Southampton City Art Gallery in Hampshire will officially reopen to the public on Saturday 7 March 2026. Parts of the venue have been closed for just over a year to complete a £2.23 million refurbishment designed to protect its collection of more than 5,000 artworks.
The improvements were funded by a grant from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Work carried out by Morgan Sindall Construction included essential repairs to the roof and heating systems to help preserve the historic building. The gallery first closed for these specific works on 22 February 2025.
Visitors returning to the gallery can see several new additions, including a sculpture titled Centrifugal Forces by artist Laura Ford. A new exhibition by British artist Emma Richardson, called Levitate Me: Desire, Ecstasy and The Sublime, will also open on the same day. These displays feature alongside recent acquisitions that are being shown together for the first time.
During the closure, the gallery also finished a project to make digital copies of its extensive collection of works on paper. Southampton City Council says the refurbishment will help ensure the gallery remains a top cultural destination for residents and tourists. The building is home to one of the most important art collections in the country outside of London.
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