The Birth of a Collection: Hugh Lane Gallery and its Development
We dive into the home of Modern Art in Dublin...
By
Aoife Allen
April 9, 2024
Located in the heart of Dublin's North City Centre, the Hugh Lane Gallery has been an epicentre of Irish and international art since its beginnings in the early 20th century. Art historian, curator and director of the gallery, Barbara Dawson, in her 2008 book, Hugh Lane: Founder of a Gallery of Modern Art for Ireland, states that it is the first known public gallery of modern art in the world. Over the past century, Sir Hugh Lane and Dublin City Council have allowed the collection to expand, coming into possession of a significant amount of work from local artists, and becoming notable for its collection of nineteenth-century French works.
The Gallery
Originally named the Municipal Gallery of Modern Art, the gallery opened on 20th January 1908, at 17 Harcourt Street, Dublin's South City Center. Although it stayed in this location for twenty-five years, the plan was always to relocate to a more permanent exhibition space. This desired location came about in the form of Charlemont House, Parnell Square, the current location of the gallery. This brick-fronted mansion was built for the 1st Earl of Charlemont, James Caulfield, in 1763 by architect William Chambers. In 1929, the gardens of Charlemont House were to be built in order to accommodate the incoming gallery, and the space was opened in 1933. Even after extensive reconstruction in 2006 to make the space accessible, the building retains many of its original architectural features which the gallery claims complement the exhibited works.
Sir Hugh Lane
Born the son of a rector in County Cork in 1875, Lane soon moved to Cornwall in the UK where he was raised. Later, in London, he began his apprenticeship as a restorer under Martin Henry Colnaghi, following which he worked as an art dealer in Colnaghi’s Marlborough Gallery for several years. Through his regular visits to the home of his aunt, Lady Gregory in Galway, Lane kept in contact with his family and with the country of Ireland as a whole. He later relocated to Dublin and began to pursue his own collection. Developing a familial and social circle greatly involved in an Irish cultural renaissance, Lane became an essential part of the Celtic Revival that took place in Ireland at the beginning of the Twentieth Century. Lane was knighted in June 1909 at the young age of 33 for his “services to art” in Ireland, due to his achievements in relation to his own personal collection, and museum. Lane was appointed the director of the National Gallery of Ireland in March 1914, only fourteen months before his death during the sinking of the RMS Lusitania.
Collection
A major aspect of Lane’s collection is the Lane Bequest, thirty-nine works mainly made up of French art from the nineteenth century - several of which are impressionist works. This catalogue of work includes such pieces as Manet's Music in the Tuileries, Renoir's The Umbrellas, Dega’s Beach Scene, Claude Monet’s Lavacourt under Snow and many more works by significant artists, including Berthe Morisot, Camille Pissarro and Alfred Stevens, to name a few. Along with these iconic and essential elements of the collection, the Hugh Lane Gallery owns The Eve of St. Agnes window by well-known Irish glass artist Harry Clarke, has a room dedicated to Irish contemporary artist, Sean Scully, and possesses Irish-born Francis Bacon's reconstructed studio which was set up in 2001 after being moved from London.
Lane Bequest
During the period prior to the opening of the gallery in Charlemont House, Lane was involved in discussions with the Dublin Corporation about a permanent location for his art. Several proposals, including a gallery in St Stephens Green Park and a dramatic bridge gallery over the River Liffey designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, were turned down. In reaction to this lack of support from Irish officials after his contributions to the arts in the country, Lane made the decision in 1913 to send his collection on loan to the National Gallery in London, as well as to bequeath his pictures to the institution following his death. This decision was reversed soon before the collector's death via a codicil - a document in addition to a will - dated February 1915 - though this was not discovered until after the death of Lane, and with no witnesses the document was not legally valid. Thus a long legal battle ensued.
Correcting this mistake and returning the works home to Dublin became the life's work of Professor Thomas Bodkin. In 1938 it was suggested, as a sort of compromise, that the works should alternate between the Hugh Land Gallery and the National Gallery in London. In 1959 this proposal was agreed upon; half of the collection remained in London, the other in Dublin, and they alternated every five years. In 1979 the agreement was renewed and it was decided that thirty paintings would be loaned to Dublin for the whole period, and eight paintings would remain in London; the thirty-ninth painting – Renoir's The Umbrellas – would be displayed in Dublin for the first seven years, then in London for the next seven. Revisited again in 1993 and finally in 2021, the agreement now states that two groups of five paintings are to be exchanged after five years; two works will be kept permanently in London, with the other 27 kept in Dublin. This agreement is valid for ten years.
Unfortunately, Hugh Lane passed away in 1915 and did not get the chance to see the permanent location of his gallery; yet his dedication to bringing art to the Irish people was not in vain. The Hugh Lane Gallery has been in operation for over a century, hosting an extensive list of exhibitions from a varied crop of artists. The impact this collection has had on the people of Ireland did not go undocumented, with W.B Yeats writing five poems about the gallery, including the famed Municipal Gallery Revisited. With the recent completion of the historic Andy Warhol: Three Times Out exhibition, it is clear that the Hugh Lane Gallery continues to artistically enrich the lives of those who pay it a visit.
Located in the heart of Dublin's North City Centre, the Hugh Lane Gallery has been an epicentre of Irish and international art since its beginnings in the early 20th century. Art historian, curator and director of the gallery, Barbara Dawson, in her 2008 book, Hugh Lane: Founder of a Gallery of Modern Art for Ireland, states that it is the first known public gallery of modern art in the world. Over the past century, Sir Hugh Lane and Dublin City Council have allowed the collection to expand, coming into possession of a significant amount of work from local artists, and becoming notable for its collection of nineteenth-century French works.
The Gallery
Originally named the Municipal Gallery of Modern Art, the gallery opened on 20th January 1908, at 17 Harcourt Street, Dublin's South City Center. Although it stayed in this location for twenty-five years, the plan was always to relocate to a more permanent exhibition space. This desired location came about in the form of Charlemont House, Parnell Square, the current location of the gallery. This brick-fronted mansion was built for the 1st Earl of Charlemont, James Caulfield, in 1763 by architect William Chambers. In 1929, the gardens of Charlemont House were to be built in order to accommodate the incoming gallery, and the space was opened in 1933. Even after extensive reconstruction in 2006 to make the space accessible, the building retains many of its original architectural features which the gallery claims complement the exhibited works.
Sir Hugh Lane
Born the son of a rector in County Cork in 1875, Lane soon moved to Cornwall in the UK where he was raised. Later, in London, he began his apprenticeship as a restorer under Martin Henry Colnaghi, following which he worked as an art dealer in Colnaghi’s Marlborough Gallery for several years. Through his regular visits to the home of his aunt, Lady Gregory in Galway, Lane kept in contact with his family and with the country of Ireland as a whole. He later relocated to Dublin and began to pursue his own collection. Developing a familial and social circle greatly involved in an Irish cultural renaissance, Lane became an essential part of the Celtic Revival that took place in Ireland at the beginning of the Twentieth Century. Lane was knighted in June 1909 at the young age of 33 for his “services to art” in Ireland, due to his achievements in relation to his own personal collection, and museum. Lane was appointed the director of the National Gallery of Ireland in March 1914, only fourteen months before his death during the sinking of the RMS Lusitania.
