Next Friday, the Royal Hibernian Academy will be holding a special auction on its Ely Place premises. The event has been arranged to raise funds for the building of a new library and Friends' Room, and on offer will be a wide range of pictures donated by contemporary Irish artists.

Of particular interest to collectors will be an early oil by William Orpen which has been donated by the academy. Painted while the artist was still a student, this work shows a male nude standing under a tree. Viewing of the pictures being sold takes place on preceding days while the auction is scheduled to begin at 5.30 p.m. Also on Friday, this year's annual W.D. Finlay Lecture - held in honour of former chairman Bill Finlay - will be held at the National Gallery of Ireland. Called "Re-inventing the Museum ", the lecture will be given by Allis Helleland, the director of Denmark's own national gallery of art, the Statens Museum for Kunst, where refurbishment and expansion has recently taken place. The lecture begins at 7 p.m. and tickets/further information are available by telephoning 01-6615133.