Opening in Autumn 2025, Fortress House is a new contemporary art museum that will be a major addition to the cultural landscape of Gibraltar. Situated in the heart of the historic old town and spanning over 29,000 square feet, the building is undergoing refurbishment and expansion masterminded by local architecture firm Gamma Architects.
Formerly the Governor of Gibraltar’s 18th-century residence, Fortress House stands as a rare colonial-era architectural marvel in the city. Led by Director Henry Little, it will aim to serve as a cultural beacon, meeting the needs of Gibraltar’s citizens while reaching out to neighbouring countries and institutions for meaningful cultural exchanges, fostering collaboration and dialogue.
Fortress House will play a pivotal role as the first of its kind in the territory, forging a new legacy for Gibraltar as a cultural destination and contributing significantly to its creative economy.
— Henry Little, Director
COLLECTION AND PROGRAMMING
The centrepiece of the museum’s programming is its permanent collection. Primarily comprised of contemporary art from 1970 onwards, it focuses on works addressing the individual’s relationship with society and the pressures that shape identity. It includes works by renowned artists such as Louise Bourgeois, Michael Craig-Martin, Tracey Emin, Lucian Freud, Antony Gormley, Jenny Holzer, Alex Katz, Hew Locke, Sarah Lucas, Zanele Muholi, Bruce Nauman, Shirin Neshat, Grayson Perry, Paula Rego, Cindy Sherman, Kiki Smith and Rebecca Warren, among others. The majority of works in the permanent collection are by women artists and Fortress House’s exhibition program will aim to foster a more inclusive art historical narrative.
The museum will aim to set world-class standards for curation, collection, and visitor experience by presenting its permanent collection through a dynamic programme of displays and exhibitions, with plans to work with guest curators. The rotation of displays over time ensures a comprehensive representation of the collection, introducing new perspectives and fostering ongoing conversations. Future programming includes plans for solo exhibitions, thematic surveys and collection displays loaned from other private institutions.
ARCHITECTURE, LOCATION & DESIGN
The Fortress House development will aim to revitalize its historical Georgian structure through sustainable design and modern enhancements while preserving traditional features like rhombus tiling and grand fireplaces. Multiple entrances ensure visibility and accessibility. The museum’s top three floors provide ample gallery space for ambitious exhibitions, featuring state-of-the-art conservation conditions and spacious layouts. Notably, the first-floor northwest gallery boasts a dramatic double-height space for monumental installations. The rooftop hosts a sculpture garden and terrace, offering panoramic views of the local scenery and contributing to Gibraltar’s environmental efforts by connecting to the city’s “Green Lung” initiative, reducing air pollution through increased green spaces.
It is an honour to work on Fortress House, a building that plays an important role in Gibraltar’s history and culture. Being part of a practice and team that is locally rooted, it was extremely rewarding to reinvigorate a building with strong historical significance to the region, bringing it into the present as a contemporary art museum.
— Ruth Massias Greenberg, Gamma Architects
About
Fortress House is a contemporary art museum in Gibraltar, which aims to educate, empower and excite audiences through art. The museum presents a collection which explores the individual’s relationship with society and the pressures which shape identity. The Fortress House collection predominantly includes contemporary art since 1970, inclusive of female and multicultural perspectives. Located in central Gibraltar, Fortress House reinvigorates a historical building through sustainable design and
adaptive reuse with contemporary additions. With galleries, a rooftop sculpture garden, two cafés and an arts education centre, Fortress House offers visitors the opportunity to reflect, learn, create and connect.
Henry Little is the Director of Fortress House and holds responsibility for the conception and delivery of collection displays, exhibitions, commissions, and acquisitions. He played in a key role in the development of Fortress House, first at The Fine Art Group in London where he led a team across planning and developing the museum’s collection and strategy, before joining as Director in September 2023 when he was appointed to his current role.
He is a published specialist on contemporary art having worked closely with artists, galleries and collections for the past 15 years. As an advisor, he has built international collections for private museums, individuals and companies in America, Europe and Asia. After studying art history at the University of Cambridge and the Courtauld Institute of Art, Henry worked at the Contemporary Art Society, an organisation which acquires on behalf of UK museums. He subsequently co-founded a gallery based in London, Breese Little, organising more than 50 exhibitions including ambitious presentations such as 31 Women, The Science of Imaginary Solutions and Classicicity
which achieved critical acclaim.
As an author, Henry has written frequently for Phaidon publications including Vitamin P3, Flying too Close to the Sun, Vitamin T, Great Women Artists and Prime: Art’s Next Generation. His first book, Commercial Galleries: Bricks, Clicks and the Digital Future, was published by Lund Humphries in September 2023.
Gamma Architects is an architectural practice based in Gibraltar and Spain, offering sustainable architectural services, together with interior architecture, urban design, and master planning. Since its establishment in 2009, Gamma has successfully undertaken a wide array of projects, numbering over five hundred, across cultural, residential, commercial, leisure, and civic sectors. The reputation of the studio is underpinned by a passionate commitment to the collaborative aspect of creating architecture and a strong focus on crafting solutions that harmoniously integrate architectural, social, and environmental considerations. Embracing an open, dynamic, and enjoyable approach to place-making, Gamma’s aim is to create architecture with personality and purpose. It is fundamental to Gamma’s goal to create spaces that are well made, well used and well loved.
Ruth Massias Greenberg is the founder of the practice and has twenty years of experience in leading projects of various scales increasing steadily to projects up to £200m. Ruth has extensive experience in leading projects of various scales. With over ten years of experience in Gibraltar, Ruth offers a collaborative approach to delivering design-focused architectural schemes.
Having worked in the UK, Ruth was involved in the multi-million-pound mixed-use regeneration of the historic market town of Newbury. Ruth also has a keen interest in environmental design and is a GoG registered EPC Assessor as well as one of the founding directors of the NGO, Gibraltar Sustainable Building Group.
