Visitors to Ireland’s main art gallery complained of nudity, too many religious paintings, a picture showing male genitalia, and “transgender tours”.
The National Gallery (NGI) was also criticised for loaning out some of its most high-profile art, including works by Caravaggio and Vermeer, to other museums.
One person said a work in the AIB Portrait Prize depicted a male penis. They wrote: “I was later informed that there was a warning sign, but I didn’t see any and I think the sign should be better displayed.”
Another person argued there were “too much naked boys” in artworks while another said “some paintings are slightly disturbing”.
The complaints, released under freedom of information laws (FOI), also reveal visitors unhappy with the abundance of religious art and the lack of female representation. One visitor wrote: “There is an astonishing lack of female artists! What are the gallery’s plans to rectify this?”
Some of the complaints were highly specific, including one about a John Lavery painting, which a visitor said was poorly hung opposite a large window. “[The painting] is dark in composition, it’s near impossible to make out,” they said.
The Taking of Christ, 1602, by Caravaggio, was inconveniently taken elsewhere according to one complaint
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Others wrote of the lack of Irish displays or information for Seachtain na Gaeilge. A repeat visitor lamented the fact that the gallery’s most famous painting, The Taking of Christ, was out on loan both times they visited. “This is the second year I’ve come to see the Caravaggio and it’s not here. Vermeer also not on display,” they said. “Very disappointing.”
Some were not impressed with the quality of work on show, with one writing: “I can do better paintings.” One person said it was a disgrace that a video had won a prestigious portrait prize. “You’re a joke of an institution at this stage,” they said, while bemoaning “‘transgender’ tours”. They wrote: “Is your funding conditional on this sort of bollocks?”
Another complaint claimed it was wrong to have a portrait of the historian Catherine Corless on display. Corless was instrumental in documenting the death and burial of nearly 800 children at the Tuam Mother and Baby Home. The complainant bizarrely argued it denigrated the Catholic Church and the legacy of a group of nuns who dedicated their lives to the service of others.
In one email — redacted under FOI laws — a visitor said entries for one competition should not have included the artist’s inspiration. They said: “For me, this is making a political statement and has no place in the National Gallery of Ireland and would be more suited to the building next door [Leinster House].”
A spokesman said: “In 2025, we welcomed over one million visitors on site to visit their National Gallery. We actively welcome feedback.”