Cork's Crawford Art Gallery is set to close to the public from next month as a major multi-million euro redevelopment of the historic building gets under way early next year.
Gallery Director Mary McCarthy announced the closure date of Sunday 22 September, as a number of large sculptures were being removed from the building ahead of the temporary closure.
The city centre gallery is located in a heritage building dating from the 18th century, and is the only national cultural institution outside of Dublin.
It is expected that it will be closed for two-and-a-half years to facilitate the works.
The massive overhaul of the gallery will see extensive conservation work on the existing building, and the addition of a new five-storey building to the rear of the site which will offer a bird's-eye view of the city.
Grafton Architects are heading up the design team for the project.
The planned removal of the gallery's 3,500 works of art to secure storage facilities is currently taking place, and staff will carry out extensive conservation and restoration work on the art during the gallery's closure.
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A number of works from the Crawford collection are currently on loan to other galleries and museums including Hillsborough Castle, the National Museum of Ireland, the Hugh Lane Gallery, Doneraile Court and Cork Public Museum.
The project was originally reported as having a budget of €29 million, but this is likely to be exceeded.
A tender process began in May for the construction project, with the appointed contractor expected to be on site in spring 2025.
The work is part of Project Ireland 2040, in partnership with the Department of Tourism, Culture, Art, Gaeltacht, Sports and Media and the Office of Public Works.
Ms McCarthy acknowledged that the public would miss the gallery during its closure, but emphasised that the redevelopment would ensure the institution could thrive into the future.
The gallery will host a number of events on Culture Night (20 September) ahead of its closure two days later.
The public are being urged to visit before its doors close.
