Ulster Museum

Ulster and Armagh Museums are a constituent part of the National Museums Northern Ireland. Ulster Museum was founded as the Belfast Natural History Society in 1821 and began exhibiting in 1833 and has included an art gallery since 1890. The collection of 20th century British art together with the Irish collection of the same period goes a long way towards arguably the most important public body of fine art in Ireland. The Ulster Museum was closed for nearly three years from 2006-2009 undergoing a major refurbishment. It re-opened to the public on 22 October 2009, on its 80th anniversary.

Artists represented include Sickert, Steer, Matthew Smith, Paul and John Nash, and major works by Stanley Spencer, who frequently visited Belfast. In the 1960's the collection began to focus on post-war art and works by William Scott, Alan Davie, Terry Frost, Ivon Hitchens, Roger Hilton and Victor Pasmore were added. Further examples by the pop art and op art generation were added including Bridget Riley, Patrick Caulfield, Allen Jones, Bernard Cohen, John Hoyland and Kenneth Martin.

'Home-grown' Irish artists are not excluded and examples by Paul Henry, Humbert Craig, Roderic O'Conor, Louis le Brocquy, John Lavery, Colin Middleton, Gerard Dillon, Dan O'Neill, Basil Blackshaw, John Luke, Mainie Jellett and William Conor are present.

Armagh County Museum includes works by Tom Carr, William Conor, James Humbert Craig, TP Flanagan, Charles Lamb, John Luke and George William Russell ('AE').