LOUISE HALL,
Sir, - What is the purpose of the National Gallery of Ireland? As a visitor to the city, I assumed its primary purpose to be to showcase the best of Irish art, as well as a representative selection of Western art - but no. Some of the best 20th-century work is no longer on display, notably the paintings of William Leech.
Earlier this year, my 18-year-old daughter, who is studying A-level Art, obtained permission to visit the gallery and attempt to paint a study of the magnificent "In a Convent Garden". Imagine our huge disappointment when we rang to arrange a date and time for her visit, only to discover that the painting was now consigned to a dusty storeroom while lesser works continue to be shown.
We have travelled only from Birmingham, but I am sure there are many who come from much further afield who are being equally let down by an organisation purporting to be "the National Gallery of Ireland".
How can this decision to remove from display some of the greatest Irish works of art possibly be justified? - Yours, etc.,
LOUISE HALL, c/o Hilton Dublin, Charlemont Place, Dublin 2.