Recovery Operation Underway To Save Priceless Works Of Art

The flooding poses a severe problem for the award-winning gallery, as the basement area housed the art stores, a major plant area and the kitchens.

The recovery operation began as soon as the gallery was alerted and initially focused on pumping water from the basement and ground floor to clear a safe passage to the art store.

The gallery is named after American financier and philanthropist Lewis Glucksman and was built thanks to the generosity of he and his wife, Loretta Brennan Glucksman.

Director Fiona Kearney said, "our focus has been on recovery and immediate treatment of damaged artworks. The gallery team has been working continuously since Thursday evening to ensure the best possible response to this devastating problem".

The recovery operation progressed over the weekend of 21 and 22 November with a team of conservation experts working with the gallery staff to access and respond to the damage.

The art store housed a total of 184 artworks, the majority of which were from University College Cork's Art Collection. The art in storage at the time of the flooding included works by significant artists such as Hughie O'Donoghue, Louis le Brocquy and Martin Gale.