expanded upper gallery at the RHA

On Monday the smashing new Royal Hibernian Academy was unveiled in tandem with their Annual Exhibition, and I was excited to see the new building after months of anticipation. Over the past year the RHA has been undergoing a major expansion, and its redeveloped delights on offer include:

• renovation of the entrance to incorporate a new reception area, and removal of the old staircase, adding a significant amount of space to the massive upper gallery
• new staircase built in a double-height atrium, creating another exhibition space with a window wall providing excellent lighting
• new cafe run by the Unicorn
• new bookshop run by Noble & Beggarman (who also operate the Hugh Lane Gallery shop)
• a 9000sq foot studio complex containing group & individual studios, a reference library, common room and administration offices
• recladding of the exterior, new signage and lighting

According to an article by architectural critic Frank McDonald in the Irish Times last Friday, the project has cost 7.8 million euro, mainly raised from private donors, with 2 million still needed to balance the books. Hopefully the spectacular new spaces will prompt potential donors to dig deep– the RHA is an invaluable & unique resource for the visual arts in Ireland, and the determination of its board and its director Patrick Murphy are to be commended. For more photos from Monday’s reopening (thanks to husband Des!), click the link…

new atrium space & staircase

Prints and drawings on show at the annual exhibition

getting a good look

checking out the new stuff