Collection
A major aspect of Lane’s collection is the Lane Bequest, thirty-nine works mainly made up of French art from the nineteenth century - several of which are impressionist works. This catalogue of work includes such pieces as Manet's Music in the Tuileries, Renoir's The Umbrellas, Dega’s Beach Scene, Claude Monet’s Lavacourt under Snow and many more works by significant artists, including Berthe Morisot, Camille Pissarro and Alfred Stevens, to name a few. Along with these iconic and essential elements of the collection, the Hugh Lane Gallery owns The Eve of St. Agnes window by well-known Irish glass artist Harry Clarke, has a room dedicated to Irish contemporary artist, Sean Scully, and possesses Irish-born Francis Bacon's reconstructed studio which was set up in 2001 after being moved from London.
Lane Bequest
During the period prior to the opening of the gallery in Charlemont House, Lane was involved in discussions with the Dublin Corporation about a permanent location for his art. Several proposals, including a gallery in St Stephens Green Park and a dramatic bridge gallery over the River Liffey designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, were turned down. In reaction to this lack of support from Irish officials after his contributions to the arts in the country, Lane made the decision in 1913 to send his collection on loan to the National Gallery in London, as well as to bequeath his pictures to the institution following his death. This decision was reversed soon before the collector's death via a codicil - a document in addition to a will - dated February 1915 - though this was not discovered until after the death of Lane, and with no witnesses the document was not legally valid. Thus a long legal battle ensued.
Correcting this mistake and returning the works home to Dublin became the life's work of Professor Thomas Bodkin. In 1938 it was suggested, as a sort of compromise, that the works should alternate between the Hugh Land Gallery and the National Gallery in London. In 1959 this proposal was agreed upon; half of the collection remained in London, the other in Dublin, and they alternated every five years. In 1979 the agreement was renewed and it was decided that thirty paintings would be loaned to Dublin for the whole period, and eight paintings would remain in London; the thirty-ninth painting – Renoir's The Umbrellas – would be displayed in Dublin for the first seven years, then in London for the next seven. Revisited again in 1993 and finally in 2021, the agreement now states that two groups of five paintings are to be exchanged after five years; two works will be kept permanently in London, with the other 27 kept in Dublin. This agreement is valid for ten years.
Unfortunately, Hugh Lane passed away in 1915 and did not get the chance to see the permanent location of his gallery; yet his dedication to bringing art to the Irish people was not in vain. The Hugh Lane Gallery has been in operation for over a century, hosting an extensive list of exhibitions from a varied crop of artists. The impact this collection has had on the people of Ireland did not go undocumented, with W.B Yeats writing five poems about the gallery, including the famed Municipal Gallery Revisited. With the recent completion of the historic Andy Warhol: Three Times Out exhibition, it is clear that the Hugh Lane Gallery continues to artistically enrich the lives of those who pay it a visit.
Located in the heart of Dublin's North City Centre, the Hugh Lane Gallery has been an epicentre of Irish and international art since its beginnings in the early 20th century. Art historian, curator and director of the gallery, Barbara Dawson, in her 2008 book, Hugh Lane: Founder of a Gallery of Modern Art for Ireland, states that it is the first known public gallery of modern art in the world. Over the past century, Sir Hugh Lane and Dublin City Council have allowed the collection to expand, coming into possession of a significant amount of work from local artists, and becoming notable for its collection of nineteenth-century French works.
The Gallery
Originally named the Municipal Gallery of Modern Art, the gallery opened on 20th January 1908, at 17 Harcourt Street, Dublin's South City Center. Although it stayed in this location for twenty-five years, the plan was always to relocate to a more permanent exhibition space. This desired location came about in the form of Charlemont House, Parnell Square, the current location of the gallery. This brick-fronted mansion was built for the 1st Earl of Charlemont, James Caulfield, in 1763 by architect William Chambers. In 1929, the gardens of Charlemont House were to be built in order to accommodate the incoming gallery, and the space was opened in 1933. Even after extensive reconstruction in 2006 to make the space accessible, the building retains many of its original architectural features which the gallery claims complement the exhibited works.
Sir Hugh Lane
Born the son of a rector in County Cork in 1875, Lane soon moved to Cornwall in the UK where he was raised. Later, in London, he began his apprenticeship as a restorer under Martin Henry Colnaghi, following which he worked as an art dealer in Colnaghi’s Marlborough Gallery for several years. Through his regular visits to the home of his aunt, Lady Gregory in Galway, Lane kept in contact with his family and with the country of Ireland as a whole. He later relocated to Dublin and began to pursue his own collection. Developing a familial and social circle greatly involved in an Irish cultural renaissance, Lane became an essential part of the Celtic Revival that took place in Ireland at the beginning of the Twentieth Century. Lane was knighted in June 1909 at the young age of 33 for his “services to art” in Ireland, due to his achievements in relation to his own personal collection, and museum. Lane was appointed the director of the National Gallery of Ireland in March 1914, only fourteen months before his death during the sinking of the RMS Lusitania.
Collection
A major aspect of Lane’s collection is the Lane Bequest, thirty-nine works mainly made up of French art from the nineteenth century - several of which are impressionist works. This catalogue of work includes such pieces as Manet's Music in the Tuileries, Renoir's The Umbrellas, Dega’s Beach Scene, Claude Monet’s Lavacourt under Snow and many more works by significant artists, including Berthe Morisot, Camille Pissarro and Alfred Stevens, to name a few. Along with these iconic and essential elements of the collection, the Hugh Lane Gallery owns The Eve of St. Agnes window by well-known Irish glass artist Harry Clarke, has a room dedicated to Irish contemporary artist, Sean Scully, and possesses Irish-born Francis Bacon's reconstructed studio which was set up in 2001 after being moved from London.
Lane Bequest
During the period prior to the opening of the gallery in Charlemont House, Lane was involved in discussions with the Dublin Corporation about a permanent location for his art. Several proposals, including a gallery in St Stephens Green Park and a dramatic bridge gallery over the River Liffey designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, were turned down. In reaction to this lack of support from Irish officials after his contributions to the arts in the country, Lane made the decision in 1913 to send his collection on loan to the National Gallery in London, as well as to bequeath his pictures to the institution following his death. This decision was reversed soon before the collector's death via a codicil - a document in addition to a will - dated February 1915 - though this was not discovered until after the death of Lane, and with no witnesses the document was not legally valid. Thus a long legal battle ensued.
