Art UK is delighted to announce the launch of The Hunterian's guide on the Bloomberg Connects app.
The Hunterian guide on the Bloomberg Connects app
The Bloomberg Connects app is a free digital guide where you can explore content from a range of different cultural organisations. Wherever you are in the world, you can access a range of content, either to add to your experience viewing the gallery in person, or to enjoy from the comfort of your own home. The Hunterian's guide is an exciting addition to the diverse array of cultural institutions currently represented on the app.
The Hunterian guide on the Bloomberg Connects app
The Hunterian, University of Glasgow, is Scotland's oldest museum. It was founded in 1807 as the legacy of Dr William Hunter (1718–1783), an obstetrician, teacher and enthusiastic collector. Hunter amassed an incredibly varied collection, ranging from zoology specimens to paintings, books and manuscripts. Initially all housed in the first Hunterian Museum in the East End of Glasgow, the collection was relocated in 1870s to new University buildings in the west of the city.
Hunterian Art Gallery, University of Glasgow
Today The Hunterian is made up of several venues, each showcasing different aspects of the diverse collection. Its new Bloomberg Connects guide provides unique behind-the-scenes access to these varied sites and displays, including curator insights, audio recordings and virtual tours.
The Hunterian Art Gallery is one of The Hunterian's venues featured on the guide. This was the first museum in Britain with a gallery of paintings and today it holds one of the most distinguished public art collections in Scotland, featuring works from notable artists including John Duncan Fergusson and Rembrandt van Rijin.
The Gallery has a rich temporary exhibition programme, highlights of which can be explored on the guide.
The Hunterian guide on the Bloomberg Connects app
'Demon Drink' (20th May to 18th September 2022), is one of these exhibitions. It is currently on display and draws together recent work by Glaswegian artist Frank Quitely with a selection from the collections of The Hunterian, illustrating our range of attitudes to drink.
The Hunterian guide on the Bloomberg Connects app
Another venue is the Hunterian Museum, just a five-minute walk away from the Hunterian Art Gallery. It is filled with collections that explore the development of knowledge and understanding and the relationship between Glasgow, Scotland and the rest of the world.
The Hunterian guide on the Bloomberg Connects app
One highlight from the museum which is featured on the Bloomberg Connects app is the 'Curating Discomfort Intervention', where Community Curators discuss collection items. These audio clips provide fascinating insights into a wealth of artefacts, including an Ashanti gold dust box, an opium pipe and the spear pictured below.
The Hunterian guide on the Bloomberg Connects app
Community Curator Esraa said, 'when people look at these artefacts, objects, belongings, they might think that they come from violent, uncivilised locations and violent and uncivilised communities. But I think for me, somebody's looking at them here in Scotland, I think this is violence in itself, that they exist here in a case that people can just look at them without proper and rightful content. I think that's violence. That's why I chose the object.'
You can hear this and many other thought-provoking discussions on The Hunterian's guide on the Bloomberg Connects app.
To explore more of The Hunterian and its other venues, download the Bloomberg Connects app today!
Jolif Guest, Collections Content and Liaison Officer, Art UK
