Hugh Lane Gallery facts for kids
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Hugh Lane Gallery in 2015
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| Former name | Municipal Gallery of Modern Art |
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| Established | 1908 |
| Location | Charlemont House, Parnell Square North, Dublin |
| Type | art gallery |
| Founder | Hugh Lane |
| Public transit access | Parnell Luas stop (Green Line) |
The Hugh Lane Gallery, also known as Dublin City Gallery The Hugh Lane, is an exciting art museum in Dublin, Ireland. It's run by Dublin City Council and a special trust. You can find it in a historic building called Charlemont House on Parnell Square. The best part? It's completely free to visit!
Contents
A Look Back: The Gallery's Story
How the Gallery Started
The gallery was started by a famous art collector named Sir Hugh Lane. It opened on January 20, 1908, on Harcourt Street. This was actually the first public gallery in the world to focus on modern art! Sir Hugh Lane paid for the gallery's running costs himself. He really wanted to find a permanent home for his amazing art collection.
He even had ideas for new buildings, like one in St Stephens Green or a cool bridge-gallery over the River Liffey. These were designed by a famous architect, Sir Edwin Lutyens, but they were never built. Sadly, Sir Hugh Lane passed away in 1915 when the RMS Lusitania ship sank. He never got to see his gallery in its permanent home. Since 1933, the gallery has been in Charlemont House.
The Mystery of the Paintings
Sir Hugh Lane had a will that said his art collection should go to London. But then, just months before he died, he wrote a special note called a codicil. This note said that 39 of his paintings should go to Dublin instead. The only condition was that Dublin had to find a permanent gallery for them within five years.
However, the National Gallery in London didn't accept this note because it wasn't officially witnessed. So, all the paintings stayed in London. In 1938, someone suggested that the paintings could be shared between London and Dublin. This idea was that London had many art treasures, while Ireland had fewer.
This led to a special agreement in 1959. Half of the paintings from the "Lane Bequest" (Lane's collection) would be shown in Dublin every five years. Later, in 1993, the agreement changed again. Now, 31 of the 39 paintings would stay in Ireland permanently! The other 8 paintings were split into two groups. Four of them would be lent to Dublin for six years at a time. These include famous works by artists like Manet, Monet, and Renoir. In 2008, for the first time ever, the entire collection was shown together in Dublin!
The Gallery's Home: Charlemont House
Charlemont House is a beautiful old mansion in Dublin. It was built in 1763 and designed by William Chambers for the 1st Earl of Charlemont. It's a lovely brick house on Parnell Square.
In 1929, the gardens of the house were used to build an extension for the gallery. The building officially opened as a museum in 1933. The gallery was closed for a big renovation in 2004 and reopened in May 2006. It now has a new extension and is fully accessible for wheelchairs.
What You Can See Inside
Amazing Artworks
The Hugh Lane Gallery has a permanent collection of art. It also hosts special exhibitions, often showing works by modern Irish artists. There's even a special room dedicated to the artist Sean Scully.
The gallery is especially famous for its collection of French art. These are the "Lane Bequest" paintings. They include incredible works like The Umbrellas by Auguste Renoir, Portrait of Eva Gonzalès by Édouard Manet, and Jour d’Été by Berthe Morisot.
The Francis Bacon Studio
One of the most unique things you can see is the reconstructed studio of the artist Francis Bacon. His actual studio from London was carefully taken apart in 1998. Then, it was moved piece by piece and put back together exactly as it was in the gallery in 2001. It's like stepping into his creative world!
Stained Glass Wonders
The museum also has a beautiful collection of stained glass. You can see The Eve of St. Agnes by the Irish artist Harry Clarke. They even bought another of his works in 2015 that was once considered "scandalous"!
A Stolen Painting Found!
In June 1992, a painting called In The Omnibus by the French artist Honoré Daumier was stolen from the gallery. This happened in the afternoon while the gallery was open to visitors. More than 20 years later, in 2013, the painting was found by the Criminal Assets Bureau during an investigation! The gallery director, Barbara Dawson, was very happy to have it back.
Cool Exhibitions You Might Have Missed
The Hugh Lane Gallery often has exciting temporary exhibitions. For example, in 2005, there was a project called Offside that showed works by many different artists. In 2010, The Golden Bough featured solo shows by artists like Ronnie Hughes.
From 2012 to 2015, a project called Sleepwalkers invited six artists to use the museum's resources. They showed how they created their art and worked together. This led to each artist having their own exhibition at the gallery.
More recently, in 2019–20, Kennedy Browne showed three films as part of their Redaction Trilogy. And in October 2023, the biggest Andy Warhol show ever in Ireland opened at The Hugh Lane. It was called Andy Warhol Three Times Out and was the first Warhol exhibit in the country in 25 years!
See also
In Spanish: Galería Hugh Lane para niños