Correcting this mistake and returning the works home to Dublin became the life's work of Professor Thomas Bodkin. In 1938 it was suggested, as a sort of compromise, that the works should alternate between the Hugh Land Gallery and the National Gallery in London. In 1959 this proposal was agreed upon; half of the collection remained in London, the other in Dublin, and they alternated every five years. In 1979 the agreement was renewed and it was decided that thirty paintings would be loaned to Dublin for the whole period, and eight paintings would remain in London; the thirty-ninth painting – Renoir's The Umbrellas – would be displayed in Dublin for the first seven years, then in London for the next seven. Revisited again in 1993 and finally in 2021, the agreement now states that two groups of five paintings are to be exchanged after five years; two works will be kept permanently in London, with the other 27 kept in Dublin. This agreement is valid for ten years.
Unfortunately, Hugh Lane passed away in 1915 and did not get the chance to see the permanent location of his gallery; yet his dedication to bringing art to the Irish people was not in vain. The Hugh Lane Gallery has been in operation for over a century, hosting an extensive list of exhibitions from a varied crop of artists. The impact this collection has had on the people of Ireland did not go undocumented, with W.B Yeats writing five poems about the gallery, including the famed Municipal Gallery Revisited. With the recent completion of the historic Andy Warhol: Three Times Out exhibition, it is clear that the Hugh Lane Gallery continues to artistically enrich the lives of those who pay it a visit.
Located in the heart of Dublin's North City Centre, the Hugh Lane Gallery has been an epicentre of Irish and international art since its beginnings in the early 20th century. Art historian, curator and director of the gallery, Barbara Dawson, in her 2008 book, Hugh Lane: Founder of a Gallery of Modern Art for Ireland, states that it is the first known public gallery of modern art in the world. Over the past century, Sir Hugh Lane and Dublin City Council have allowed the collection to expand, coming into possession of a significant amount of work from local artists, and becoming notable for its collection of nineteenth-century French works.
The Gallery
Originally named the Municipal Gallery of Modern Art, the gallery opened on 20th January 1908, at 17 Harcourt Street, Dublin's South City Center. Although it stayed in this location for twenty-five years, the plan was always to relocate to a more permanent exhibition space. This desired location came about in the form of Charlemont House, Parnell Square, the current location of the gallery. This brick-fronted mansion was built for the 1st Earl of Charlemont, James Caulfield, in 1763 by architect William Chambers. In 1929, the gardens of Charlemont House were to be built in order to accommodate the incoming gallery, and the space was opened in 1933. Even after extensive reconstruction in 2006 to make the space accessible, the building retains many of its original architectural features which the gallery claims complement the exhibited works.
Sir Hugh Lane
Born the son of a rector in County Cork in 1875, Lane soon moved to Cornwall in the UK where he was raised. Later, in London, he began his apprenticeship as a restorer under Martin Henry Colnaghi, following which he worked as an art dealer in Colnaghi’s Marlborough Gallery for several years. Through his regular visits to the home of his aunt, Lady Gregory in Galway, Lane kept in contact with his family and with the country of Ireland as a whole. He later relocated to Dublin and began to pursue his own collection. Developing a familial and social circle greatly involved in an Irish cultural renaissance, Lane became an essential part of the Celtic Revival that took place in Ireland at the beginning of the Twentieth Century. Lane was knighted in June 1909 at the young age of 33 for his “services to art” in Ireland, due to his achievements in relation to his own personal collection, and museum. Lane was appointed the director of the National Gallery of Ireland in March 1914, only fourteen months before his death during the sinking of the RMS Lusitania.
Collection
A major aspect of Lane’s collection is the Lane Bequest, thirty-nine works mainly made up of French art from the nineteenth century - several of which are impressionist works. This catalogue of work includes such pieces as Manet's Music in the Tuileries, Renoir's The Umbrellas, Dega’s Beach Scene, Claude Monet’s Lavacourt under Snow and many more works by significant artists, including Berthe Morisot, Camille Pissarro and Alfred Stevens, to name a few. Along with these iconic and essential elements of the collection, the Hugh Lane Gallery owns The Eve of St. Agnes window by well-known Irish glass artist Harry Clarke, has a room dedicated to Irish contemporary artist, Sean Scully, and possesses Irish-born Francis Bacon's reconstructed studio which was set up in 2001 after being moved from London.
Lane Bequest
During the period prior to the opening of the gallery in Charlemont House, Lane was involved in discussions with the Dublin Corporation about a permanent location for his art. Several proposals, including a gallery in St Stephens Green Park and a dramatic bridge gallery over the River Liffey designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, were turned down. In reaction to this lack of support from Irish officials after his contributions to the arts in the country, Lane made the decision in 1913 to send his collection on loan to the National Gallery in London, as well as to bequeath his pictures to the institution following his death. This decision was reversed soon before the collector's death via a codicil - a document in addition to a will - dated February 1915 - though this was not discovered until after the death of Lane, and with no witnesses the document was not legally valid. Thus a long legal battle ensued.
Correcting this mistake and returning the works home to Dublin became the life's work of Professor Thomas Bodkin. In 1938 it was suggested, as a sort of compromise, that the works should alternate between the Hugh Land Gallery and the National Gallery in London. In 1959 this proposal was agreed upon; half of the collection remained in London, the other in Dublin, and they alternated every five years. In 1979 the agreement was renewed and it was decided that thirty paintings would be loaned to Dublin for the whole period, and eight paintings would remain in London; the thirty-ninth painting – Renoir's The Umbrellas – would be displayed in Dublin for the first seven years, then in London for the next seven. Revisited again in 1993 and finally in 2021, the agreement now states that two groups of five paintings are to be exchanged after five years; two works will be kept permanently in London, with the other 27 kept in Dublin. This agreement is valid for ten years.
Unfortunately, Hugh Lane passed away in 1915 and did not get the chance to see the permanent location of his gallery; yet his dedication to bringing art to the Irish people was not in vain. The Hugh Lane Gallery has been in operation for over a century, hosting an extensive list of exhibitions from a varied crop of artists. The impact this collection has had on the people of Ireland did not go undocumented, with W.B Yeats writing five poems about the gallery, including the famed Municipal Gallery Revisited. With the recent completion of the historic Andy Warhol: Three Times Out exhibition, it is clear that the Hugh Lane Gallery continues to artistically enrich the lives of those who pay it a visit.
Located in the heart of Dublin's North City Centre, the Hugh Lane Gallery has been an epicentre of Irish and international art since its beginnings in the early 20th century. Art historian, curator and director of the gallery, Barbara Dawson, in her 2008 book, Hugh Lane: Founder of a Gallery of Modern Art for Ireland, states that it is the first known public gallery of modern art in the world. Over the past century, Sir Hugh Lane and Dublin City Council have allowed the collection to expand, coming into possession of a significant amount of work from local artists, and becoming notable for its collection of nineteenth-century French works.
