municipal gallery of modern art

Sir Hugh Lane (1875 - 1915): Hugh Lane was born in Co. Cork on 9 November 1875. His father was from a prominent merchant family in Cork, while his mother Frances Adelaide Persse was from a landed family in Galway. Her sister Augusta Lady Gregory was a close friend of the poet WB Yeats and a founding member of the Abbey Theatre in Dublin. Lane's father, the Rev James William Lane was appointed rector in Redruth, Cornwall so Lane was raised in England. He began his career as an apprentice painting restorer and later became a very successful art dealer in London. Through regualr visits, particularly to Coole, Lady gregory's home in Co. Galway, Lane remained in contact with Ireland. In 1901, on a visit to Dublin, he viewed an exhibition of the work of Nathaniel Hone and John Butler Yeats, father of the poet William and the artist Jack. Lane was so impressed by the quality of their work that he felt that there should be a permanent Gallery in Dublin where such work could be seen by the public. He believed that these Irish artists should be shown side by side with their European counterparts so he began a campaign to establish a Gallery of Modern Art in Dublin. He was also a major influence in achieving recognition for a distinctive school of Irish painting. Lane purchased the majority of Irish works in the original collection and encouraged many artists to donate work to the collection . As well as that he purchased a number of outstanding impressionist paintings, among them Le concert aux Tuileries by manet, Beach Scene by Degas, Les Parapluies by Renori and la cheminee by Vuillard. He was one of the first major collector of Impressionist paintings in Ireland and Britain. Through Lane's enthusiasm many people were persuaded to donate works, including the then Prince of Wales, later George V, who donated works by Constable and Corot.