Reimagining the west wing of a 17th century Royal Hospital to display Ireland’s Modern and Contemporary Art Collection.

The Irish Museum of Modern Art was opened in the former Royal Hospital Kilmainham, Dublin, in 1991. The first large secular building in Ireland, the former hospital and retirement home was modelled on Les Invalides, Paris, and provided the model for Wren's Royal Hospital Chelsea, London. Its three-storey wings are arranged around a courtyard, with modest perimeter rooms off grand corridors and dominant central axes connecting to the surrounding formal garden and parkland.

Begun with the donated collection of Gordon Lambert, the IMMA collection has grown to 3,500 works by Irish and international artists. AOC were appointed to reimagine the west wing galleries to create the first semi-permanent display of the national collection.

Our approach was a light touch archaeology, removing past linings and opening up windows to reconnect gallery visitors with the courtyard, park and city beyond.

In the south west wing the long gallery has been opened up and an enfilade of adjacent rooms established. Works from the 1960s to the 1980s evoke the foundational story of the Irish art world.

Connecting the two long galleries, a ‘white cube’ gallery space has been created, inspired by Brian O’Doherty’s renowned series of essays 'Inside the White Cube – The Ideology of the Gallery Space' (1976). Works by Post-War American women echo the critique, alongside pioneering conceptualist artworks by Marcel Duchamp and Brian O’Doherty and a contemporary feminist response by Andrea Geyer. The minimal detailing and spatial simplicity provide a palette cleanser, an experiential sorbet, before intense colour of the West Wing.

The West Wing Gallery is one of the largest spaces for contemporary art in Ireland and displays significant works from the collection. A consistent earth red treatment provides a riposte to the white cube, an active backdrop that establishes a dialogue between the works, space and visitors. Fabric-clad timber frame screens introduce spatial intimacy whilst maintaining the grand scale of the gallery. The use of colour in the connecting rooms creates distinct atmospheres tuned to enhance the displayed works.

Close collaboration with artists and curators has allowed the adaptation of the historic building to host large scale installations - including Dublin Rain Room, Juan Muñoz (1994), Untitled (Vegetation Room X), Cristina Iglesias (2002),
and Mnemosyne, Alice Maher (2002) - which provide intense experiences, engaging all the senses.

The designs provide new forms of engaging with the collection. Recreating Lino Bo Bardi's 'crystal easels' maintains the spatial generosity of the 17th century building and allows new connections to be discovered between both the fronts and backs of the 20th century works. The design and works spotlight the material innovation and socially engaged practices of female artists who persisted, despite the predominantly male dominance of that era.

Bespoke steel stools positioned throughout the galleries replicate the scale of the concrete easel bases with Irish timber wedges and resonate with Dorothy Cross's piece Tread, 2023, bringing a gentle coherence to the display of a diverse collection.

Design competition. First Prize. Realised.