Head of Museums at Glasgow Life announces retirement

DUNCAN DORNAN, Head of Museums and Collections at Glasgow Life Museums, has confirmed he is going to retire. 

He will step down in August after more than a decade at Glasgow Life, the charitable trust responsible for running the city’s arts and cultural offer on behalf of Glasgow City Council.

Duncan joined the organisation as a senior museums manager, before becoming the Head of Museums in 2015.

During his tenure he has overseen the £68.25m refurbishment of the Burrell Collection, which was named Art Fund Museum of the Year in 2023.

Other major projects include the ongoing £35.9m refurbishment of the People’s Palace and Winter Gardens and the £1.6m refurbishment of Provand’s Lordship, Glasgow’s oldest building, which reopened in March 2024.

Under Dornan, the trust developed a new approach to addressing the legacies of slavery and empire, becoming the first museum service in the UK to repatriate objects to India.

Dornan also oversaw the creation of a dedicated curator role to explore legacies of slavery and empire in Glasgow’s collections.

Dornan said: “It has been an enormous privilege to lead Glasgow Life Museums and I would like to thank my incredible team whose passion and care for the city’s collections has driven record numbers of local and international visitors.

"One in every three visits to a local authority museum in Scotland today is to a museum in Glasgow."

BAILIE ANNETTE CHRISTIE, Chair of Glasgow Life, said: “Anyone who has ever visited one of Glasgow’s great museums has reason to be grateful for Duncan’s exceptional contributions.

“Duncan has taken Glasgow Life Museums to even greater heights, and this is reflected in the awards and interest we receive from around the world."