Curators have said they are excited at the possibility of future exhibitions in advance of the grand opening of the newly-refurbished Aberdeen Art Gallery.
Visitors will get the chance to view and learn more about the museum’s three new temporary exhibitions.
The £34.6million project has finally been completed and gallery chiefs are confident residents and tourists will enjoy the restyled collections.
Christine Rew, art gallery and museums manager, said the layout had been designed for “easy and accessible access” for new visitors.
She added: “We wanted to ensure that people could see from one room into the other and give them vistas to navigate the building.
“We are thinking of those people who have not been to the city before or those who have not been to the art gallery in a long time.”
Madeline Ward, lead art curator, focused on curating one of the temporary exhibitions – the return of Le Passeur The Ferryman’s Journey.
The 1881 painting by William Stott of Oldham is regarded as the crowning achievement of the artist’s short career and was bought by Tate for £1.5million.
She said: “One of our founding fathers John Forbes White, one of the Art Gallery’s original founders, purchased the painting.
“It has been on a full UK tour and there was this idea of a reunion and return to Aberdeen that fits with the art gallery’s redevelopment.
“It was an opportunity to talk about the stylistic influences of early British naturalism and the connections it has to Aberdeen.
“It felt like the right timing.”
The inaugural showcase is a collection of work by local schools, colleges, arts organisations and artists.
Alchemy: Inspiring Art, Inspiring Science will run from Saturday until February 2, and will display the links explored between art and science by pupils across the region.
Students were tasked between December 2016 and April 2017 to investigate objects on loan from the art gallery and take part in workshops to develop their own pieces.
Deirdre Grant, head of public programmes, said she was “excited” at the possibility the new gallery spaces can offer curators and artists.
Thanks to the renovation, the gallery space has increased and will now allow the number of items on show to rise from 300 to 1,000.
She also hopes the venue could be dedicated to supporting local work from young people, organisations and up-and-coming artists.
She said: “It’s a place where they can have their work exhibited where they would not have had the chance to do so before.
“We had not been able to support them over the years, but now we have a dedicated space to do so – which is great.”
One of her favourite pieces is the main upstairs exhibition which will host English photographer Martin Parr’s Think of Scotland display.
The collection will review more than 25 years of photographs from Ayrshire to Orkney.
New to the city will be Aberdeen at Leisure, a new series of portraits of the city commissioned by the gallery to celebrate the landmark redevelopment.
On Saturday, 5,500 people will get a first glimpse of the completed four-year project.
