Portrait of a Gallery

Directed by Adrian McCarthy

With Sean Rainbird

In 2011, the National Gallery of Ireland closed its doors at Merrion Square, and two thirds of the building, to begin one of the largest refurbishment projects in the history of the state. Six years later, after numerous delays and costing close to €30million, the NGI finally reopened the historic Dargan and Milltown wings in June 2017. This special observational documentary film secured unique access inside the walls of the National Gallery of Ireland, the nation’s most visited cultural attraction, while the institution goes through huge change. Three and a half years in the making, director Adrian McCarthy and Wildfire Films observed the day-to-day running of the institution while witnessing the transformation of the dilapidated historic Dargan and Milltown wings. A mammoth challenge for architects Heneghan Peng, the OPW and the construction team as they renovate a protected 150 year-old and 110 year-old building, while also opening up new spaces never-before-seen by the public.