Hugh Lane Gallery

Hugh Lane founded the world's first known public gallery of modern art in 1908 on Harcourt Street, and it moved here in 1933. He died on the Lusitania in 1915, having added an unwitnessed codicil to his will leaving his French Impressionist paintings to Dublin rather than London - a dispute that ran for decades and is now settled by a rotation agreement with the National Gallery in London, so works by Renoir, Manet, Monet and Degas appear here in cycles. The other holding is unlike anything else: Francis Bacon's studio at 7 Reece Mews in South Kensington, donated by his heir in 1998 and moved to Dublin in its entirety - every one of the roughly seven thousand items catalogued in place, including slashed canvases, photographs, brushes and the layers of debris on the floor, then reassembled behind glass. There is also a Sean Scully gallery and a stained glass collection including Harry Clarke. Entry is free and it closes on Mondays.

History

Sir Hugh Lane founded the gallery on Harcourt Street on 20 January 1908, the first known public gallery of modern art in the world, and met its running costs while he looked for a permanent home. His will left his collection to London, but an unwitnessed codicil written in the months before his death left the 39 paintings to Dublin, on condition that a permanent gallery was secured within five years; the gallery is now in Charlemont House, built in 1763 (Wikipedia, Hugh Lane Gallery).

What you'll find

• Bacon's studio - moved from London complete, around seven thousand items in place.
• The Lane bequest - Impressionist works rotating with London under the agreement.
• The stained glass - Harry Clarke among the collection.
• Charlemont House - the 1760s townhouse the gallery occupies.

When to go

The gallery closed on 28 September 2025 for a major refurbishment, so check whether it has reopened; when open it is an any-season visit, indoors and free, and shut on Mondays. Two hours covers it. Which Lane pictures are present depends on the rotation cycle with London.

What to expect

Closed for refurbishment since late September 2025 - check before going. The Impressionist works rotate, so specific paintings may be in London when you visit. The Bacon studio is viewed through glass from fixed points, which some find frustrating.

Nearby

The Garden of Remembrance is on the square; the Writers Museum and O'Connell Street are close.

Key facts