Surveys and research work we had done showed that 70% of visitors didn't visit the galleries on the first floor.
To address this we decided to bring some of the permanent art collection down to the ground floor.
These would include the Scottish Colourists and Glasgow Boys, including Henry Hornell’s Druids Bringing in the Mistletoe.
The east wing, where the café used to be, would now be the Mackintosh and Glasgow Style room.
It would have a reconstructed tearoom and a light-sensitive area in which to display the delicate fabrics and panelling that cannot withstand daylight.
Hopefully, having been excited by the art would encourage the many visitors who never made is up to the first floor to find out what else was on offer.
There they will find star attractions such as Rembrandt’s A Man in Armour, and Salvador Dali’s Christ of St John of the Cross.
As well as French, Dutch and Italian art, the first floor features a new display which explores Scottish identity in art.
It examines how our identity is rooted in history and myth. And, once again, it combines the use of painting, objects and curios.