The Gallery
Originally named the Municipal Gallery of Modern Art, the gallery opened on 20th January 1908, at 17 Harcourt Street, Dublin's South City Center. Although it stayed in this location for twenty-five years, the plan was always to relocate to a more permanent exhibition space. This desired location came about in the form of Charlemont House, Parnell Square, the current location of the gallery. This brick-fronted mansion was built for the 1st Earl of Charlemont, James Caulfield, in 1763 by architect William Chambers. In 1929, the gardens of Charlemont House were to be built in order to accommodate the incoming gallery, and the space was opened in 1933. Even after extensive reconstruction in 2006 to make the space accessible, the building retains many of its original architectural features which the gallery claims complement the exhibited works.
Sir Hugh Lane
Born the son of a rector in County Cork in 1875, Lane soon moved to Cornwall in the UK where he was raised. Later, in London, he began his apprenticeship as a restorer under Martin Henry Colnaghi, following which he worked as an art dealer in Colnaghi’s Marlborough Gallery for several years. Through his regular visits to the home of his aunt, Lady Gregory in Galway, Lane kept in contact with his family and with the country of Ireland as a whole. He later relocated to Dublin and began to pursue his own collection. Developing a familial and social circle greatly involved in an Irish cultural renaissance, Lane became an essential part of the Celtic Revival that took place in Ireland at the beginning of the Twentieth Century. Lane was knighted in June 1909 at the young age of 33 for his “services to art” in Ireland, due to his achievements in relation to his own personal collection, and museum. Lane was appointed the director of the National Gallery of Ireland in March 1914, only fourteen months before his death during the sinking of the RMS Lusitania.
Collection
A major aspect of Lane’s collection is the Lane Bequest, thirty-nine works mainly made up of French art from the nineteenth century - several of which are impressionist works. This catalogue of work includes such pieces as Manet's Music in the Tuileries, Renoir's The Umbrellas, Dega’s Beach Scene, Claude Monet’s Lavacourt under Snow and many more works by significant artists, including Berthe Morisot, Camille Pissarro and Alfred Stevens, to name a few. Along with these iconic and essential elements of the collection, the Hugh Lane Gallery owns The Eve of St. Agnes window by well-known Irish glass artist Harry Clarke, has a room dedicated to Irish contemporary artist, Sean Scully, and possesses Irish-born Francis Bacon's reconstructed studio which was set up in 2001 after being moved from London.
Lane Bequest
During the period prior to the opening of the gallery in Charlemont House, Lane was involved in discussions with the Dublin Corporation about a permanent location for his art. Several proposals, including a gallery in St Stephens Green Park and a dramatic bridge gallery over the River Liffey designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, were turned down. In reaction to this lack of support from Irish officials after his contributions to the arts in the country, Lane made the decision in 1913 to send his collection on loan to the National Gallery in London, as well as to bequeath his pictures to the institution following his death. This decision was reversed soon before the collector's death via a codicil - a document in addition to a will - dated February 1915 - though this was not discovered until after the death of Lane, and with no witnesses the document was not legally valid. Thus a long legal battle ensued.
Correcting this mistake and returning the works home to Dublin became the life's work of Professor Thomas Bodkin. In 1938 it was suggested, as a sort of compromise, that the works should alternate between the Hugh Land Gallery and the National Gallery in London. In 1959 this proposal was agreed upon; half of the collection remained in London, the other in Dublin, and they alternated every five years. In 1979 the agreement was renewed and it was decided that thirty paintings would be loaned to Dublin for the whole period, and eight paintings would remain in London; the thirty-ninth painting – Renoir's The Umbrellas – would be displayed in Dublin for the first seven years, then in London for the next seven. Revisited again in 1993 and finally in 2021, the agreement now states that two groups of five paintings are to be exchanged after five years; two works will be kept permanently in London, with the other 27 kept in Dublin. This agreement is valid for ten years.
Unfortunately, Hugh Lane passed away in 1915 and did not get the chance to see the permanent location of his gallery; yet his dedication to bringing art to the Irish people was not in vain. The Hugh Lane Gallery has been in operation for over a century, hosting an extensive list of exhibitions from a varied crop of artists. The impact this collection has had on the people of Ireland did not go undocumented, with W.B Yeats writing five poems about the gallery, including the famed Municipal Gallery Revisited. With the recent completion of the historic Andy Warhol: Three Times Out exhibition, it is clear that the Hugh Lane Gallery continues to artistically enrich the lives of those who pay it a visit.
Located in the heart of Dublin's North City Centre, the Hugh Lane Gallery has been an epicentre of Irish and international art since its beginnings in the early 20th century. Art historian, curator and director of the gallery, Barbara Dawson, in her 2008 book, Hugh Lane: Founder of a Gallery of Modern Art for Ireland, states that it is the first known public gallery of modern art in the world. Over the past century, Sir Hugh Lane and Dublin City Council have allowed the collection to expand, coming into possession of a significant amount of work from local artists, and becoming notable for its collection of nineteenth-century French works.
The Gallery
Originally named the Municipal Gallery of Modern Art, the gallery opened on 20th January 1908, at 17 Harcourt Street, Dublin's South City Center. Although it stayed in this location for twenty-five years, the plan was always to relocate to a more permanent exhibition space. This desired location came about in the form of Charlemont House, Parnell Square, the current location of the gallery. This brick-fronted mansion was built for the 1st Earl of Charlemont, James Caulfield, in 1763 by architect William Chambers. In 1929, the gardens of Charlemont House were to be built in order to accommodate the incoming gallery, and the space was opened in 1933. Even after extensive reconstruction in 2006 to make the space accessible, the building retains many of its original architectural features which the gallery claims complement the exhibited works.
Sir Hugh Lane
Born the son of a rector in County Cork in 1875, Lane soon moved to Cornwall in the UK where he was raised. Later, in London, he began his apprenticeship as a restorer under Martin Henry Colnaghi, following which he worked as an art dealer in Colnaghi’s Marlborough Gallery for several years. Through his regular visits to the home of his aunt, Lady Gregory in Galway, Lane kept in contact with his family and with the country of Ireland as a whole. He later relocated to Dublin and began to pursue his own collection. Developing a familial and social circle greatly involved in an Irish cultural renaissance, Lane became an essential part of the Celtic Revival that took place in Ireland at the beginning of the Twentieth Century. Lane was knighted in June 1909 at the young age of 33 for his “services to art” in Ireland, due to his achievements in relation to his own personal collection, and museum. Lane was appointed the director of the National Gallery of Ireland in March 1914, only fourteen months before his death during the sinking of the RMS Lusitania.
