Kerlin Gallery

Kerlin Gallery is a commercial contemporary art gallery in Dublin, Ireland, established in 1988 and located on Anne's Lane, off South Anne Street, in the city centre. With a programme of eight exhibitions annually and representation of internationally recognised artists, the gallery occupies a significant position within Ireland's commercial art sector and has been acknowledged in international surveys of leading European galleries.

Kerlin Gallery was founded in 1988 on Grafton Street in central Dublin. In 1994, the gallery moved to its current location on Anne's Lane, with a space designed by the British architect John Pawson. The gallery has been directed by David Fitzgerald, Darragh Hogan, and John Kennedy. In 2015, Artnet included Kerlin Gallery in a list of Europe's Top 55 Galleries, reflecting its standing within the continental art market. In 2018, the gallery donated a number of works to the Irish Museum of Modern Art, contributing to the development of Ireland's national collection of contemporary art.

As a commercial gallery rather than a collecting institution, Kerlin Gallery's holdings consist of works by artists it represents and has exhibited. The gallery maintains long-term relationships with numerous artists, in some cases presenting multiple solo exhibitions over decades. Its programme is predominantly composed of solo exhibitions by gallery artists, supplemented by occasional curated group exhibitions and solo presentations by invited artists. The gallery also produces artist publications, including monographs on Merlin James, William McKeown, Isabel Nolan, and Brian Maguire between 2018 and 2023.

The gallery represents a substantial roster of contemporary artists, including Phillip Allen, Barrie Cooke, Dorothy Cross, Felim Egan, Mark Francis, Maureen Gallace, David Godbold, Richard Gorman, Siobhán Hapaska, Jaki Irvine, Merlin James, Elizabeth Magill, Brian Maguire, William McKeown, Isabel Nolan, Kathy Prendergast, Norbert Schwontkowski, Paul Seawright, Sean Shanahan, Tony Swain, and Paul Winstanley. Several represented artists have been nominated for the Turner Prize: Sean Scully (1989, 1993), Willie Doherty (1994, 2003), Stephen McKenna (1986), and Phil Collins (2006). Callum Innes, also associated with the gallery, was nominated for the Turner Prize in 1995 and won the Jerwood Painting Prize in 2022. The gallery has presented multiple solo exhibitions for key artists: Sean Scully (seven times since 1994), Dorothy Cross (nine times since 1990), Mark Francis (ten times since 1995), Willie Doherty (ten times since 1995), and Elizabeth Magill (eight times since 1989). Invited artists exhibited have included Andy Warhol, Hiroshi Sugimoto, Richard Hamilton, Francesco Clemente, Martin Kippenberger, Albert Oehlen, and A.R. Penck.

The gallery's current space on Anne's Lane was designed by architect John Pawson in 1994. The building provides 3,600 square feet (330 square metres) of gallery space distributed across two floors. The location places it in central Dublin, in close proximity to the commercial and cultural activity of Grafton Street and the surrounding city centre area.

Kerlin Gallery is located on Anne's Lane, off South Anne Street, in Dublin city centre. The gallery participates in Frieze Art Fair, having been selected by an international jury for this prestigious art market event. It continues to operate as a commercial contemporary art gallery under the directorship of David Fitzgerald, Darragh Hogan, and John Kennedy, maintaining its programme of eight annual exhibitions and its representation of Irish and international contemporary artists.