Cornwall Museum and Art Gallery’s New Look

Photo by John Hersey

In March 2025, Cornwall Museum and Art Gallery reopened in the heart of Truro following a major phase of its transformation. Supported by £2.3 million from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, the work refreshed several of the museum’s principal spaces and returned more of its art collection to public view.

Formerly known as the Royal Cornwall Museum, it adopted its new name in February 2025 to reflect the importance of both its art collection and its wider programme of Cornish history, culture and natural heritage.

A museum transformed

The institution’s story stretches back to 1818, when the Royal Institution of Cornwall was founded. Today, the museum cares for more than one million objects, artworks, photographs and artefacts, helping to tell the story of Cornwall and its connections with the wider world.

The permanent collections include the Heart of Cornwall Gallery, Mineral Gallery, Nature Gallery, Art Gallery and Ancient Civilisations Gallery. Together, they explore subjects ranging from Cornish language and identity to mining, wildlife, art and archaeology.

Cornish art in a wider story

The upper balconies now provide a dedicated Art Gallery, with works displayed in a dramatic salon-style arrangement. The museum cares for more than 500 artworks dating from the 1300s to the present day, with a changing selection placed on public display.

The collection brings Cornish artists and movements such as the Newlyn School and St Ives modernism into conversation with European Renaissance art, English landscapes and other wider artistic traditions.

Nature and changing exhibitions

The reimagined Nature Gallery is an interactive space exploring Cornwall’s wildlife, landscapes and habitats. Developed with Cornwall Wildlife Trust, it also considers biodiversity, conservation, climate change and the impact of human activity on the natural world.

When the museum reopened in March 2025, one of its first temporary exhibitions was Kurt Jackson: Biodiversity. Through paintings, sculptures and mixed-media works, Jackson explored the richness and fragility of plant and animal life in different habitats around the UK. The exhibition ran from 1st March to 7th July 2025.

The museum continues to host a changing programme of art exhibitions, events and family activities alongside its permanent collections.

Opening days, admission prices and temporary exhibitions can change. Check the museum’s visitor information before travelling.