Jimmy Deenihan TD, Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, and Brian Hayes TD, Minister of State at the Office of Public Works (OPW) have welcomed the re-opening of the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA) at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham.

IMMA is Ireland's leading national cultural institution for the collection and exhibition of modern and contemporary visual art. The main buildings housing IMMA at the Royal Hospital has been closed since 2011 for major refurbishment works, and these buildings reopen this coming weekend, Saturday 12th October, with a major retrospective of the work of Eileen Gray, one of the most celebrated and influential designers and architects of the 20th century.

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Minister Deenihan commented: "I am delighted that IMMA, one of Ireland's leading cultural institutions, will now reopen in full at its original home in the historic surroundings of the Royal Hospital Kilmainham. The completion of this work at IMMA dovetails with the expected commencement of major refurbishment works at the National Gallery of Ireland in the period ahead. These are important projects for Ireland's cultural infrastructure.

"Eileen Gray is one of Ireland's most significant cultural figures, so it is very fitting that this extensive retrospective of her work will be the centrepiece exhibition at the newly reopened IMMA."

Minister Brian Hayes TD commented: "I am delighted to see the completion by the OPW of a major programme of works relating to the upgrading of the Fire Safety, Emergency Lighting and Security Systems at IMMA. These systems are critical to ensuring the safety of staff, patrons and the exhibits visiting the galleries. The systems now in place not alone meet the necessary regulatory compliance requirements but also provide at IMMA the standards expected internationally of any modern museum intending to attract important and valuable visiting exhibitions into the future."

(CD)