The Burrell Collection was gifted to the City of Glasgow in 1944 with the proviso that it be housed 16 miles outside of Glasgow to prevent air pollution damaging it; however no site was found and when the Pollok Estate was gifted to the city in 1967 it was decided to house the collection here.

The Burrell museum to house the Burrell Collection was built in the grounds of Pollok Park and opened in 1983. By this time the air quality in Glasgow had improved as a result of the slow decline in heavy industry and the introduction of the Clean Air Act 1968. The collection is an eclectic mix of art coveringmany periods, styles and types.