William Blake: The Age of Romantic Fantasy

A woman sits crosslegged on the ground, her hand pointing to an open book. She turns to the side, looking at the creatures near her, including a donkey and an owl. Two other figures hide behind her. Overhead, two bat-like creatures fly.
William Blake, The Night of Enitharmon’s Joy (formerly called ‘Hecate’), c. 1795. Tate, Presented by W. Graham Robertson 1939. Photo: Tate.

16 April - 19 July 2026 
Rooms 6-10 | Tickets from €0-€16

William Blake, a visionary artist and poet, was a defining force in Romanticism. His imaginative and unconventional works continue to inspire today. This exhibition, curated by Tate in partnership with the National Gallery of Ireland, presents a selection of Blake’s most iconic works of art, alongside paintings and drawings by his contemporaries. 

Blake’s world was one of fantasy, imagination, and the ancient past, filled with fantastical creatures and visions of the underworld, expressed through a wide variety of media. By placing him in context - among the artists he admired and those he inspired - the exhibition offers insight into an era of extraordinary originality and innovation in late-eighteenth and early nineteenth-century art. Featuring over 100 works, including by James Barry (1741–1806), