Four museums in line for Art Fund Prize

Among those selected is the British Museum’s A History of the World exhibition, designed in partnership with the BBC and branded by Fallon, which explored the history of civilisation with the support of 550 museums nationwide.

The Polar Museum, at the University of Cambridge, has also been selected for its major renovation project Britain’s Polar Heritage, designed by Blue The Design Company.

The new Robert Burns Birthplace Museum in Scotland’s Alloway has been recognised for the reinterpretation of its 4ha site, led by exhibition design consultancy Event Communications and with graphics by NB Studio.

Event Communications also worked on another shortlisted project, The Roman Baths Museum in Bath, which opened last month.

Art Fund director Stephen Deuchar says, ‘Taking the shortlist as a snapshot of UK museums and galleries, the sheer variety of scale, subject matter and locality goes to show just how diverse and idiosyncratic this country’s cultural institutions are – using their collections to explore history over millennia, across the globe and through many civilisations.’

The £100 000 prize will be presented by Michael Portillo on 15 June at a ceremony held at Tate Britain.