The York Art Gallery will close for refurbishment for the next two years due to a £3.5m lottery grant from Arts Council England.

The gallery will close its doors 31 December in preparation for the £8m development, which is also receiving funding from the Foyle Foundation, Sir Siegmund Warburg's Voluntary Settlement and a donation from Shepherd Group.

The upgrade will see exhibition space expand by 60 per cent and new space in the South Gallery and the Victorian roof space will house the new Centre for British Studio Ceramics.

Three ground floor galleries will host high profile exhibitions and a new sculpture garden will link to the existing York Museum Gardens.

In total £7m has been raised towards the project with York Museums Trust working to secure remaining funds from various funding bodies and organisations.

The gallery, a 19th century heritage building, will reopen in early 2015, and during its closure works will be loaned to the Hepworth, Leeds Art Gallery, the National Gallery and Tate.

Image: Ushida Findlay