Wellcome Collection
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| Wellcome Collection | |
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| Established | 2007 |
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| Location | Euston Road, London NW1 |
| Type | Museum and exhibitions |
| Visitor figures | No figures available |
| Director | Dr Ken Arnold, Head of Public Programmes |
| Curator | James Peto, Head Curator, Temporary Exhibitions |
| Public transit access | Euston rail and London Underground stations |
| Website | http://www.wellcomecollection.org |
Wellcome Collection is a museum at 183 Euston Road, London, England, displaying an unusual mixture of medical artefacts and original artworks exploring 'ideas about the connections between medicine, life and art' [1]. The Collection comprises three public exhibition spaces, an auditorium and bookshop. The building is also the home of the Wellcome Library and The Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of Medicine at UCL[2]
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[edit] History
The Wellcome Trust was founded by Sir Henry Solomon Wellcome (1853–1936). An extensive and enthusiastic traveller, he amassed a huge collection of books, paintings and objects, on the theme of historical development of medicine worldwide. There was an earlier Wellcome Historical Medical Museum at 54a Wigmore Street, housing artefacts from around the world .[3]
The Wellcome Trust moved its administrative offices into their new Gibbs Building (designed for the Trust by Michael Hopkins and Partners) on the adjoining site in Euston Road, completed 2004: thereby creating an opportunity for a new public venue in the old Wellcome Building. The Collection opened to the public in June 2007.[4]
[edit] The collections
Medicine Man A permanent display of a small part of Henry Wellcome's collection.
Medicine Now A permanent exhibition using art, mixed media displays and objects to present some aspects of modern medicine and of the work of the Wellcome Trust. This area features a postcard wall where visitors are encouraged to contribute drawings.
Exhibition space A changing programme of events.
The building foyer includes works by Pablo Picasso[5] and Anthony Gormley[6]. A figure by Mark Quinn is displayed next to the entrance[7], originally lying unprotected on the stone floor, but now inside a glass case.
[edit] Wellcome Library
Books, journals, manuscripts, photographs and films, paintings etc.[8]
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- ^ Wellcome Collection short-listed for The Art Fund Prize 2008
- ^ The Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of Medicine
- ^ 54a Wigmore Street
- ^ Guardian report on the opening
- ^ Picasso mural
- ^ Installation of a cast iron figure by Anthony Gormley, suspended upside-down from the ceiling
- ^ White Cube: the Chemical Life Support figures, one of which is shown in the foyer
- ^ Wellcome Library
