Modern Two, formerly the Dean Gallery, in Edinburgh, is one of the two buildings housing the

Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art The Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art is part of the National Galleries of Scotland, which are based in Edinburgh, Scotland. The National Gallery of Modern Art houses the collection of modern and contemporary art dating from about 1900 to th ...

, one of Scotland's national art galleries. It is operated by the

National Galleries of Scotland National Galleries of Scotland ( gd, Gailearaidhean Nàiseanta na h-Alba) is the executive non-departmental public body that controls the three national galleries of Scotland and two partner galleries, forming one of the National Collections o ...

. Since its opening it has housed the Paolozzi Gift, a collection of his works given to the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art in 1994 by Sir Eduardo Paolozzi. It contains a large collection of

Dada Dada () or Dadaism was an art movement of the European avant-garde in the early 20th century, with early centres in Zürich, Switzerland, at the Cabaret Voltaire (Zurich), Cabaret Voltaire (in 1916). New York Dada began c. 1915, and after 192 ...

and

Surrealist Surrealism is a cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists depicted unnerving, illogical scenes and developed techniques to allow the unconscious mind to express itself. Its aim was, according to l ...

art and literature, much of which was given by Gabrielle Keiller. It is also used for temporary exhibitions. The Dean Gallery is twinned with Modern One which lies on the opposite side of Belford Road.

Building history

The building was a replacement for the Orphan Hospital, built 1734 on ground owned by

Trinity College Kirk Trinity College Kirk was a royal collegiate church in Edinburgh, Scotland. The kirk and its adjacent almshouse, Trinity Hospital, were founded in 1460 by Mary of Gueldres in memory of her husband, King James II who had been killed at the ...

on Leith Wynd in the valley between the

High Street High Street is a common street name for the primary business street of a city, town, or village, especially in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. It implies that it is the focal point for business, especially shopping. It is also a metonym fo ...

and

Calton Hill Calton Hill () is a hill in central Edinburgh, Scotland, situated beyond the east end of Princes Street and included in the city's UNESCO World Heritage Site. Views of, and from, the hill are often used in photographs and paintings of the ci ...

, which was demolished to make way for the construction of

Waverley Station Edinburgh Waverley railway station (also known simply as Waverley; gd, Waverley Dhùn Èideann) is the principal railway station serving Edinburgh, Scotland. It is the second busiest station in Scotland, after Glasgow Central. It is the north ...

. The building, known as the Dean Orphanage, was designed by Thomas Hamilton in 1831 and took three years to build. Built in Craigleith stone from the nearby quarry, it is in

English Baroque English Baroque is a term used to refer to modes of English architecture that paralleled Baroque architecture in continental Europe between the Great Fire of London (1666) and roughly 1720, when the flamboyant and dramatic qualities of Baroque ...

style with classical detail. The towers over the staircases contain chimneys and contribute to the Edinburgh skyline in the west of the city centre. The clock above the entrance comes from the original Orphan Hospital and in turn from the 1764 demolition of the Netherbow Port on the High Street, which formerly separated the High Street from the

Canongate The Canongate is a street and associated district in central Edinburgh, the capital city of Scotland. The street forms the main eastern length of the Royal Mile while the district is the main eastern section of Edinburgh's Old Town. It began ...

. The building, which is owned by the City of Edinburgh Council, served as the Dean Education Centre for many decades before conversion to a gallery. The plot of allotment gardens at the main entrance dates from 1940 when many school grounds were used for such purposes.

Why is the Building so Grand?

It astounds most people that this magnificent building set in huge grounds was built as an orphanage as it looks like the finest of country palaces. The principle person responsible appears to be James Bonar WS. He was an elder at

Lady Glenorchy's Church Lady Glenorchy's Church or Chapel in Edinburgh was a curious quoad sacra parish church founded in the 18th century, with an unusual history, both due to its enforced relocation caused by the building of Waverley Station and the splitting of the ch ...

which stood in the grounds of the original orphanage. When the idea of a new railway station in Edinburgh, requiring the demolition of both the orphanage and the church, arose in the early 1830s, he contrived a plan, along with his church patron, Lady Glenorchy, to combine her funds with the compensation from the railway company (ensured in an Act of 1836) to build a very generous new orphanage in the clean country air, west of the city. The Lord Provost,

John Learmonth John Learmonth of Dean, DL FRSE (26 May 1789 – 17 December 1858) was Lord Provost of Edinburgh from 1831 to 1833. He was co-funder of the Dean Bridge project in western Edinburgh and gives his name to many of the streets in Comely Bank, the ...

, was pulled into the idea around 1833, and he agreed to gift the land required for the project. He was however partially using this philanthropic gesture as a carrot to his fellow town councillors to allow development of the remaining land for housing (the area now known as Learmonth). Bonar appears to have also provided funds himself, either on a permanent basis, or as a bridge while awaiting the railway compensation. The result was a building costing at least double what the original expected budget was. This allowed for a truly well-built building in dressed ashlar sandstone, with two feature bellcotes.

Conversion to gallery

The conversion of the building into a gallery was designed by the architect, Terry Farrell and Partners. The gallery opened in 1999 opposite the existing Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art. In a rebranding exercise in 2011, the buildings were renamed Modern Two and Modern One respectively.

References

External links

*http://www.nationalgalleries.org/ {{authority control Culture in Edinburgh Dada National Galleries of Scotland Category A listed buildings in Edinburgh Art museums and galleries in Edinburgh Modern art museums Art museums established in 1999 1999 establishments in Scotland Literary museums in Scotland Listed museum buildings in Scotland Surrealism Scottish contemporary art National galleries