Lyric News
Art historian John Hunt dies at 47
Monday 30 August 2004He was a founder director of the Hunt Museum in Limerick.
While still in his teens, Hunt played an active role in heritage management, joining the board of the Craggaunowen project in 1975.
He was appointed Director of Temple Bar Gallery and Studios in 1988 but resigned two years later to devote his time to the development of the Hunt Museum.
The Hunt collection houses one of the world's greatest private collections of art and artefacts, collected over the lifetime of Hunt's parents, John and Gertrude.
It consists of over 2,000 pieces with an estimated value of more than €70m, including a 15th century Leonardo Da Vinci bronze horse and a silver coin dating from 405 BC, allegedly one of Judas' thirty pieces of silver.
The collection was initially given a temporary home at the University of Limerick, but in 1997 it found a permanent home at the refurbished Custom House in Limerick City after the government agreed to fund a £3m restoration.
Hunt received the freedom of the city of Limerick for his promotion of visual arts in the region and was awarded a gold medal by the Royal Hibernian Academy.
He is survived by his wife, Patricia, and their three children.
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