The World of Performance: Dance, Theatre and Song

The National Gallery pays homage to the world of performance by displaying a selection of works depicting actors, ballerinas and operatic singers.

The paintings and drawings are all from the gallery's own collection and span the period from the 1880s to the 1940s. On show are works by Degas, Matisse and Picasso, as well as important Irish artists including William Orpen, Seán Keating and Muriel Brandt.

The exhibition includes portraits of well-known Irish figures from the 20th-century stage, including actors Michael Mac Liammoir and Jimmy O’Dea, and opera singers John McCormack and Margaret Burke Sheridan. 

Highlights include the Degas pastel piece "Two Ballet Dancers in a Dressing Room" (c.1880), and Picasso’s graphite drawing "Two Seated Dancers of Les Ballets Russes, Monte Carlo" (1925). The exhibition also examines artists' portrayals of the audience, notably Harry Kernoff's "Olympia Theatre from Top Box" (1935). Admission free.

Mon-Sat 09.30-17.30. Thu 09.30-20.30. Sun 12.00-17.30.