Newly approved plans to modernise Cork’s Crawford Art Gallery will bring it in line with international museum standards and offer visitors panoramic views of the city, the Department of Tourism, Culture and the Arts has announced.
Cork City Council granted planning for the project on Wednesday, which will see the delivery of a new space designed by Grafton Architects.
The gallery’s collection is comprised of more than 3,000 works, from 18th-century Irish and European paintings and sculptures to contemporary video installations.
According to the department, the gallery’s redevelopment, which is due to begin in the autumn of 2024, will expand and modernise the building, providing new exhibition spaces as well as a “learn and explore” facility to entice new audiences. A public gallery will provide sweeping views of Cork City.
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“The redevelopment will also address long-standing challenges with the fabric of the historic building, providing fit-for-purpose storage spaces for the national collection, and will significantly enhance the sustainability of the building,” the department said in a statement announcing the greenlit project funded under the National Development Plan.
Welcoming the decision, Minister for Culture Catherine Martin said the revitalised gallery would be “sympathetic to the building’s historic structure while also delivering much-needed additional exhibition and learning spaces”.
The project will create a new entrance on to Emmett Place, opening Crawford on to a new urban plaza at the heart of the city.