Collection
A major aspect of Lane’s collection is the Lane Bequest, thirty-nine works mainly made up of French art from the nineteenth century - several of which are impressionist works. This catalogue of work includes such pieces as Manet's Music in the Tuileries, Renoir's The Umbrellas, Dega’s Beach Scene, Claude Monet’s Lavacourt under Snow and many more works by significant artists, including Berthe Morisot, Camille Pissarro and Alfred Stevens, to name a few. Along with these iconic and essential elements of the collection, the Hugh Lane Gallery owns The Eve of St. Agnes window by well-known Irish glass artist Harry Clarke, has a room dedicated to Irish contemporary artist, Sean Scully, and possesses Irish-born Francis Bacon's reconstructed studio which was set up in 2001 after being moved from London.
Lane Bequest
During the period prior to the opening of the gallery in Charlemont House, Lane was involved in discussions with the Dublin Corporation about a permanent location for his art. Several proposals, including a gallery in St Stephens Green Park and a dramatic bridge gallery over the River Liffey designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, were turned down. In reaction to this lack of support from Irish officials after his contributions to the arts in the country, Lane made the decision in 1913 to send his collection on loan to the National Gallery in London, as well as to bequeath his pictures to the institution following his death. This decision was reversed soon before the collector's death via a codicil - a document in addition to a will - dated February 1915 - though this was not discovered until after the death of Lane, and with no witnesses the document was not legally valid. Thus a long legal battle ensued.
Correcting this mistake and returning the works home to Dublin became the life's work of Professor Thomas Bodkin. In 1938 it was suggested, as a sort of compromise, that the works should alternate between the Hugh Land Gallery and the National Gallery in London. In 1959 this proposal was agreed upon; half of the collection remained in London, the other in Dublin, and they alternated every five years. In 1979 the agreement was renewed and it was decided that thirty paintings would be loaned to Dublin for the whole period, and eight paintings would remain in London; the thirty-ninth painting – Renoir's The Umbrellas – would be displayed in Dublin for the first seven years, then in London for the next seven. Revisited again in 1993 and finally in 2021, the agreement now states that two groups of five paintings are to be exchanged after five years; two works will be kept permanently in London, with the other 27 kept in Dublin. This agreement is valid for ten years.
Unfortunately, Hugh Lane passed away in 1915 and did not get the chance to see the permanent location of his gallery; yet his dedication to bringing art to the Irish people was not in vain. The Hugh Lane Gallery has been in operation for over a century, hosting an extensive list of exhibitions from a varied crop of artists. The impact this collection has had on the people of Ireland did not go undocumented, with W.B Yeats writing five poems about the gallery, including the famed Municipal Gallery Revisited. With the recent completion of the historic Andy Warhol: Three Times Out exhibition, it is clear that the Hugh Lane Gallery continues to artistically enrich the lives of those who pay it a visit.
Located in the heart of Dublin's North City Centre, the Hugh Lane Gallery has been an epicentre of Irish and international art since its beginnings in the early 20th century. Art historian, curator and director of the gallery, Barbara Dawson, in her 2008 book, Hugh Lane: Founder of a Gallery of Modern Art for Ireland, states that it is the first known public gallery of modern art in the world. Over the past century, Sir Hugh Lane and Dublin City Council have allowed the collection to expand, coming into possession of a significant amount of work from local artists, and becoming notable for its collection of nineteenth-century French works.
The Gallery
Originally named the Municipal Gallery of Modern Art, the gallery opened on 20th January 1908, at 17 Harcourt Street, Dublin's South City Center. Although it stayed in this location for twenty-five years, the plan was always to relocate to a more permanent exhibition space. This desired location came about in the form of Charlemont House, Parnell Square, the current location of the gallery. This brick-fronted mansion was built for the 1st Earl of Charlemont, James Caulfield, in 1763 by architect William Chambers. In 1929, the gardens of Charlemont House were to be built in order to accommodate the incoming gallery, and the space was opened in 1933. Even after extensive reconstruction in 2006 to make the space accessible, the building retains many of its original architectural features which the gallery claims complement the exhibited works.
Sir Hugh Lane
Born the son of a rector in County Cork in 1875, Lane soon moved to Cornwall in the UK where he was raised. Later, in London, he began his apprenticeship as a restorer under Martin Henry Colnaghi, following which he worked as an art dealer in Colnaghi’s Marlborough Gallery for several years. Through his regular visits to the home of his aunt, Lady Gregory in Galway, Lane kept in contact with his family and with the country of Ireland as a whole. He later relocated to Dublin and began to pursue his own collection. Developing a familial and social circle greatly involved in an Irish cultural renaissance, Lane became an essential part of the Celtic Revival that took place in Ireland at the beginning of the Twentieth Century. Lane was knighted in June 1909 at the young age of 33 for his “services to art” in Ireland, due to his achievements in relation to his own personal collection, and museum. Lane was appointed the director of the National Gallery of Ireland in March 1914, only fourteen months before his death during the sinking of the RMS Lusitania.
Collection
A major aspect of Lane’s collection is the Lane Bequest, thirty-nine works mainly made up of French art from the nineteenth century - several of which are impressionist works. This catalogue of work includes such pieces as Manet's Music in the Tuileries, Renoir's The Umbrellas, Dega’s Beach Scene, Claude Monet’s Lavacourt under Snow and many more works by significant artists, including Berthe Morisot, Camille Pissarro and Alfred Stevens, to name a few. Along with these iconic and essential elements of the collection, the Hugh Lane Gallery owns The Eve of St. Agnes window by well-known Irish glass artist Harry Clarke, has a room dedicated to Irish contemporary artist, Sean Scully, and possesses Irish-born Francis Bacon's reconstructed studio which was set up in 2001 after being moved from London.
Lane Bequest
During the period prior to the opening of the gallery in Charlemont House, Lane was involved in discussions with the Dublin Corporation about a permanent location for his art. Several proposals, including a gallery in St Stephens Green Park and a dramatic bridge gallery over the River Liffey designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, were turned down. In reaction to this lack of support from Irish officials after his contributions to the arts in the country, Lane made the decision in 1913 to send his collection on loan to the National Gallery in London, as well as to bequeath his pictures to the institution following his death. This decision was reversed soon before the collector's death via a codicil - a document in addition to a will - dated February 1915 - though this was not discovered until after the death of Lane, and with no witnesses the document was not legally valid. Thus a long legal battle ensued.
Correcting this mistake and returning the works home to Dublin became the life's work of Professor Thomas Bodkin. In 1938 it was suggested, as a sort of compromise, that the works should alternate between the Hugh Land Gallery and the National Gallery in London. In 1959 this proposal was agreed upon; half of the collection remained in London, the other in Dublin, and they alternated every five years. In 1979 the agreement was renewed and it was decided that thirty paintings would be loaned to Dublin for the whole period, and eight paintings would remain in London; the thirty-ninth painting – Renoir's The Umbrellas – would be displayed in Dublin for the first seven years, then in London for the next seven. Revisited again in 1993 and finally in 2021, the agreement now states that two groups of five paintings are to be exchanged after five years; two works will be kept permanently in London, with the other 27 kept in Dublin. This agreement is valid for ten years.
