🖼️ The National Portrait collection is a hugely important part of the national collection, and one of the most visited parts of the Gallery. We are delighted to announce four new portraits have recently gone on display for the first time, hanging alongside important individuals who have shaped Irish culture. The portrait of Shane MacGowan by renowned photographer Andrew Catlin (b. 1960) was taken in 2001 at Filthy McNasty’s pub in London, where MacGowan was a regular. Seated at his favourite table with his customary two drinks, MacGowan is captured in a moment of quiet reflection. Taken during the making of the music video for the single 8 Good Reasons in late 2014, this portrait by Hugh O’Conor (b. 1975) captures Sinéad O’Connor near her home in Bray, County Wicklow. Salvatore of Lucan’s portrait of Paul McGrath (2024) captures the essence of one of Ireland’s greatest footballers with subtle symbolism. Commissioned by the National Gallery of Ireland as part of the 2021 Portrait Prize, the work, which presents McGrath in a quiet space, speaks to his humble, shy and down-to-earth nature. This portrait by Paul Stuart (b. 1971) presents Johnny Sexton in a moment of quiet intensity, reflecting the determination and focus that defined his remarkable career. Visit these and other much-loved portraits in Room 21 on your next visit, admission free! Images: 1. Andrew Catlin, b.1960, Shane MacGowan. Filthy McNasty’s Bar, London, 2001. © Andrew Catlin. 2. Hugh O'Conor, b.1975, Sinéad O'Connor - 8 Good Reasons, 2014. © Hugh O’Conor. 3. Salvatore of Lucan, b.1994, Paul McGrath, 2024. © National Gallery of Ireland / Salvatore of Lucan. Photo, National Gallery of Ireland. 4. Paul Stuart, b.1971, Johnny Sexton, Rugby Player, 2023. © Paul Stuart. #NationalGalleryIRL #Portraits #ShaneMacGowan #IrishArtists #YourGallery
About us
The National Gallery of Ireland is located in the heart of Dublin, and holds the national collection of European and Irish fine art. Founded in 1854, the National Gallery of Ireland first opened its doors in 1864, and over the last 150 years, the Gallery's collection has grown from one hundred artworks to over 15,000 paintings, works on paper, sculptures, objets d’art, silver and furniture, with an additional 100,000 items in the Library and Archive collections. The Gallery is open 362 days of the year, and admission to the permanent collection is free.
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Updates
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📚 As part of the My Primary School is at the Gallery residency programme, fifth class students from City Quay National School have spent a day at the Gallery every week since 25 February. They have explored all the corners of the building, learning all their subjects through art. Whilst they have been here, they have created a wonderful display of their work in the education studio. The display is open on 3 and 4 May from 11am – 3pm and on 5 May from 12pm – 4pm and everyone is welcome! 🔗 Read more about the open studio on our website: https://lnkd.in/gmY7Jmb4 My Primary School is at the Gallery, supported by SMBC Aviation Capital, Schools Partner. 📷 Photos: Jack Caffrey, The Pimlico Project.
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📰 The beautiful spring editition of The Gallery magazine is on sale now! Featuring an exclusive article by head curator Dr Brendan Rooney about our upcoming exhibition 'Mainie Jellett and Evie Hone. The Art of Friendship,' the magazine also includes an interview with Ardal O'Hanlon, and insights into the Gallery's trailblazing Cultural Art Therapy programme. The Gallery magazine is on sale in the Gallery Shop and online. Become a Friend of the National Gallery of Ireland to receive a free edition in the post every quarter! 🔗 https://lnkd.in/gE6cv2CV #magazine #publication #NationalGalleryIRL
The spring 2025 issue of The Gallery magazine has just arrived with the Friends of The National Gallery of Ireland. Inside, Brendan Rooney, the Gallery’s head curator, relates the intertwined stories of the two Irish women artists – and close friends – credited with introducing Cubism from France to Ireland: Mainie Jellett and Evie Hone. They were taught in Paris by the influential Cubist artist Albert Gleizes, whose widow later described the pair as “so much his [spiritual daughters], one cannot separate them”. This contention is tested in the Gallery’s major new exhibition, Mainie Jellett and Evie Hone. The Art of Friendship, which includes their early paintings, later work in the decorative arts and commercial design, and also explores Hone’s joining of the stained glass co-operative An Túr Gloine. Elsewhere, Alex McFadyen, Cultureshock’s senior editor and editor of The Gallery magazine, interviews beloved comic Ardal O'Hanlon, who speaks about his 2024 documentary film on Harry Clarke’s Geneva Window. The stained glass panels were commissioned by the Irish Free State for the League of Nations headquarters in 1923, but never delivered to Switzerland due to their controversial depictions of drunken and nude scenes from Irish literature. We also find out about the Gallery’s trailblazing Cultural Art Therapy programme, hear from the newly appointed curator of Irish Art Post-1900, Sarah McAuliffe, and explore the story of a new acquisition painted by the tragically short-lived Irish Impressionist Frank O’Meara, who trained alongside John Singer Sargent in Paris before moving to the artists’ colony of Grez-sur-Loing in the 1870s.
