Hugh Lane Gallery
Dublin City Gallery The Hugh Lane was founded by Sir Hugh Lane in 1908 and is one of the most significant cultural institutions in Dublin.
The Hugh Lane Gallery will close on 28 September 2025 for refurbishment and is expected to remain closed for at least three years. Find out more below.
Planned Refurbishment
Refurbishment of the Hugh Lane Gallery will proceed alongside the construction of a new city library for Dublin. The gallery will close its doors on 28 September 2025 to facilitate the renovation and safe removal of the gallery’s collection. It will remain closed for at least three years.
The refurbishment is part of a major investment in Parnell Square North which will create a cultural quarter. The refurbishment will upgrade the gallery's original 1930s wing to 21st century museum standards of security and environmental controls. This will ensure the preservation of the collection for future generations and enhance the gallery's ability to secure significant international loans.
The refurbishment will also include a direct link between the gallery and the new Dublin City library, creating a unique experience across art and literature.
The Hugh Lane Gallery conservation team is working hard to safely pack and transport the gallery’s renowned collection to museum standard storage facilities. This ensures the public’s collection is being cared for to the highest standards and will be ready for display when the gallery reopens.
To receive updates, sign up to the gallery’s newsletter or follow the gallery’s social media channels.
Hugh Lane Gallery is temporarily closing for refurbishment alongside the construction of the new city library. The refurbishment will include a direct link between the gallery and the library, creating a unique cultural experience across art and literature. Together those initiatives are part of a major investment in Parnell Square North which will reshape the square into a significant cultural quarter, and enrich the experience of Dublin's citizens and visitors to the city.
Hugh Lane Gallery will close for the planned refurbishment on Sunday, September 28th 2025. On view until then is the permanent collection, including Francis Bacon’s Studio and paintings; the Stained Glass Room; exhibitions Ailbhe Ní Bhriain: The Dream Pool Intervals and Boghanna Báistí Beaga; as well as our recent acquisition Primate by Daphne Wright.
The refurbishment works will upgrade the original 1930s wing to 21st century museum standards of security and environmental controls. This will ensure the preservation of the collection for future generations and will enhance the gallery’s ability to secure significant international loans of art works for major temporary exhibitions.
We anticipate that Hugh Lane Gallery will be closed for at least 3 years.
There are currently 40 permanent staff employed by the Hugh Lane Gallery. All will retain their posts. A certain number of employees will remain operating core aspects of gallery functions including managing the care and conservation of the collection in offsite locations, monitoring environmental controls and daily 24hr security, organising offsite education and community projects and working on future collaborations and exhibitions.
The remaining staff will be redeployed temporarily within the wider Dublin City Council organisation.
A number of important works will be on loan to the National Gallery of Ireland. The Hugh Lane Gallery already has works on loan to the Office of Public Works in Dublin Castle, Farmleigh House and Kilmainham Gaol Museum. The remaining collection will be stored safely in museum standard offsite facilities.
Yes, apart from the shared paintings from the Sir Hugh Lane Bequest in the National Gallery London. This partnership was signed in 2021 between The National Gallery, London and Hugh Lane Gallery regarding the 39 paintings in the Sir Hugh Lane Bequest, allowing the public in both the UK and Ireland to enjoy these works on a regular basis.
The studio will be fully protected throughout the temporary closure period and will remain onsite.
Plans are ongoing to facilitate a number of Education and Outreach programmes in venues and locations citywide.
The cost of the project will be determined when tender submissions have been reviewed and the contract awarded. It’s expected the tender will be issued in the coming months.
For regular updates throughout the closure period, sign up to the gallery’s newsletter at www.hughlane.ie or follow the gallery’s social media channels (Instagram, Facebook).
For more information and updates, visit Dublin City Council’s new city library project webpage here.
The bookshop will continue to trade online via the website hlgallerybooks.com.
About the Gallery
Located in an 18th century townhouse on Parnell Square, Hugh Lane Gallery provides an oasis of quiet inspiration in the heart of Dublin city. Founded in 1908 by Sir Hugh Lane, it is one of the city’s most significant cultural institutions.
The gallery has a diverse collection of works that create an experience like no other, especially for those seeking inspiration, mindfulness and consolation – something great art provides.
Collections
Hugh Lane Gallery takes you on a journey through the evolving practices of modern art. Discover a diverse and wonderful collection of works, from impressionism to expressionism, from beauty to provocation - all expertly curated in the unique setting of the world’s oldest public gallery of modern art.
Visitors can enjoy Ireland’s foremost public collection of contemporary art, which includes stained glass windows by Harry Clarke, a collection by Irish painter Sean Scully and works by Impressionists like Edgar Degas, Claude Monet, Édouard Manet and Berthe Morisot.
Francis Bacon’s London Studio is also preserved as part of our permanent collection.
Conservation
The gallery also undertakes significant conservation projects to ensure that its diverse collection of works are in the best condition possible for visitors.
Research and analysis is carried out with a variety of technology and methods. We also interview living artists to understand the materials, techniques and processes they use so that we can create guidelines for preserving their work in the future.
Visit HughLane.ie
Immerse yourself at Hugh Lane Gallery today. Visit the website for full details of opening hours, gallery events and upcoming exhibitions. You can also search our collection online.