See behind the scenes at Gallery

[B&NES]

HAVE you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes at the Victoria Art Gallery in Bath?

If so you may be interested to know that the Gallery offers free tours of its store rooms every month.

The Gallery, near Pulteney Bridge, has an extensive collection of British and European art dating from the 15th century to the present day.

However, due to the condition of some of the works and lack of space, it is not possible to have every piece on display and many items are kept in the gallery’s stores.

Jon Benington, Curator of the Victoria Art Gallery, said: “The store tours offer an exciting and informative peek behind the scenes at the gallery, guided by a curator.

“Firstly we take people into the oil painting store that contains around 400 pieces in all conditions, and then they get to see the water colour store which also contains hundreds of drawings, prints and miniatures.

“We also explain how we look after, catalogue and restore the works, and information is given about how items can be accessed for private study purposes. All in all it’s a pretty interesting three-quarters-of-an-hour and we look forward to seeing you.”

Places are strictly limited and need to be booked in advance by calling the Gallery on Tel: 01225 477232.