Six unfinished works by artist Francis Bacon acquired by the Hugh Lane Gallery will be a significant boost for Dublin's cultural heritage, Minister for the Arts John O'Donogue said today.
The Minister, speaking as the gallery prepares for its reopening in May after doubling in size under a €13 million expansion, said the paintings would clearly increase the numbers of people visiting the gallery.
"It is going to be significantly augmented by the fact they have these unfinished works of Bacon," he said.
The first painting to be hung at the newly extended Dublin City Gallery was one of Bacon's unfinished works, which is believed to be of Lucien Freud, a long-standing friend of the artist.
It is one of six unfinished Bacon paintings recently acquired by Barbara Dawson, the gallery director.
The canvases follow Bacon's career from his first major breakthrough in the 1940s to the last years of his life.
Ms Dawson said the works are unique among paintings on public display as they are incomplete, revealing his unorthodox painting techniques. "It is unique for a gallery to show unfinished work by any artist, but we are the only gallery that will show on public display these unfinished paintings," she said.
"The Lucien Freud has never been seen before . . .
the others have been on temporary loan to us, and now they are part of our collection."
The director praised Section 1003 of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997, which enabled the gallery to acquire the works.
"If somebody acquires a work and we feel it should be in a public collection in Ireland, they could buy that work and donate it through Section 1003 of the Taxes Consolidation Act and then they get a compensation tax exemption," she said.
"Instead of giving the money to the Revenue, they give the money to the art works which goes into a public collection. It is a very enlightened piece of legislation."