Unfortunately, Hugh Lane passed away in 1915 and did not get the chance to see the permanent location of his gallery; yet his dedication to bringing art to the Irish people was not in vain. The Hugh Lane Gallery has been in operation for over a century, hosting an extensive list of exhibitions from a varied crop of artists. The impact this collection has had on the people of Ireland did not go undocumented, with W.B Yeats writing five poems about the gallery, including the famed Municipal Gallery Revisited. With the recent completion of the historic Andy Warhol: Three Times Out exhibition, it is clear that the Hugh Lane Gallery continues to artistically enrich the lives of those who pay it a visit.
Located in the heart of Dublin's North City Centre, the Hugh Lane Gallery has been an epicentre of Irish and international art since its beginnings in the early 20th century. Art historian, curator and director of the gallery, Barbara Dawson, in her 2008 book, Hugh Lane: Founder of a Gallery of Modern Art for Ireland, states that it is the first known public gallery of modern art in the world. Over the past century, Sir Hugh Lane and Dublin City Council have allowed the collection to expand, coming into possession of a significant amount of work from local artists, and becoming notable for its collection of nineteenth-century French works.
The Gallery
Originally named the Municipal Gallery of Modern Art, the gallery opened on 20th January 1908, at 17 Harcourt Street, Dublin's South City Center. Although it stayed in this location for twenty-five years, the plan was always to relocate to a more permanent exhibition space. This desired location came about in the form of Charlemont House, Parnell Square, the current location of the gallery. This brick-fronted mansion was built for the 1st Earl of Charlemont, James Caulfield, in 1763 by architect William Chambers. In 1929, the gardens of Charlemont House were to be built in order to accommodate the incoming gallery, and the space was opened in 1933. Even after extensive reconstruction in 2006 to make the space accessible, the building retains many of its original architectural features which the gallery claims complement the exhibited works.
Sir Hugh Lane
Born the son of a rector in County Cork in 1875, Lane soon moved to Cornwall in the UK where he was raised. Later, in London, he began his apprenticeship as a restorer under Martin Henry Colnaghi, following which he worked as an art dealer in Colnaghi’s Marlborough Gallery for several years. Through his regular visits to the home of his aunt, Lady Gregory in Galway, Lane kept in contact with his family and with the country of Ireland as a whole. He later relocated to Dublin and began to pursue his own collection. Developing a familial and social circle greatly involved in an Irish cultural renaissance, Lane became an essential part of the Celtic Revival that took place in Ireland at the beginning of the Twentieth Century. Lane was knighted in June 1909 at the young age of 33 for his “services to art” in Ireland, due to his achievements in relation to his own personal collection, and museum. Lane was appointed the director of the National Gallery of Ireland in March 1914, only fourteen months before his death during the sinking of the RMS Lusitania.
Collection
A major aspect of Lane’s collection is the Lane Bequest, thirty-nine works mainly made up of French art from the nineteenth century - several of which are impressionist works. This catalogue of work includes such pieces as Manet's Music in the Tuileries, Renoir's The Umbrellas, Dega’s Beach Scene, Claude Monet’s Lavacourt under Snow and many more works by significant artists, including Berthe Morisot, Camille Pissarro and Alfred Stevens, to name a few. Along with these iconic and essential elements of the collection, the Hugh Lane Gallery owns The Eve of St. Agnes window by well-known Irish glass artist Harry Clarke, has a room dedicated to Irish contemporary artist, Sean Scully, and possesses Irish-born Francis Bacon's reconstructed studio which was set up in 2001 after being moved from London.
Lane Bequest
During the period prior to the opening of the gallery in Charlemont House, Lane was involved in discussions with the Dublin Corporation about a permanent location for his art. Several proposals, including a gallery in St Stephens Green Park and a dramatic bridge gallery over the River Liffey designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, were turned down. In reaction to this lack of support from Irish officials after his contributions to the arts in the country, Lane made the decision in 1913 to send his collection on loan to the National Gallery in London, as well as to bequeath his pictures to the institution following his death. This decision was reversed soon before the collector's death via a codicil - a document in addition to a will - dated February 1915 - though this was not discovered until after the death of Lane, and with no witnesses the document was not legally valid. Thus a long legal battle ensued.
Correcting this mistake and returning the works home to Dublin became the life's work of Professor Thomas Bodkin. In 1938 it was suggested, as a sort of compromise, that the works should alternate between the Hugh Land Gallery and the National Gallery in London. In 1959 this proposal was agreed upon; half of the collection remained in London, the other in Dublin, and they alternated every five years. In 1979 the agreement was renewed and it was decided that thirty paintings would be loaned to Dublin for the whole period, and eight paintings would remain in London; the thirty-ninth painting – Renoir's The Umbrellas – would be displayed in Dublin for the first seven years, then in London for the next seven. Revisited again in 1993 and finally in 2021, the agreement now states that two groups of five paintings are to be exchanged after five years; two works will be kept permanently in London, with the other 27 kept in Dublin. This agreement is valid for ten years.
Unfortunately, Hugh Lane passed away in 1915 and did not get the chance to see the permanent location of his gallery; yet his dedication to bringing art to the Irish people was not in vain. The Hugh Lane Gallery has been in operation for over a century, hosting an extensive list of exhibitions from a varied crop of artists. The impact this collection has had on the people of Ireland did not go undocumented, with W.B Yeats writing five poems about the gallery, including the famed Municipal Gallery Revisited. With the recent completion of the historic Andy Warhol: Three Times Out exhibition, it is clear that the Hugh Lane Gallery continues to artistically enrich the lives of those who pay it a visit.
Located in the heart of Dublin's North City Centre, the Hugh Lane Gallery has been an epicentre of Irish and international art since its beginnings in the early 20th century. Art historian, curator and director of the gallery, Barbara Dawson, in her 2008 book, Hugh Lane: Founder of a Gallery of Modern Art for Ireland, states that it is the first known public gallery of modern art in the world. Over the past century, Sir Hugh Lane and Dublin City Council have allowed the collection to expand, coming into possession of a significant amount of work from local artists, and becoming notable for its collection of nineteenth-century French works.
The Gallery
Originally named the Municipal Gallery of Modern Art, the gallery opened on 20th January 1908, at 17 Harcourt Street, Dublin's South City Center. Although it stayed in this location for twenty-five years, the plan was always to relocate to a more permanent exhibition space. This desired location came about in the form of Charlemont House, Parnell Square, the current location of the gallery. This brick-fronted mansion was built for the 1st Earl of Charlemont, James Caulfield, in 1763 by architect William Chambers. In 1929, the gardens of Charlemont House were to be built in order to accommodate the incoming gallery, and the space was opened in 1933. Even after extensive reconstruction in 2006 to make the space accessible, the building retains many of its original architectural features which the gallery claims complement the exhibited works.
