Dublin City Gallery The Hugh Lane
Set in an historic townhouse just off Parnell Square, Dublin City Gallery The Hugh Lane houses Ireland's foremost collection of modern and contemporary art, featuring Impressionist masters side by side with Ireland's leading artists.
The original collection, donated by the Gallery's founder Sir Hugh Lane, has now grown to include almost 2000 artworks, featuring the work of Impressionist masters Manet, Monet, Renoir and Degas, as well as works by leading national and international contemporary artists. It would be the envy of any world class city. That Dublin should claim it is due to Hugh Lane's vision. It was his efforts that lead to the Museum of Modern Art, the world's first, to open in Dublin in 1908.
Hugh Lane was a collector and dealer of modern art with a particular fondness for Impressionist paintings. He was also something of a champion of Irish modern art, promoting its cause overseas. Lane intended the museum to be home to his sizable collection of Impressionist and Modern paintings, but he couldn't come to terms with funding for the project, so he donated some of them to the National Gallery in London.
Frustrated by this arrangement and wanting to reunite the works under one location, Hugh Lane amended his will to bequeathed the entire collection to Dublin. The document was signed but not witnessed when he died aboard the Lusitania, wherein began a legal dispute that carried on for decades between Dublin and London. An amicable settlement has resulted in a sharing of the collection between the two galleries.
Dublin City Gallery The Hugh Lane has an sizable endowment fund and continues to grow and evolve. One of the more recent acquisitions is Francis Bacon's entire London studio. With over 7,000 items including drawings, slashed canvases, books and correspondence, the studio has been faithfully reassembled, providing a glimpse into Bacon's cluttered mad genius! An entire wing now holds Bacon's works.
The Gallery also has a dynamic temporary exhibitions programme which encourages contemporary dialogue, often encompassing the permanent collection, as well as exploring new expression in multimedia. The Gallery also stages historical and retrospective exhibitions, particularly of Irish art
Housed in what was once the townhouse of the Earle of Charlemont, built in 1862, the Hugh Lane Gallery provides an intimate setting to enjoy art. Should guests need to refuel Hugh Lane also houses a decent café , as well as the excellent Chapters restaurant. The Gallery also holds regular lectures, concerts, tours and art workshops for children.
If You Go: The Hugh Lane Gallery is open daily year-round, generally 09.30 to 17.00 and Sundays 11.00 to 17.00. Entrance into the permanent collection is free, while the Francis Bacon Studio cost €7.00.
