Wellcome Collection, a major new public venue from the Wellcome Trust

Wellcome Collection, a new £30m cultural venue from the Wellcome Trust, was officially opened on 20 June by Stephen Fry and Professor James Watson, Nobel Prize winner and co-discoverer of the structure of DNA.

Wellcome Collection is a world first. It combines three contemporary galleries: Medicine Man, Medicine Now and ‘special exhibitions’ starting with The Heart, with the world famous Wellcome Library, a public events ‘forum’, a café, bookshop and a club, to provide visitors with radical insights into the human condition.

Throughout the building, 1,300 exhibits, including work by Picasso, Leonardo da Vinci, Warhol, Mark Quinn, John Isaacs, Christine Borland and Martin Parr, are combined with ancient artefacts such as 19th century sex aids, amputation saws, Nelson’s razor and a DNA sequencing robot. Exhibits, both modern and ancient, are curated in contemporary and experimental ways to challenge and inspire visitors to consider issues of science, health and human identity through the ages.

Wellcome Collection press releases and images can be downloaded from this site.