Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery

The Hunterian is Scotland's oldest public museum and home to over a million magnificent items ranging from meteorites to mummies and Mackintosh!

About Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery

	University Avenue, Glasgow West End G12 0RG
	01413304221
	Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery Website
	Facebook information can be found here
	Follow hunterianglasgow on Instagram

Listed Under Attractions - History and Culture / Attractions - Art Galleries / Attractions - Museums

Within this diverse collection you will find astounding artefacts, amazing art and an astonishing array of animal life.

There are various venues to discover on the University campus - the Hunterian Museum, Hunterian Art Gallery, home to The Mackintosh House, the Zoology Museum and the Anatomy Museum.

Hunterian Museum:
At the heart of the University of Glasgow since 1807, the Hunterian Museum is a stunning space filled with collections that explore the development of knowledge and understanding and the relationship between Glasgow, Scotland and the rest of the world.

You can see a number of highlights in the Hunterian Museum including the Bearsden Shark, Cleopatra Coin and Chinese Map of the World.

The Antonine Wall displays tell the story of Roman settlement in Scotland and the gems, fossils and dinosaurs reveal the very history of the earth.

The history of medicine in the west of Scotland and Lord Kelvin’s scientific instruments feature in the displays about scientific innovation in Glasgow. 

The Curating Discomfort intervention highlights the ways in which our collections and displays are inextricably linked to the history of colonialism and empire and the foregrounding of a Western account of the world.

Hunterian Art Gallery:
Iconic art in an iconic building! The Hunterian Art Gallery frames questions about how art and art galleries can be more meaningful to more people.

See works by Whistler and Mackintosh, Rembrandt and Rubens, the Glasgow Boys and Scottish Colourists, as well as leading contemporary artists.

You can see a number of highlights in the Hunterian Art Gallery including Chardin's 'A Lady Taking Tea', Rembrandt's 'The Entombment' and Gavin Hamilton's 'Hector's Farewell to Andromache'.

The displays in the main gallery feature a significant number of artworks made by women and other artists who have been less well represented.

The Hunterian Art Gallery is also home to one of Scotland's largest print collections, a sculpture courtyard, the Mackintosh House and an exciting programme of contemporary art exhibitions.

The Mackintosh House:
A remarkable Glasgow home! The Mackintosh House is Charles Rennie Mackintosh's only surviving domestic interior in his native Glasgow.

The Mackintosh House is a careful reassemblage of the main rooms from the Glasgow home of Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh.

The artists and designers, whose work is now world famous, designed their distinctive home together. It was remarkable then, and now, for the disciplined austerity of the furnishings and decoration.

The Mackintosh House Introduction Gallery tells the fascinating story of the artists, their house and the Mackintosh collection.

More information about the Mackintosh House, including archival photographs, architectural drawings and other documents, can be found on our Mackintosh Architecture: Context, Making and Meaning website.

Hunterian Zoology Museum:
The Hunterian Zoology Museum, located in the Graham Kerr building, showcases the astonishing diversity of the animal kingdom.

The rich diversity of the animal kingdom is represented here in a classic taxonomical order with specimens from elephants to echidnas and from giant squid to glass sponges. There are just under 800 different species on display, which is a tiny fraction of the estimated 7.7 million animal species thought to exist on Earth.

The Zoology Museum has been at the heart of the Graham Kerr Building since it opened in 1923. The displays were designed to aid teaching of undergraduate students and are still used as part of classes today.

The origins of the individual specimens are varied, many were purchased from natural history supply companies, some were collected by staff and students at the University, others were donated by individuals or other museums. Often the identity of the person who collected the animal from the wild is not known and has been lost to history.

Around a fifth of the animals on display here are classified as threatened and with a changing climate and an ongoing biodiversity crisis the situation for most species on Earth is going to get worse. In the future it is likely that many species will only exist as specimens in museums such as this.

We take every opportunity to ensure the details for Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery are accurate, if any of the above information is incorrect we would appreciate if you could take a minute to suggest an edit.

All information (whether in text or photographs) is supplied in good faith but should not be relied upon as being a statement of representation or fact.

Want to be the first to hear about what's happening in Glasgow? Just hit 'Like' on our What's On Glasgow Facebook page, join the What's On Scotland Facebook Group and 'Follow' on our @WhatsOnGlasgow Twitter or Instagram accounts and you're all set!

Upcoming Events at Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery

Family and Kids

Little Look Club

Selected dates between 14th June 2025 - 13th December 2025

Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery, Glasgow West End

Come and explore artworks together at the Hunterian Art Gallery with your wee ones and let their imaginations flow!

Exhibitions

Museum Of Things

21st June 2025 - 19th October 2025

Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery, Glasgow West End

Through a process of artistic reclamation, Museum of Things delves critically and creatively into The Hunterian's spaces and artefacts, reimagining their significance in contemporary contexts.

Workshops

Family Workshop - Make a Mackintosh!

17th July 2025

Kelvin Hall, Glasgow West End

Join The Hunterian team at Kelvin Hall this summer holiday for a fun, hands-on craft session! Learn how to create your own embossed foil artwork, inspired by the Glasgow Style.

