Crawford Art Gallery’s iconic collection of Canova casts have left the building for the first time in 140 years, with a delicate process of crating and removing the much-loved artworks concluding this week. 

It’s a historic moment in the life of the gallery, the casts, and Cork, as 25 plaster cast and marble works depart the 19^th century wing of the gallery, built by brewing magnate William Horatio Crawford in 1884, in part to house the sculptures.

The Canova Casts were carefully packed in bespoke storage crates and moved to secure storage to prepare for Transforming Crawford Art Gallery, an ambitious multi-million euro redevelopment project that will see 50% more space brought to the city centre gallery, as well as a brand new restaurant and a new “sky gallery” with birds-eye views overlooking Cork city. 

Over 3,500 artworks in Crawford Art Gallery’s collection are currently being decanted into safe storage in time for redevelopment works to begin in spring 2025.

To learn more about Transforming Crawford Art Gallery click here.

Video by: Lost