Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Jan Patience: Refurbished Burrell Collection has got its mojo back

Portrait of Edmond Duranty, by Edgar Degas
Portrait of Edmond Duranty, by Edgar Degas

It’s been two months since Glasgow’s Burrell Collection reopened after a £68.25 million refurbishment.

This eclectic museum featuring highlights from shipping magnate William Burrell’s collection of more than 9,000 artefacts had been shut since October 2016.

In 1984, over a million visitors admired The Burrell’s artistic splendours. By 2015, this figure had dwindled to 150,000 visitors a year to the Grade A-listed building. The roof leaked and swathes of the building were not fit for purpose.

If ever an old favourite needed TLC, it was the Burrell. I was lucky enough to have a preview before it reopened and it has its mojo back. More space for exhibits, clearer displays and hugely accessible.

Auguste Rodin’s The Thinker (Pic: Sefton Samuels/Shutterstock)

But there have been gripes about a new entrance (there are three) looking like a “secondary school”, digital gimmicks galore and dumbed-down signage being “too woke”. Recently, after a meeting in its jazzy refurbished restaurant, I went for a wander. Had I missed something in my initial excitement of being back?

It was busy, but not so much you couldn’t appreciate the exhibits. The room in which much-criticised dancing flowers floated around paintings by Manet, Fantin Latour and Peploe was so packed I couldn’t see the work.

An assistant told me it’s the most popular room in the museum and that kids love it. I went in search of old favourites such as Rodin’s The Thinker, Degas’ Portrait of Edmond Duranty and the Warwick Vase, complete with 3D-printed details to touch and an explainer on how Roman Emperor Hadrian made the vase as a memorial for his male lover.

It’s all about the detail and my new favourite is a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it 16th Century stained glass coat of arms with three hedgehogs. Or is it the colour-coded ceramics display? I’ll get back to you on that…


A brilliant new exhibition at Fidra Fine Art in Gullane, East Lothian, is devoted entirely to the art of drawing. The cornerstone of the show, appropriately titled Drawing, is a group of 20 drawings by Neil Dallas Brown, an artist described by gallery owner Alan Rae as “a remarkable artist, ripe for rediscovery.”

Dallas Brown, who died in 2003, taught several of the artists in this show, including Joseph Urie, Alan Connell and Nicola Carberry. Drawing is on until June 26.