|
If all you have to show from your visit to Dublin is a collection of beer mats from one pub or another, then it’s pretty safe to assume that you didn’t make the most out of your trip.
In Dublin there are many opportunities for you to cultivate your appreciation for art and there’s probably no better place to start than the National Gallery of Ireland. Apart from boasting an extensive collection of Irish masterpieces as well as celebrated works by Italian Baroque artists and the Dutch Masters, entrance into the National Gallery of Ireland also happens to be free – although a small donation at the door is usually regarded as a graceful gesture.
Founded in 1854 and opened ten years later, the National Gallery stands on Merrion Square directly beside Ireland’s parliament building Leinster House. Its collection grew throughout the years thanks to a combination of careful purchases and donations from public figures. New wings were added in 1903 and 1962 in order to be able to house its ever-increasing collection. Notable recent acquisitions are The Taking of Christ – a lost work by Caravaggio that was discovered in Dublin in the 1990s and a series of sketchbooks by Jack Yeats, younger brother to the Nobel Prize winning poet William Butler Yeats, were donated by his niece Anne in 1997.
The latest addition to the National Gallery of Ireland is the Millennium Wing which was opened in 2001 and has an entrance from Clare Street. This impressive structure provides gallery space for special exhibitions and the impressive Multimedia Gallery. Guided tours of the National Gallery are given for free on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.
For more information visit www.nationalgallery.ie
|
