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The National Art Collection

The National Gallery’s collection contains over 16,000 works of art that span the history of western European culture from 1300 to the present day. Wander through the galleries, with their bold crimson and sapphire walls and you’ll discover works by important artists including Vermeer, Titian, Degas and Sean Scully, as well as a wide selection of works from Italian Baroque and Dutch masters. Look out also for the extensive collection of Irish artists including Sir John Lavery, Louis LeBrocquy and Mainie Jellett.

The gallery’s standout attraction for many is The Taking of Christ (1602) by Italian artist Caravaggio. Long believed to be lost or destroyed, it was sensationally discovered in 1990, hanging in the Dublin drawing room of the religious order of the Jesuit Fathers.

They believed the painting was the work of Gerrit van Honthorst – a 17th century Dutch artist. But a sharp-eyed art expert from the National Gallery recognised it as something extraordinary during a routine assessment of art in the house. And a long-lost masterpiece was revealed. The painting is now on indefinite loan to the Irish people.