Gallery on shortlist for prestigious arts prize

The £35 million Hepworth Wakefield, which opened in May 2011, is in the running for the £100,000 Art Fund Prize for Museum of the Year alongside other acclaimed galleries across the country.

Attracting more than half a million visitors last year, the gallery also scooped the Regional Building of the Year award for 2012 from the Royal Institute of British Architects.

The Hepworth is one of 10 finalists for the Art Fund Prize, and will be up against Narberth Museum, in Pembrokeshire, Wales, which was forced to close its doors in 2003 following the sale of its home.

But it reopened last summer, in a former whisky and brandy warehouse, after volunteers spent eight years raising funds.

Others include the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art in Gateshead, for its changing calendar of exhibitions, and the Horniman Museum and Gardens in London, which is best known for its aquarium, as well as anthropology, musical instrument and natural history collections.

In London, the Dulwich Picture Gallery, which is England’s first purpose-built public art gallery, and the William Morris Gallery, which reopened last year, have also been shortlisted.

Other finalists include Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow, which reopened in 2006 after a £35m refurbishment and has featured exhibitions on Italian art and rock band AC/DC.

Art Fund director Stephen Deuchar said: “The quality and diversity of the UK’s museums and galleries is truly exceptional and the job of this prize is to draw attention to that.

“As the national charity for art, we hope that, by shining a light on the 10 finalists, we’ll encourage people to visit and celebrate these bright beacons of culture across the UK.”

The winner will be announced live on BBC Radio 4’s Front Row programme on June 4.