Crawford Art Gallery

About the museum

Crawford Art Gallery occupies the old Custom House of Cork, built in 1724 in the heart of the city. The collection began in 1818–19, when a set of plaster casts of Greek and Roman sculpture, made in the Vatican, was given to the Cork Society of Arts. The building later housed the Royal Cork Institution and, from 1850, the Government School of Design. In 1884 a large extension with studios and galleries was added at the expense of William Horatio Crawford, after whom the school and later the gallery were named.

When the School of Art moved to new premises in 1979, the building became the Crawford Art Gallery. A new wing for contemporary art, designed by the Dutch architect Erick van Egeraat, opened in 2000. Since 2006 the gallery has been run by its own company and is one of Ireland’s national cultural institutions. The collection of more than 3,500 works is strongest in twentieth-century and contemporary Irish art, with painters such as Seán Keating, Harry Clarke, Mainie Jellett and Jack B. Yeats, and also holds European paintings and sculpture.

The gallery closed to the public on 22 September 2024 for the Transforming Crawford Art Gallery project, designed by Grafton Architects and delivered with the Office of Public Works. It will add about 50 per cent more space, a new top-floor gallery, a rear extension, a new main entrance on Emmet Place and better facilities for learning and access. Most of the collection is in offsite storage and the staff moved out of the building in January 2026. Reopening is expected in mid-2028, and an offsite learning programme continues in the meantime.

Highlights

• The Canova casts, plaster copies of classical sculpture brought to Cork in 1818–19
• Irish art by Seán Keating, Harry Clarke, Mainie Jellett and Jack B. Yeats
• Contemporary Irish work by artists such as Dorothy Cross and Maud Cotter
• Historic custom house of 1724 in the centre of Cork
• Major redevelopment due to finish in mid-2028

Founded

1979

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Admission to the gallery is free once it reopens.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: no information
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The redevelopment is planned to bring a large new lift, new toilets on many floors and accessible changing facilities.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.