The Scottish Government has allocated £5.1m to help fund a revamp of the Scottish National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh.

The Portrait of the Nation project will double the amount of gallery space within the building to increase the display of the national collection by 50 per cent, with a new focus on photography and Scottish art.

A new Education Suite, including a community gallery, art studios and a seminar room, as well as a Research and Study Centre will be built.

The restored building will also house a larger cafe and a shop.

Work will begin in 2009, with the gallery closing its doors to the public until completion in autumn 2011.

The National Galleries of Scotland (NGS) will now launch an initiative to raise a further £7.7m from private sources to fund the £17.6m redevelopment.

Colin McLean, HLF’s manager for Scotland, said: “New life will now be breathed into this beautiful historic building so that treasures that have been stored away for years can be showcased to the world.”

John Leighton, director general of NGS, added: “The project will enable the wonderful collections to be presented in a coherent and understandable way, appealing to a wide range of new national and international audiences.”

The Scottish National Portrait Gallery was the first purpose-built portrait gallery in the world and attracts 200,000 visitors every year.