National Irish Visual Arts Library
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Your gateway to Ireland’s visual arts legacy

An intricate, sculptural artist's book with folded, textured black and white pages, partially opened with purple ribbon ties.
person holding a sign with 8 crossed out at a crowded protest march
wooden artist book with pages spread open
A black-and-white photograph of an art exhibition featuring a large, circular, interlocking pattern artwork on the wall. A woman holding a booklet stands in the foreground while another person engages with an artwork nearby.
floral patterned wallpaper sample in a wallpaper sample book
Eire 7p stamp artwork
paper concertina book
graphic wire chair in the shape of a woman

NIVAL National Irish Visual Arts Library

About

Dedicated to the documentation of 20th and 21st century Irish visual art and design

Welcome to NIVAL – the National Irish Visual Arts Library. We collect, store and make accessible for research an unparalleled collection of documentation about Irish art. This includes ephemera, catalogues, books, artists’ books, photographs, digital ephemera, artists’ own archives and any materials that give insight into the development of Irish art practice. Our collections include visual art from the whole island of Ireland as well as Irish art abroad and non-Irish artists working in Ireland. Our remit is to actively collect and preserve materials for the country, for the future.

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person handling an archive publication wearing gloves

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archive reading room with desk and map drawers

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black and white contact sheet of old photos of an exhibition opening

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Over 50,000 items

colourful folded paper artwork

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Discover over 150 special collections

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