A dynamic and welcoming contemporary art gallery in Dublin, Ireland

Nickie Hayden, Healing Totems, oil on board, 72x99cm, part of our winter group show Contrasts, 18 December 2024 - 15 March 2025, Olivier Cornet Gallery, Dublin

New show: Contrasts, a winter group exhibition opening on 18 December 2024




Previous show: Tapestry, a solo exhibition by Annika Berglund.



December 2024 News: our group show 'What do we want? has been shortlisted as one of Ireland's top 10 exhibitions of 2024.

Read Gemma Tipton's article in the Irish Times (15 December 2024):
The art of 2024: 10 of Ireland’s best exhibitions of the year

"Passing by coincidentally on our way to the Writers' Museum, my partner and myself were stopped by the poster of the Claire Halpin exposition. So we entered the gallery and did not leave it before two hours later. Not only the actual show - which is impressive and touching - and not only the extremely interesting collection which is displayed in such an intimate and as well professional way kept us so long, but also an intense and multifaceted talk with Olivier which could have continued over additional topics and time. This place for us is a revelation and a new hotspot".


Dr. Herbert Gerstberger, An intense afternoon in the Gallery Olivier Cornet, TripAdvisor, 29 September 2019.


Presentation of our gallery and website:


Which Dublin-based contemporary art galleries should you visit? 


The Olivier Cornet Art Gallery is today one of Ireland's most dynamic contemporary art galleries.


Located at 3 Great Denmark Street in the Parnell Square Cultural Quarter, the heart of Georgian Dublin, our art gallery represents accomplished and exciting contemporary Irish artists and other European and international visual art practitioners, working in a variety of media such as paintings, sculpture, ceramics, photography, fine art prints, digital art and installations.

Our space is situated on the ground floor of a beautiful Georgian building, recently refurbished and once the town residence of The Lord Norbury. 

It comprises two rooms: one for temporary art exhibitions, the other an original storage area where our visitors can browse through over 250 artworks by our represented and invited artists. 

All artworks are available for purchase and prices start at 125 Euro for unframed fine art prints for instance. Gift vouchers are available too.

At our independent contemporary Irish art gallery, sometimes referred to as The OCG, we organise solo art exhibitions and curate thematic group shows known for their quality, originality and which resonate with current societal issues.

We also host unique exhibition-related events, in collaboration with other top contemporary arts centres, reputable curators, innovative cultural workers and other leading protagonists of Ireland's rich artistic landscape, such as musicians, poets and storytellers.

As a commercial / private art gallery, we promote and sell contemporary fine art but we also take great pride in making sure that all our visitors and clients always enjoy their experience and are given the space and the time to get to know the work of our artists.
 
Check out the Exhibitions page for more information on our current show and upcoming solo exhibitions and themed group shows in 2024 and 2025.

You'll find our News page quite informative as well with our latest blog posts and articles. 

Our website does not have a separate Press section: reviews and mentions in the print and online media are documented under the section 'Coverage' on the relevant exhibition pages. 

EXPLORE AND ENGAGE 

You can also have a look at our Films page which contains links to a selection of clips, videos and short films featuring our artists, previous art exhibitions, informal panel talks, online presentations and recorded live-streamed events.

Our Links page contains useful and reliable references about the arts in our area (Dublin 1), in the capital city and in Ireland in general.

How about starting a collection of contemporary Irish art? Our artists' works have joined great public and corporate collections, such as the collections of The National Museum of Ireland, The National Gallery of Ireland and the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA) in Dublin. 

Visit our page Public & Corporate Art Collections to see a few examples of paintings and of other types of artworks that feature in those prestigious art collections.

A very successful initiative at the gallery: we always ask our interns and volunteers to write about their favourite artworks in our storage area. We then publish their reviews on this website. Please have a look at My Favourite Artwork at the Olivier Cornet Gallery and enjoy these great art reviews by the next generation of curators, art historians and art critics! 


ONLINE ART EXHIBITIONS

In May 2020, in a changed world, we launched a new feature on this website: a 3D Virtual Space for online art exhibitions. The space offers more than a traditional 'viewing room': It allows visitors to take a virtual tour of a show from the comfort of their home when they cannot come to the gallery. 


ONLINE STOCKROOM

In Febuary 2022, we started adding works to an Online Stockroom where you can see and buy a selection of works from our substantial inventory in our storage area at the gallery. We appreciate any feedback as we build this page.

EMAILS, INVITES & NEWSLETTER

We publish a newsletter every two months. It contains news about our artists, upcoming shows, special events and important information such as recent acquisitions by public institutions for instance. To receive this newsletter and e-vites to exhibition openings at the gallery, please let us know by emailing us.  See our July-August 2024 newsletter.

SUPPORT IRISH VISUAL ART IN A CULTURAL CONTEXT


When you get to know us a bit better, you might even decide to join CAIRDE, our patron's scheme at the gallery.


We look forward to your visit; our friendly art gallery is located in what we believe is the best area of Dublin 1: the world-famous Gate Theatre, the Dublin Writers Museum, the iconic James Joyce Centre, and, of course, Dublin City Gallery The Hugh Lane (always worth a visit, especially the must-see reconstructed studio of painter Francis Bacon).


All these institutions of outstanding reputation are just a stone's throw away from us in the Irish capital's city centre. Other renowned and well established organisations in this premier cultural assemble of Northside Dublin include Poetry Ireland, the remarkable Irish Writers Centre and the much respected Fighting Words. Also, we are only 5 minutes away from Henry Street, one of Dublin's main shopping districts.


