George Bernard Shaw

Free to visit

George Bernard Shaw was sculpted by his great friend, Paolo Troubetzkoy. Shaw’s famous words about the importance of art feature on the wall behind, appropriate considering the statue's position in front of the National Gallery of Ireland at the Clare St entrance.

Writing Pygmalion in 1912, George Bernard Shaw probably didn't suspect that the play's enormous success - and its 1964 film adaptation My Fair Lady - would allow him to leave a considerable bequest to his beloved National Gallery of Ireland. In later life he would credit it with being the place 'to which I owe much of the only real education I ever got as a boy in Eire' after leaving school at the age of 14, and he bequeathed a third of his royalties to the Gallery upon his death in 1950.

The life-size bronze statue of Shaw, which stands by the Gallery's Clare Street entrance, was sculpted by the Russian artist Paolo Troubetzkoy, described by Shaw as 'the most astonishing sculptor of modern times'. Sharing a love of vegetarianism, the two men became friends, and Troubetzkoy would go on to make three sculptures depicting Shaw.

The National Gallery is a must-see on your visit, with something for all ages, and free to visit. The Gallery has a café and shop.