared with Tate.

ASVA congratulates the National Galleries of Scotland on securing this significant investment. The Art Works promises to become an important new addition to Scotland’s cultural landscape, preserving the nation’s artistic heritage while creating new opportunities for learning, collaboration and visitor engagement.

Read more about The Art Works on the National Galleries of Scotland website.