Sir Hugh Lane
Born the son of a rector in County Cork in 1875, Lane soon moved to Cornwall in the UK where he was raised. Later, in London, he began his apprenticeship as a restorer under Martin Henry Colnaghi, following which he worked as an art dealer in Colnaghi’s Marlborough Gallery for several years. Through his regular visits to the home of his aunt, Lady Gregory in Galway, Lane kept in contact with his family and with the country of Ireland as a whole. He later relocated to Dublin and began to pursue his own collection. Developing a familial and social circle greatly involved in an Irish cultural renaissance, Lane became an essential part of the Celtic Revival that took place in Ireland at the beginning of the Twentieth Century. Lane was knighted in June 1909 at the young age of 33 for his “services to art” in Ireland, due to his achievements in relation to his own personal collection, and museum. Lane was appointed the director of the National Gallery of Ireland in March 1914, only fourteen months before his death during the sinking of the RMS Lusitania.
Collection
A major aspect of Lane’s collection is the Lane Bequest, thirty-nine works mainly made up of French art from the nineteenth century - several of which are impressionist works. This catalogue of work includes such pieces as Manet's Music in the Tuileries, Renoir's The Umbrellas, Dega’s Beach Scene, Claude Monet’s Lavacourt under Snow and many more works by significant artists, including Berthe Morisot, Camille Pissarro and Alfred Stevens, to name a few. Along with these iconic and essential elements of the collection, the Hugh Lane Gallery owns The Eve of St. Agnes window by well-known Irish glass artist Harry Clarke, has a room dedicated to Irish contemporary artist, Sean Scully, and possesses Irish-born Francis Bacon's reconstructed studio which was set up in 2001 after being moved from London.
Lane Bequest
During the period prior to the opening of the gallery in Charlemont House, Lane was involved in discussions with the Dublin Corporation about a permanent location for his art. Several proposals, including a gallery in St Stephens Green Park and a dramatic bridge gallery over the River Liffey designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, were turned down. In reaction to this lack of support from Irish officials after his contributions to the arts in the country, Lane made the decision in 1913 to send his collection on loan to the National Gallery in London, as well as to bequeath his pictures to the institution following his death. This decision was reversed soon before the collector's death via a codicil - a document in addition to a will - dated February 1915 - though this was not discovered until after the death of Lane, and with no witnesses the document was not legally valid. Thus a long legal battle ensued.
Correcting this mistake and returning the works home to Dublin became the life's work of Professor Thomas Bodkin. In 1938 it was suggested, as a sort of compromise, that the works should alternate between the Hugh Land Gallery and the National Gallery in London. In 1959 this proposal was agreed upon; half of the collection remained in London, the other in Dublin, and they alternated every five years. In 1979 the agreement was renewed and it was decided that thirty paintings would be loaned to Dublin for the whole period, and eight paintings would remain in London; the thirty-ninth painting – Renoir's The Umbrellas – would be displayed in Dublin for the first seven years, then in London for the next seven. Revisited again in 1993 and finally in 2021, the agreement now states that two groups of five paintings are to be exchanged after five years; two works will be kept permanently in London, with the other 27 kept in Dublin. This agreement is valid for ten years.
Unfortunately, Hugh Lane passed away in 1915 and did not get the chance to see the permanent location of his gallery; yet his dedication to bringing art to the Irish people was not in vain. The Hugh Lane Gallery has been in operation for over a century, hosting an extensive list of exhibitions from a varied crop of artists. The impact this collection has had on the people of Ireland did not go undocumented, with W.B Yeats writing five poems about the gallery, including the famed Municipal Gallery Revisited. With the recent completion of the historic Andy Warhol: Three Times Out exhibition, it is clear that the Hugh Lane Gallery continues to artistically enrich the lives of those who pay it a visit.
Located in the heart of Dublin's North City Centre, the Hugh Lane Gallery has been an epicentre of Irish and international art since its beginnings in the early 20th century. Art historian, curator and director of the gallery, Barbara Dawson, in her 2008 book, Hugh Lane: Founder of a Gallery of Modern Art for Ireland, states that it is the first known public gallery of modern art in the world. Over the past century, Sir Hugh Lane and Dublin City Council have allowed the collection to expand, coming into possession of a significant amount of work from local artists, and becoming notable for its collection of nineteenth-century French works.
The Gallery
Originally named the Municipal Gallery of Modern Art, the gallery opened on 20th January 1908, at 17 Harcourt Street, Dublin's South City Center. Although it stayed in this location for twenty-five years, the plan was always to relocate to a more permanent exhibition space. This desired location came about in the form of Charlemont House, Parnell Square, the current location of the gallery. This brick-fronted mansion was built for the 1st Earl of Charlemont, James Caulfield, in 1763 by architect William Chambers. In 1929, the gardens of Charlemont House were to be built in order to accommodate the incoming gallery, and the space was opened in 1933. Even after extensive reconstruction in 2006 to make the space accessible, the building retains many of its original architectural features which the gallery claims complement the exhibited works.
Sir Hugh Lane
Born the son of a rector in County Cork in 1875, Lane soon moved to Cornwall in the UK where he was raised. Later, in London, he began his apprenticeship as a restorer under Martin Henry Colnaghi, following which he worked as an art dealer in Colnaghi’s Marlborough Gallery for several years. Through his regular visits to the home of his aunt, Lady Gregory in Galway, Lane kept in contact with his family and with the country of Ireland as a whole. He later relocated to Dublin and began to pursue his own collection. Developing a familial and social circle greatly involved in an Irish cultural renaissance, Lane became an essential part of the Celtic Revival that took place in Ireland at the beginning of the Twentieth Century. Lane was knighted in June 1909 at the young age of 33 for his “services to art” in Ireland, due to his achievements in relation to his own personal collection, and museum. Lane was appointed the director of the National Gallery of Ireland in March 1914, only fourteen months before his death during the sinking of the RMS Lusitania.
Collection
A major aspect of Lane’s collection is the Lane Bequest, thirty-nine works mainly made up of French art from the nineteenth century - several of which are impressionist works. This catalogue of work includes such pieces as Manet's Music in the Tuileries, Renoir's The Umbrellas, Dega’s Beach Scene, Claude Monet’s Lavacourt under Snow and many more works by significant artists, including Berthe Morisot, Camille Pissarro and Alfred Stevens, to name a few. Along with these iconic and essential elements of the collection, the Hugh Lane Gallery owns The Eve of St. Agnes window by well-known Irish glass artist Harry Clarke, has a room dedicated to Irish contemporary artist, Sean Scully, and possesses Irish-born Francis Bacon's reconstructed studio which was set up in 2001 after being moved from London.
