Pick of the pics: 7 top photos from the new gallery open in Greenock

THE Wyllieum - the first new, purpose-built art gallery to launch in Scotland in over a decade - has officially opened in Greenock.

Dedicated to the life and work of late Inverclyde artist George Wyllie, the gallery welcomed its first visitors this week.

Telegraph photographer, George Munro, was among those who checked it out and here are some of our favourite photos from the grand opening.

The Wyllieum opened on Friday (Image: George Munro)

The gallery is housed within the £20 million Greenock Ocean Terminal visitor centre on the town’s waterfront and has panoramic views of the Clyde.

George Wyllie (Image: George Munro)

George Wyllie, who was born in Glasgow in 1921 and later lived in Gourock, served in the Royal Navy for four years and worked as a customs and excise officer for three decades before becoming a full-time artist in his late 50s.

Wyllieum (Image: George Munro)

The Staten Island Ferry (1998) is one of the sculptures featured in the gallery, which organisers hope will be a local and national asset for years to come.

Sara Barker and Will Cooper (Image: George Munro)

The Wyllieum launched with an exhibition titled ‘I Once Went Down to the Sea Again’, which was co-curated by the museum's inaugural director Will Cooper and artist Sara Barker.

Gallery designer Andy McGregor with 'Question Mark (2005)' (Image: Jane Barlow (PA))

The show also features previously unseen archival documents, photographs and drawings by Wyllie, alongside the largest selection of his spire sculptures ever shown in a single event.

The Spires, started in 1982 and later developed for sites across the UK, Europe and America, are considered to be among the most well-developed bodies of work Wyllie produced in his career.

Organisers say they can't wait to welcome visitors into the building and artist Sara Barker told the Tele: “I think there’s a real generosity in the work and humour, and I think that does give an access to all sorts of different audiences.”

Artist and general manager Willie Sutherland with 'Machine For Applauding Paintings (with Critic's Thumb Attachment)' (Image: Jane Barlow (PA))

The opening exhibition will run until August, with further information to be announced on upcoming events.