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🖌️ It's always a highlight of the year when we unveil the new design of our Millennium Wing Stairs to celebrate our next major exhibition! Opening in just under two weeks, 'Mainie Jellett and Evie Hone. The Art of Friendship' will be the first joint exhibition of these two trailblazing Irish modernists since 1924. The exhibition will showcase over 90 artworks in a variety of media, and will document the connections between the two artists as their careers evolved. 🔗 The exhibition opens 10 April, tickets are on sale now via our website. Friends of the Gallery go free! https://lnkd.in/eUewCDGg This exhibition is kindly supported by The Klesch Collection, Lead Sponsor; Friends of the National Gallery of Ireland, and the Art of Friendship Giving Circle. The Gallery would like to thank the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media for their ongoing support. #NationalGalleryIRL #JellettHone #WomenArtists #Exhibition
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The Gallery is very much looking forward to our autumn exhibition, where, for the first time in 25 years, Ireland will host a major exhibition dedicated to Pablo Picasso. 'Picasso: From the Studio,' presented in collaboration with the Musée national Picasso-Paris and proudly supported by KPMG Ireland, will offer a unique glimpse into the private world of Picasso’s studios, where some of the most ground-breaking works in the history of modern art were created. Opening on 11 October 2025, 'Picasso: From the Studio' is set to be a cultural highlight of the year. Discussing the exhibition, Seamus Hand, Managing Partner of KPMG Ireland, said: "‘Picasso: From the Studio’ offers a rare opportunity to explore one of the most iconic and innovative artists of the 20th century in a new way, and we are proud to play a role in making this exhibition accessible to all." 🔗 Tickets will go on sale this summer, find out more information via our website! https://lnkd.in/e7GgZR8c The Gallery would like to thank the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media for their ongoing support. 📷 Dr Caroline Campbell, Director of the National Gallery of Ireland with Seamus Hand, Managing Partner of KPMG Ireland. Photo, Robbie Reynolds. Pablo Picasso (1881 – 1973), Portrait de Marie-Therese (1934), © Succession Picasso/DACS, London 2024, © GrandPalaisRmn (musée national Picasso-Paris) / Adrien Didierjean. #NationalGalleryIRL #KPMG #Picasso
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📰 The beautiful spring editition of The Gallery magazine is on sale now! Featuring an exclusive article by head curator Dr Brendan Rooney about our upcoming exhibition 'Mainie Jellett and Evie Hone. The Art of Friendship,' the magazine also includes an interview with Ardal O'Hanlon, and insights into the Gallery's trailblazing Cultural Art Therapy programme. The Gallery magazine is on sale in the Gallery Shop and online. Become a Friend of the National Gallery of Ireland to receive a free edition in the post every quarter! 🔗 https://lnkd.in/gE6cv2CV #magazine #publication #NationalGalleryIRL
The spring 2025 issue of The Gallery magazine has just arrived with the Friends of The National Gallery of Ireland. Inside, Brendan Rooney, the Gallery’s head curator, relates the intertwined stories of the two Irish women artists – and close friends – credited with introducing Cubism from France to Ireland: Mainie Jellett and Evie Hone. They were taught in Paris by the influential Cubist artist Albert Gleizes, whose widow later described the pair as “so much his [spiritual daughters], one cannot separate them”. This contention is tested in the Gallery’s major new exhibition, Mainie Jellett and Evie Hone. The Art of Friendship, which includes their early paintings, later work in the decorative arts and commercial design, and also explores Hone’s joining of the stained glass co-operative An Túr Gloine. Elsewhere, Alex McFadyen, Cultureshock’s senior editor and editor of The Gallery magazine, interviews beloved comic Ardal O'Hanlon, who speaks about his 2024 documentary film on Harry Clarke’s Geneva Window. The stained glass panels were commissioned by the Irish Free State for the League of Nations headquarters in 1923, but never delivered to Switzerland due to their controversial depictions of drunken and nude scenes from Irish literature. We also find out about the Gallery’s trailblazing Cultural Art Therapy programme, hear from the newly appointed curator of Irish Art Post-1900, Sarah McAuliffe, and explore the story of a new acquisition painted by the tragically short-lived Irish Impressionist Frank O’Meara, who trained alongside John Singer Sargent in Paris before moving to the artists’ colony of Grez-sur-Loing in the 1870s.
