The Gallery

The Liberty City Gallery has one of the largest collections in the State and is housed in the beautiful old Mannicor manor, which dates back to 1832. The building is listed in the Historic Buildings Register and forms a fitting backdrop to the extensive collection of 18th Century Old Masters which are a speciality of the gallery.

A trust from the Henley-Ridvale estate in 1927 enabled the gallery to restore sections of the original building and to convert the old stables for the first gallery display space. An exhibition of watercolours by local artists was the first show open to the public, and received widespread praise in the local press at the time. One of the young artist whose first works appeared in this inaugural exhibition was Henry Spencer, who went on to become a leading artist in the 1930’s. His famous painting, “Homestead at Christmas” is a feature at the Liberty, and is its most visited work.

In recent years, the Liberty has merged with three other State galleries to expand its collection and to enable the joint purchase of many important recent works including the installation, “Elliptical Thinking” by Jordan Burrows, and the plastic-media piece, “Time Out of Mind” by Susan Heffernon.

Visitors to the Liberty come to enjoy the atmosphere of refined elegance of the building as well as the breadth and quality of the collection. Public tours are run daily and private and specialty tours can be arranged by contact with the Gallery Liaison Officer.

“No visit to Liberty City would be complete without a stop at the Art Gallery in Columbus Avenue. The gallery is best known for its Old Masters, but it is the quirky and controversial modern pieces that make this a must-see destination on any intelligent traveller’s itinerary.” - Mavis Banner, Art Critic, Capital City Press