Originally published in print in September 2021.
After a lengthy string of lockdowns, Dublin is beginning to open up – and so is its vibrant art scene! If you, like us here at TN2, enjoy spending hours on end poring over paintings and wandering through galleries, why not spend a day immersing yourself in art by paying Dublin’s best-loved galleries a visit? This strategic plan (based on my experience of trekking around Dublin’s galleries, which is finally proving to be useful for something) suggests an itinerary for a jam-packed yet enjoyable day of perusing Dublin’s finest galleries.
IMMA
This gallery crawl begins near Heuston station at the Irish Museum of Modern Art, or IMMA as it is known to those of us who wish to seem very cultured and informed. Take some time to grab a coffee and wander around the stunning formal gardens that surround the museum before venturing inside – you’ll probably need it! As suggested by its name, IMMA is chock-full of contemporary art pieces that may leave you scratching your head in wonder (or confusion) – either way, IMMA is definitely worth a visit, even if modern art is not necessarily your thing.
The Hugh Lane Gallery
The Hugh Lane Gallery is located at the top of O’Connell street on the city’s northside – a reasonably short jaunt on the Luas from IMMA. The Hugh Lane boasts an impressively varied collection, with everything from early 20th century Irish paintings by artists such as Jack Yeats, to contemporary pieces by Seán Scully. Not to be missed is the Francis Bacon Studio, a fascinating permanent exhibition composed of the artist Francis Bacon’s actual studio as it was when he died – it and all of its contents were painstakingly relocated and refitted to The Hugh Lane, where they have been since 2001.
National Gallery of Ireland
A 15 minute long amble down through the city will take you from The Hugh Lane to where the National Gallery is located on Nassau street. Whether it’s your first or fiftieth time visiting this institution of Irish art, you will most certainly find something new to see; a painting you didn’t quite notice on your last visit, or perhaps an intriguing new exhibition. Speaking of: if you find yourself in the National Gallery sometime over the month of September, be sure to check out some (or all!) of the exhibitions from the plethora they currently have on show. These include ‘Queer Mind, Body and Soul’, ‘Glamour and Governance’, and many more – makesure to check out their website to see their full list of current exhibitions.
RHA
The Royal Hibernian Academy is perhaps not as well known as some of the other galleries that I’ve mentioned thus far, but it is absolutely as worth paying a visit to. This gallery tends to showcase up-and-coming artists, and so it is definitely the spot for those who wish to experience newer, more unconventional art. Currently on show at the RHA is an exhibition by the artist Barbara Knežević entitled ‘pleasure ‘scapes’. This gallery’s location means that it is only a short walk from the National Gallery – a very manageable journey! If you feel yourself beginning to wilt at this stage of the crawl, be sure to grab a cuppa in Coppa, the café located in the RHA.
Kerlin Gallery
The Kerlin Gallery is a small yet significant gallery also located in and around St. Stephen’s Green. Their current exhibition ‘Stuck on Dawn’ by Marcel Vidal is certainly well worth checking out! Though at this stage of the gallery crawl you may be physically crawling from tiredness, it’s well worth making the final leg of your journey to……
The Gallery of Photography
Located in Temple Bar’s Meeting House Square, the Gallery of Photography is the last destination on this gallery crawl. From September 17th, the gallery will be hosting the Prix Pictet, a photography competition – check it out to see the nominees’ interpretations of this year’s theme, ‘Hope’.
