Roger Reed Chairman of the Trustees Introduces
Portrait by Anne-Katrin Purkiss
The end of spring 2006 gives life to a major milestone in the history of Pallant House Gallery: the re-opening of the lovely historic house and its exciting new wing. After some ten years, the dream of the Trustees, Friends and members of staff has been realised. The project has required imagination, patience, determination and, over all, hard work. No one imagined the road would be so long, but the reward is standing for all to see. The Gallery is now a major attraction for the nation and its opening will be one of the highlights in the visual arts calendar this year. A huge thank you is due to those who created the concept and those who fulfilled its demands. The success of the Appeal by the Friends, together with the day to day commitment of individual Friends and volunteers, has been crucial to our success. The generous funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund and others has been vital. The architects, together
with the engineers, quantity surveyors and the project manager have produced a bespoke building that will display the collection to perfection. The names of our major benefactors – not in the least Sir Colin St John Wilson’s, the donor of the latest major addition to the collection - are displayed in stone and glass. In addition, some generous donors wish to remain anonymous, and it has not been possible to record in such fashion all those who helped make the project happen. To all of them, I express the Trustees’ appreciation and gratitude. Throughout the challenge the Director and staff have been magnificent and they are right to be proud of what has been achieved. There now follows the joy of unveiling the entire collection, with new works exhibited for the first time, to an eager public. I am sure you will enjoy your visit and hope you will return often as new exhibitions are displayed over the decades ahead.
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