Art & Design

National Gallery director Caroline Campbell on postcards, paintings, and championing women

As an exhibition of the works of trail-blazing artist Lavinia Fontana is in situ at the National Gallery, its first woman director shares her vision for its future

Dr Caroline Campbell, director, National Gallery of Ireland: ‘It is easy to say art is for everyone, but you have to acknowledge that, historically, there has been a lack of diversity in representation in galleries.’ Picture: Bryan Meade

On a bright Thursday morning, the National Gallery of Ireland on Dublin’s Merrion Square is abuzz with activity. In the grand Georgian foyer, a group of primary school children in uniforms stand diligently waiting for their teachers to usher them in. Teenagers on a guided trip into town form cliques around the corner in the Jack B Yeats room, while an expert explains the expressionist paintings to them. In the Atrium’s Creative Space, mums and ...