Fresh from winning this year’s Art Fund Prize for Museum of the Year, Manchester’s Whitworth Art Gallery has been shortlisted for yet another award. This time it’s the prestigious Stirling Prize, the annual award for architecture presented by RIBA (the Royal Institute of British Architects).
The Whitworth reopened in February after a £15m makeover and extension by the architects MUMA – and the University of Manchester gallery has had plenty to celebrate about since welcoming the public back through its doors. As well as the Art Fund Prize it has won two architecture awards – the Building of the Year prize in the RIBA North West Regional Awards and a RIBA National Award.
In June’s Queen’s Birthday Honours List, Whitworth director Maria Balshaw – who also heads up Manchester Art Gallery – received a CBE for services to the arts. Responding to the Whitworth’s nomination, she tweeted: “Absolutely delighted @WhitworthArt @OfficialUoM is on shortlist for Stirling Prize. Huge credit to MUMA, UofMcr & @heritagelottery for this.”
The Whitworth joins five other buildings on the shortlist and is the only gallery to be nominated. The other buildings are: NEO Bankside, London; University of Greenwich Stockwell Street building, London; Maggie’s, Lanarkshire; Burntwood school, London; Darbishire Place, London.
More on a-n.co.uk:
Whitworth Art Gallery: “It’s better than I could ever have dreamed of” – Bob Dickinson reports on the gallery’s reopening
MIF 2015: Richter/Part – a moving and surprising experience – The Whitworth hosts a collaboration between Gerhard Richter and composer Arvo Pärt
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