Lane Bequest
During the period prior to the opening of the gallery in Charlemont House, Lane was involved in discussions with the Dublin Corporation about a permanent location for his art. Several proposals, including a gallery in St Stephens Green Park and a dramatic bridge gallery over the River Liffey designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, were turned down. In reaction to this lack of support from Irish officials after his contributions to the arts in the country, Lane made the decision in 1913 to send his collection on loan to the National Gallery in London, as well as to bequeath his pictures to the institution following his death. This decision was reversed soon before the collector's death via a codicil - a document in addition to a will - dated February 1915 - though this was not discovered until after the death of Lane, and with no witnesses the document was not legally valid. Thus a long legal battle ensued.
Correcting this mistake and returning the works home to Dublin became the life's work of Professor Thomas Bodkin. In 1938 it was suggested, as a sort of compromise, that the works should alternate between the Hugh Land Gallery and the National Gallery in London. In 1959 this proposal was agreed upon; half of the collection remained in London, the other in Dublin, and they alternated every five years. In 1979 the agreement was renewed and it was decided that thirty paintings would be loaned to Dublin for the whole period, and eight paintings would remain in London; the thirty-ninth painting – Renoir's The Umbrellas – would be displayed in Dublin for the first seven years, then in London for the next seven. Revisited again in 1993 and finally in 2021, the agreement now states that two groups of five paintings are to be exchanged after five years; two works will be kept permanently in London, with the other 27 kept in Dublin. This agreement is valid for ten years.
Unfortunately, Hugh Lane passed away in 1915 and did not get the chance to see the permanent location of his gallery; yet his dedication to bringing art to the Irish people was not in vain. The Hugh Lane Gallery has been in operation for over a century, hosting an extensive list of exhibitions from a varied crop of artists. The impact this collection has had on the people of Ireland did not go undocumented, with W.B Yeats writing five poems about the gallery, including the famed Municipal Gallery Revisited. With the recent completion of the historic Andy Warhol: Three Times Out exhibition, it is clear that the Hugh Lane Gallery continues to artistically enrich the lives of those who pay it a visit.
Located in the heart of Dublin's North City Centre, the Hugh Lane Gallery has been an epicentre of Irish and international art since its beginnings in the early 20th century. Art historian, curator and director of the gallery, Barbara Dawson, in her 2008 book, Hugh Lane: Founder of a Gallery of Modern Art for Ireland, states that it is the first known public gallery of modern art in the world. Over the past century, Sir Hugh Lane and Dublin City Council have allowed the collection to expand, coming into possession of a significant amount of work from local artists, and becoming notable for its collection of nineteenth-century French works.
The Gallery
Originally named the Municipal Gallery of Modern Art, the gallery opened on 20th January 1908, at 17 Harcourt Street, Dublin's South City Center. Although it stayed in this location for twenty-five years, the plan was always to relocate to a more permanent exhibition space. This desired location came about in the form of Charlemont House, Parnell Square, the current location of the gallery. This brick-fronted mansion was built for the 1st Earl of Charlemont, James Caulfield, in 1763 by architect William Chambers. In 1929, the gardens of Charlemont House were to be built in order to accommodate the incoming gallery, and the space was opened in 1933. Even after extensive reconstruction in 2006 to make the space accessible, the building retains many of its original architectural features which the gallery claims complement the exhibited works.
Sir Hugh Lane
Born the son of a rector in County Cork in 1875, Lane soon moved to Cornwall in the UK where he was raised. Later, in London, he began his apprenticeship as a restorer under Martin Henry Colnaghi, following which he worked as an art dealer in Colnaghi’s Marlborough Gallery for several years. Through his regular visits to the home of his aunt, Lady Gregory in Galway, Lane kept in contact with his family and with the country of Ireland as a whole. He later relocated to Dublin and began to pursue his own collection. Developing a familial and social circle greatly involved in an Irish cultural renaissance, Lane became an essential part of the Celtic Revival that took place in Ireland at the beginning of the Twentieth Century. Lane was knighted in June 1909 at the young age of 33 for his “services to art” in Ireland, due to his achievements in relation to his own personal collection, and museum. Lane was appointed the director of the National Gallery of Ireland in March 1914, only fourteen months before his death during the sinking of the RMS Lusitania.
Collection
A major aspect of Lane’s collection is the Lane Bequest, thirty-nine works mainly made up of French art from the nineteenth century - several of which are impressionist works. This catalogue of work includes such pieces as Manet's Music in the Tuileries, Renoir's The Umbrellas, Dega’s Beach Scene, Claude Monet’s Lavacourt under Snow and many more works by significant artists, including Berthe Morisot, Camille Pissarro and Alfred Stevens, to name a few. Along with these iconic and essential elements of the collection, the Hugh Lane Gallery owns The Eve of St. Agnes window by well-known Irish glass artist Harry Clarke, has a room dedicated to Irish contemporary artist, Sean Scully, and possesses Irish-born Francis Bacon's reconstructed studio which was set up in 2001 after being moved from London.
Lane Bequest
During the period prior to the opening of the gallery in Charlemont House, Lane was involved in discussions with the Dublin Corporation about a permanent location for his art. Several proposals, including a gallery in St Stephens Green Park and a dramatic bridge gallery over the River Liffey designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, were turned down. In reaction to this lack of support from Irish officials after his contributions to the arts in the country, Lane made the decision in 1913 to send his collection on loan to the National Gallery in London, as well as to bequeath his pictures to the institution following his death. This decision was reversed soon before the collector's death via a codicil - a document in addition to a will - dated February 1915 - though this was not discovered until after the death of Lane, and with no witnesses the document was not legally valid. Thus a long legal battle ensued.
Correcting this mistake and returning the works home to Dublin became the life's work of Professor Thomas Bodkin. In 1938 it was suggested, as a sort of compromise, that the works should alternate between the Hugh Land Gallery and the National Gallery in London. In 1959 this proposal was agreed upon; half of the collection remained in London, the other in Dublin, and they alternated every five years. In 1979 the agreement was renewed and it was decided that thirty paintings would be loaned to Dublin for the whole period, and eight paintings would remain in London; the thirty-ninth painting – Renoir's The Umbrellas – would be displayed in Dublin for the first seven years, then in London for the next seven. Revisited again in 1993 and finally in 2021, the agreement now states that two groups of five paintings are to be exchanged after five years; two works will be kept permanently in London, with the other 27 kept in Dublin. This agreement is valid for ten years.
Unfortunately, Hugh Lane passed away in 1915 and did not get the chance to see the permanent location of his gallery; yet his dedication to bringing art to the Irish people was not in vain. The Hugh Lane Gallery has been in operation for over a century, hosting an extensive list of exhibitions from a varied crop of artists. The impact this collection has had on the people of Ireland did not go undocumented, with W.B Yeats writing five poems about the gallery, including the famed Municipal Gallery Revisited. With the recent completion of the historic Andy Warhol: Three Times Out exhibition, it is clear that the Hugh Lane Gallery continues to artistically enrich the lives of those who pay it a visit.
