The main gallery premises were built for a learned society in 1823 and today its collection occupies three connected buildings, two of which were designed by Sir Charles Barry.

Manchester Art Gallery is free to enter and open six days a week, closed Mondays.

The first object acquired for its collection, James Northcote's A Moor (a portrait of the celebrated black actor Ira Aldridge), was bought in 1827.

Designed by architect Sir Charles Barry in the Greek Ionic style, the building is now Grade I listed.

Its 11-bay façade has two three-bay side ranges and a central five-bay pedimented projecting portico with six Ionic columns.

[12] The gallery has a fine art collection consisting of more than 2,000 oil paintings, 3,000 watercolours and drawings, 250 sculptures, 90 miniatures and around 1,000 prints.

[13] It owns more than 13,000 decorative art objects including ceramics, glass, enamels, furniture, metalwork, arms and armour, wallpapers, doll houses and related items.

[16] The museum houses The Picnic (1908), a work by the British Impressionist painter Wynford Dewhurst, who was born in Manchester.

[17] As well as paintings, the museum holds collections of glass, silverware and furniture, including four pieces by the Victorian architect and designer William Burges.

[18] In January 2018, the gallery took down John William Waterhouse's Hylas and the Nymphs (1896), leaving an empty space to encourage debate as to how women's bodies should be displayed.

The gallery's actions prompted a strong backlash with accusations of censorship, puritanism and political correctness.