SUMMER EXHIBITION:THE NATIONAL Gallery in Dublin has seen a dignified stampede in recent days as art lovers hurry to see the Impressionist Interiors exhibition before it closes on Sunday evening.
The exhibition features 46 rarely-seen paintings by artists such as Monet, Manet, Gauguin and Degas. But if you go expecting to see traditional Impressionist depictions of sunrises, gardens and landscapes, then you will be disappointed. As the title suggests, this exhibition is all about the indoors, with bedrooms, cafes, bars and offices replacing lily ponds, parasols and picnics.
The show opened in May and is expected to have attracted more than 40,000 visitors when it closes. "It's been incredibly busy in the past two weeks, especially over the Bank Holiday weekend," said Valerie Keogh, the gallery spokeswoman. "The phones have been hopping with people trying to get tickets before it closes."
Because of the costs associated with mounting the exhibition, this was one of the occasions when the gallery imposed an entrance fee, but Ms Keogh said patrons were not complaining. Seán Gilligan, who was home from London for a holiday, agreed. "For an exhibition like this, a charge is very reasonable," he said.
"Everything I've seen so far has been wonderful." He singled out the Monet painting Interior, After Dinner for special mention. "Look how dark it is, not at all what you would expect from Monet."
It was the works by Gauguin which caught the eye of Richard Gidman, from Sevenoaks, Kent. "They are a lot freer. Some are quite technical, but their technicality is swept with the freedom of Impressionism," he said.
The rain was bouncing off the streets as he arrived at the gallery off a cruise ship which had docked in Dublin for the day. "It's not the sort of day for going visiting outside," he said with considerable understatement.