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🐍 Take a closer look at art with the Gallery's next art appreciation course, starting on Tuesday 25 March! 'The Meaning of Myths' with Dr. Sarah Wilson will explore some of the most enduring classical myths in western art. Using works from the national collection and beyond, join us to discover representations of Daedalus and his ill-fated son Icarus, the untouchable Danaë, and the terrifying yet intriguing figures of Medusa and Circe the Sorceress. 🔗 8 week course costs €150, discounts available for Friends Book online now! https://lnkd.in/ef-YACrp #ArtHistory #NationalGalleryIRL #OnlineArtCourse
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🎨 What a joy it has been to welcome students from City Quay National School in Dublin 2 for their My Primary School is at the Gallery residency. Pupils from fifth class have spent a day at the Gallery every week since 25 February, and have had Maths, English, History and Irish classes all taught through art! We have been so inspired by their enthusiasm and energy, and we can't wait to see what they get up to in their last few weeks! My Primary School is at the Gallery is a residency project designed to make meaningful, long-lasting connections between local primary schools and their National Gallery. Kindly supported by SMBC Aviation Capital, the initiative aims to work collaboratively, flexibly and sensitively to the needs of DEIS schools, to break down educational barriers, and actively broaden access to the arts for all. 📷 Images, The Pimlico Project #SMBCAviationCapital #NationalGalleryIRL #EducationProgramme
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📚 Harry Clarke is one of the most beloved artists in Ireland. Mostly known for his stained glass, The Swineherd is a wonderful example of his exquisite drawings. This illustration was made for a collection of Hans Christian Andersen stories, of which the Gallery has 8 of the original works. Join Niamh MacNally, Curator of the Prints and Drawings Study Room, as she talks about this precious piece in the national collection. The rather exuberant costume is inspired by Clarke's trips to the ballet when he was in London! Can you spot the patterns that were inspired by sea creatures? The Swineherd is available to view on request in our Prints and Drawings room, but you can view some of our collection of Clarke's stained glass in Room 20! You can also treat yourself to a print of this drawing and the rest of his Hans Christian Andersen collection in the Gallery Shop. 🔗 Gallery Shop: https://lnkd.in/egp6_bME 🔗 Harry Clarke in the national collection: https://lnkd.in/ez2Bic4x 📽️ Film by Aileen Power. #HarryClarke #NationalGalleryIRL #LoveArt #StPatricksDay
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Today we remember Evie Hone on the 70th anniversary of her death. It also marks four weeks until the opening of our highly anticipated exhibition, Mainie Jellett and Evie Hone. The Art of Friendship! This will be the first joint exhibition of the two pioneering Irish modernists since they were on display together in Dublin in 1924. It explores their friendship and shared experiences while studying in Paris during the early 1920s through paintings, stained glass and preparatory drawings! The exhibition is kindly supported by The Klesch Collection, Lead Sponsor; Friends of the National Gallery of Ireland, and the Art of Friendship Giving Circle. The Gallery would like to thank the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media for their ongoing support. 🎟️ Tickets are on sale now via our website. Friends of the Gallery go free! https://lnkd.in/eUewCDGg Image: Evie Hone, Abstract, 1933. © Geraldine Hone, Kate Hone and the FNCI. Photo, National Gallery of Ireland. #EvieHone #NationalGalleryIRL #WomenArtists
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