merrion street

Jimmy Deenihan TD, Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht this evening opened a new exhibition, Chester Beatty: The paintings from the National Gallery of Ireland at the Hunt Museum, Limerick. This is an event the Hunt Museum are hosting to celebrate Limerick City of Culture.

This exhibition, hosted by the Hunt Museum and produced in collaboration with the National Gallery of Ireland, is in keeping with the spirit of the museum’s original benefactors, John and Gertrude Hunt, who loved to explore the culture of collections, collectors and collecting. On loan from the National Gallery of Ireland, the exhibition is composed almost entirely of works by 19th century French artists including Breton and Couture, which Beatty generously gifted to the nation of Ireland in 1950.

The Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht provided capital funding of €52,410.54 in 2013 in respect of upgrading security cameras, lighting and air handling that was necessary for this exhibition. The Department is also providing funding of €405,000 in 2014 to the Hunt Museum.

Speaking ahead of the event, Minister Deenihan commented “It is always a pleasure to visit the Hunt Museum, one of the jewels in the country’s offering of museums and galleries. Museums are vital to the cultural fabric of the country by collecting, preserving, promoting and making accessible our country's cultural memories. I am pleased to note that the Hunt Museum will be fully accredited later this year under the Heritage Council’s Museum Standards Programme for Ireland and the excellence of this exhibition complements their commitment to Ireland’s diverse heritage.”

Curated by Fionnuala Croke, Director of the Chester Beatty Library, there are 29 paintings in total in the exhibition, running from the 1st February to 30th March 2014.