Talks and Lectures

Snake Summer: Sensational Stories and Firm Facts!

8th August 2025

Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery, Glasgow West End

This summer, join College of Arts & Humanities at the Hunterian Zoology Museum to explore the snakes of fact and fiction with a programme of after-hours events designed to celebrate the serpentine!

Talks and Lectures

Snake Summer: Cryptids and Lost Worlds!

29th August 2025

Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery, Glasgow West End

This summer, join College of Arts & Humanities at the Hunterian Zoology Museum to explore the snakes of fact and fiction with a programme of after-hours events designed to celebrate the serpentine!

Film

Snake Summer: Movie Night in the Museum!

5th September 2025

Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery, Glasgow West End

This summer, join College of Arts & Humanities at the Hunterian Zoology Museum to explore the snakes of fact and fiction with a programme of after-hours events designed to celebrate the serpentine!

Glasgow Art Club

185 Bath Street, Glasgow City Centre G2 4HU

Steeped in culture and heritage, The Glasgow Art Club has been a meeting place for generations of the city’s most innovative and creative inhabitants.

House for an Art Lover

Bellahouston Park Dumbreck Road, Glasgow South Side G41 5BW

Designed by famous Scottish architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh, House for an Art Lover is a truly unique venue and one of Glasgow's architectural gems!

Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum

Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum Argyle Street, Glasgow West End G3 8AG

Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum is one of both Glasgow's and Scotland's most popular free attractions boasting an extensive collection of over 8000 objects displayed across 22 themed galleries!

Mackintosh Queens Cross

Queens Cross Garscube Road, Glasgow West End G20 7EL

Mackintosh Queen's Cross is one of Glasgow's hidden architectural gems. The only church in the world designed by the great Scottish architect, designer and artist, Charles Rennie Mackintosh.

Scotland Street School Museum

225 Scotland Street, Glasgow South Side G5 8QB

Scotland Street School Museum was designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh and offers a fascinating glimpse into schooldays of the past.

The Glasgow School of Art

The Glasgow School of Art Renfrew Street, Glasgow City Centre G3 6RF

Mackintosh's 'masterwork' The Glasgow School of Art, built 1897-1909, bookends his architectural career.

The Hill House

The Hill House Upper Colquhoun Street, Helensburgh G84 9AJ

High on a hill in Helensburgh, overlooking the River Clyde, sits what is universally regarded as Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s finest domestic creation!

The Lighthouse

11 Mitchell Lane, Glasgow City Centre G1 3NU

The Lighthouse, Scotland's Centre for Design and Architecture, is a visitor centre, exhibition space and events venue situated in the heart of Glasgow, just off the Style Mile.

Willow Tea Rooms

97 Buchanan Street, Glasgow City Centre G1 3HF

A visit to The Willow Tea Rooms is a must for anyone interested in enjoying tasty traditional food and drinks in an atmospheric setting!

History and Culture

St Andrews Cathedral Glasgow

St Andrews Cathedral Clyde Street, Glasgow City Centre G1 4JY

St Andrew's is the Cathedral Church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Glasgow. Built in 1816, it's seen in a new light since its restoration, completed in April 2011.

History and Culture

Fairfield Heritage Centre

Fairfield 1048 Govan Road, Glasgow South Side G51 4XS

Fairfield Heritage is a community museum dedicated to telling the story of Govan's outstanding role in world shipbuilding.

History and Culture

Willow Tea Rooms

97 Buchanan Street, Glasgow City Centre G1 3HF

A visit to The Willow Tea Rooms is a must for anyone interested in enjoying tasty traditional food and drinks in an atmospheric setting!

History and Culture

Tenement House

145 Buccleuch Street, Glasgow West End G3 6QN

The National Trust for Scotland's Tenement House provides a rare glimpse into life in Glasgow in the early 20th century, in this faithfully restored four-room house!

History and Culture

Glasgow Cathedral

Glasgow Cathedral Castle Street, Glasgow City Centre G4 0QZ

Built in the 1100s, Glasgow Cathedral is an awe-inspiring medieval building dedicated to St Kentigern, also known as St Mungo the Patron Saint of Glasgow.

History and Culture

Scotland Street School Museum

225 Scotland Street, Glasgow South Side G5 8QB

Scotland Street School Museum was designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh and offers a fascinating glimpse into schooldays of the past.

History and Culture

Pollok House

2060 Pollokshaws Road, Glasgow South Side G43 1AT

A grand country house near Glasgow city centre, Pollok House is Scotland’s answer to Downton Abbey and gives a real taste of upstairs/downstairs life in the 1930s!

History and Culture

Govan Old Church

Govan Old Church Govan Road, Glasgow South Side G51 3BW

Govan Old Church is the oldest place of worship in Glasgow, located in the historic community of Govan.

History and Culture

Mackintosh Queens Cross

Queens Cross Garscube Road, Glasgow West End G20 7EL

Mackintosh Queen's Cross is one of Glasgow's hidden architectural gems. The only church in the world designed by the great Scottish architect, designer and artist, Charles Rennie Mackintosh.

History and Culture