Portrait of a Gallery

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In 2011, the National Gallery of Ireland closed its doors at Merrion Square, and two thirds of the building, to begin one of the largest refurbishment projects in the history of the state. Six years later, after numerous delays and costing close to EUR30million, the NGI will finally reopened the historic Dargan and Milltown wings in June 2017. This special observational documentary film secured unique access inside the walls of the National Gallery of Ireland, the nation's most visited cultural attraction, while the institution goes through huge change. If ever there was a time to have cameras in the gallery, during its 150-year history, this was it. Three and a half years in the making, director Adrian McCarthy and Wildfire Films observed the day-to-day running of the institution while witnessing the remarkable transformation of the historic wings.