In the centenary year of the Joseph Stafford Gibson Bequest, the exhibition examines the legacy of this major philanthropic which secured the establishment of the Crawford Art Gallery’s collection of Irish and European artworks in the early twentieth century.

Drawing on ideas around selecting, collecting and philanthropy the exhibition will display key works of national importance such as Sean Keating’s Men of the South and Sir John Lavery’s The Red Rose alongside less known artists including Anne St. James Patridge and Majorie Henry.

Through new research, the exhibition reveals the decisions taken in acquiring artworks and the dilemmas considered regarding the Gibson Collection’s Salon Des Refusés – the works that were refused.