People don’t necessarily put Dublin on their proverbial bucket list to go gawk at art. But once in the Irish capital, there are few things better than spending a day visiting the many great art museums and galleries in Dublin. After all, you have to do something between pints of Guinness.
Besides that, the walls of these hallowed institutions reveal some world-class art by artists who are household names all around the globe.
Best of all, all of the Dublin art galleries and museums listed below are totally free. So, now you have no excuse. When you’re hungry to look at some great art in Dublin, try these 7 museums and galleries.
On Merrion Square West sits the impressive and imposing National Gallery of Art. Founded way back in 1854, the National Gallery had just 112 works of art to begin with. Today there are over 14,000 pieces.
Some of the collection’s highlights include works by Titian, Lucas Cranach, Andrea Mantegna, Ghirlandaio, Diego Velazquez, Rembrandt, and Jan Brueghel the Younger. In 1990, an art historian was at a Jesuit residence in Dublin and recognized a painting titled “The Taking of Christ.”
It looked a lot like a Caravaggio that had gone missing centuries ago. After an investigation, it was confirmed, much to the delight of fans of the late-Renaissance/early-Baroque painter. The painting is now on display at the National Gallery. Entrance to the museum is free.
Irish Museum of Modern Art
The second-most visited free attraction in Dublin, the Irish Museum of Modern Art—or IMMA—is housed in a former 17th-century hospital building around 48 acres of manicured gardens. The 3,500 artworks on display include pieces from the 1940s to the present.
Some of the familiar and notable names whose work you might see in the museum include Sol LeWitt, Roy Lichtenstein, Marina Abramović, Lucian Freud, and Robert Rauschenberg.
Photo Museum of Ireland
Located in Temple Bar—right smack in the center of it all—the Photo Museum of Ireland was founded in 1978 by John Osman.
The museum, which has free admission, has a permanent collection but there is always an interesting temporary exhibit on display that is worth seeking out.
The Douglas Hyde Gallery of Contemporary Art
The Douglas Hyde Gallery first swung open its doors in 1978, the first publicly funded gallery dedicated to contemporary art in Dublin.
Located at Trinity College, the gallery has hosted shows by Marlene Dumas, Michael Warren, and Dorothy Cross, among a legion of other talented artists. Uniquely, the gallery has also put on musical events that include performances by Cat Power and Sufjan Stevens.
Royal Hibernian Academy
Located just off of St. Stephens Green, The Royal Hibernian Academy, or RHA, was founded in 1823 when Ireland was still under the rule of Great Britain—hence the “royal” in the academy’s name.
The space exhibits works mostly by both Irish and British artists and can give the visitor a good sense of the current state of art in Ireland.
Hugh Lane Gallery
Sir Hugh Lane founded this gallery in 1908 and is often credited as the first known exhibition space solely dedicated to modern art on the planet.
The gallery has an impressive history of knock-out temporary exhibitions but they also boast of a wonderful permanent collection. Here you can find works by Manet, Renoir, and Pissarro, among others.
Molesworth Gallery
Housed in a gorgeous Georgian building just two blocks south of Trinity College, the Molesworth Gallery hosts about 10 changing exhibitions per year.
First flicking on its lights in the year 2000, the gallery has exhibited the works of Mercedes Helnwein, Vera Klute, and Shane Berkery, among many others.