Admission to the gallery and to its visual art exhibitions is always free. Unlike most other commercial art galleries / private art dealers in Dublin, we usually launch our art exhibitions on Sundays so that you can bring your family too.


Check out our Privacy Statement page and find out how to join our email list if you would like to attend our exhibition previews and other special art-related events at the gallery. You can opt out at any point. In any case, we look forward to your visit.


Last but not least, you can also follow our art gallery and the work of our contemporary artists on the main social media platforms: Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Twitter & TikTok. 


Acknowledgements, testimonials & media reviews:

Meadow (detail), Verre Eglomisé, 44x32cm, part of Fieldwork with Mainie and Albrecht, a solo exhibition by Yanny Petters, 6 October - 10 November 2024, Olivier Cornet Gallery, Dublin.
We are very grateful to our visitors, followers and the media for recognising our gallery's contribution to visual art in Ireland. In recent years, the OCG has been included in a few lists of top art galleries in Dublin.

"A visit to the Olivier Cornet Gallery is truly worth it. Not only are there interesting and diverse works of art, but you will also receive a warm welcome from the friendly and unassuming curator himself. The attention to detail in each exhibition makes this gallery stand out from all the rest, as well as its increasing involvement in current issues being represented through media and art..."
Dermot Cullen, HeyDublin, January 2023

"...So we entered the gallery and did not leave it before two hours later. Not only the actual show - which is impressive and touching - and not only the extremely interesting collection which is displayed in such an intimate and as well professional way kept us so long, but also an intense and multifaceted talk with Olivier which could have continued over additional topics and time. This place for us is a revelation and a new hotspot".
Dr. Herbert Gerstberger, An intense afternoon in the Gallery Olivier Cornet, TripAdvisor, 29 September 2019.
"...Also notable is the new-ish Olivier Cornet Gallery..."
We were delighted to be mentioned alongside The Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA) and the Kerlin Gallery in this 2019 interview of artist Fiona Harrington conducted by The Leading Hotels of the World Ltd ('Sense of Lace', section 'Gallery Hopping, Here are Dublin's must see showrooms').
"The Olivier Cornet Gallery is the most honest gallery in Dublin. Its artists are true artists and he the finest, most professional curator I have met in a long time. An exciting place for the exchange of ideas, where there are many divergent views. Go and buy from this gallery!" 
Constance Short (artist, arts organiser and cultural conduit), on her twitter account, February 2018.
"Olivier Cornet has a knack for curating good thematic shows, allowing artists to affiliate their work to a subject – in this case climate change – without distorting their customary practices."
Art critic Aidan Dunne, from "The best art exhibitions this week – from 2°C in Dublin to Outposts in Cork", The Ticket, The Irish Times newspaper, December 2017.
"The art world is all about connections, so how do you go about opening those up beyond the chosen few? The annual Visual Artists Ireland Get Together has the answer, and its Speed Curating event is an energetic meet up where serendipities may begin. One such was when Dublin gallerist Olivier Cornet met Muireann Ní Chonaill, the Co. Laois arts officer, and the idea of a joint exhibition was born." 
Gemma Tipton, 'The Meeting', 'The best art shows to spend time with this week', The Irish Times, 16 August 2017.
"Community engagement and cultural advocacy are the terms that describe the currency of the progressive commercial gallery. Olivier Cornet is an integral part of this new wave". 
From 'The French new wave, Gerry Walker welcomes an alternative to the conventions of gallery management in the work of Olivier Cornet', Irish Arts Review magazine, Summer edition, June-August 2016. 
"Every visit to Dublin's cultural quarter should start ... and finish here!
Whether you like the past and you are an old buildings aficionado or interested in learning a place (and a time...) through its living artists or if, like me, you are into both, you are in the right place. If you catch it at a time of some quirky activity like a workshop or storytelling, even better. This gallery is one of a kind. That's the sort of place I look for in every city I visit. It usually comes in the guise of a local market, a bookshop or cafe, but this is actually a gallery!"
From one of our overseas visitors, reviewing the gallery on TripAdvisor.

"Olivier Cornet Gallery has consistently curated exhibitions of quality and interest and also collaborates across disciplines. It is always a pleasure to attend openings there given the quality and range of the opening speakers. As a participant in VUE, the Olivier Cornet gallery has been praised for its focused yet broad ranging collaborations and thematic explorations. The gallery itself presents a fantastic airy and refreshing space - and the people - personable and knowledgeable." Architect and artist Colin Eaton (commenting on the gallery in the Reviews section of our Google My Business page).

"Before you click that ‘buy’ button on one of those online websites that sell art, go visit and support your local art galleries and experience what can happen. You may just be surprised at what you see, whom you meet, and what you will learn." Jason Landry (private art gallery owner, collector, photographer and writer), 'Why art galleries are important', Huffpost.

"Art has to be experienced in real life and in real time and art galleries are still the best places to see it." Andrew Frost (art critic, broadcaster and writer), 'Art galleries: the last refuge of the cultural window-shopper', The Guardian.

"Galleries are the place to see artists before they hit the museums. Good gallerists are innovators who recognize talent and support that. But it's important to remember that the public is a key part of this." Caryn Coleman (film programmer, writer and curator).
"The truly radical work of art is the one that offers you something to hold on to in the midst of the flux of possibility." The late Robert Hughes (leading art critic, historian and influential writer).
"Art is a tool by which society extends its perception." Arne Glimcher (art dealer, film producer and director).
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