Hugh Lane Gallery Museum

Address: Charlemont House, Parnell Square North, Dublin 1, Ireland

Website: https://www.hughlane.ie

Hours: Tue-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 12pm-5pm, closed Mon

Admission: Free (permanent collection). Temporary exhibitions may charge €6-€10.

Dublin City Gallery The Hugh Lane is a public gallery of modern and contemporary art in Parnell Square, Dublin, founded by Sir Hugh Lane in the early 20th century. It is one of the city’s principal municipal art institutions.

The permanent collection includes modern and contemporary Irish and international works and is shown alongside a programme of temporary exhibitions and public events. The gallery houses an installed reconstruction of Francis Bacon’s studio, displayed as a single-room exhibit alongside the main galleries. Educational programmes and rotating displays make the venue a frequent stop for both local visitors and international tourists.

Sir Hugh Lane established the gallery in the early 1900s to promote modern art in Dublin; his early acquisitions formed the core of the collection. Over the 20th and early 21st centuries the institution expanded its display spaces and conservation facilities and moved into the restored Charlemont House as its primary public building.

The gallery sits on Parnell Square, a short walk north of O’Connell Street in central Dublin, within easy distance of the main city centre and public transport links.

• Collection focus: A permanent collection focuses on modern and contemporary Irish and international art, supplemented by rotating temporary exhibitions and loans.
• Francis Bacon Studio: The Francis Bacon Studio was dismantled in London and reassembled in the gallery as a complete installation, offering an unusually intact view of the artist’s working environment.

What to See#

• Charlemont House: The gallery occupies the 18th-century Georgian townhouse Charlemont House in Parnell Square, which serves as the main exhibition space and public entrance.
• Francis Bacon Studio: A reconstructed working studio of Francis Bacon that contains the artist’s original furnishings and layout, installed as a permanent display alongside the main galleries.
• Exhibition galleries: Multiple temporary exhibition galleries used for rotating shows of contemporary and modern art, education programmes, and public events.

Parnell Square sits north of O’Connell Street in central Dublin. From O’Connell Street a 10-15 minute walk will bring visitors to the gallery. Several Dublin Bus routes (including 15, 27, 39) stop nearby; the closest Luas (tram) stop is at Abbey Street, a 10-12 minute walk.

• See the reconstructed Francis Bacon studio - it was moved stone‑for‑stone from 7 Reece Mews and reassembled at the gallery; ask at reception for the route.
• Visit on a weekday morning to avoid school groups and to linger over the Hugh Lane's modern Irish collection.
• Pick up the free floor map: the gallery is housed in Charlemont House (18th century) and the circulation can feel like a small maze.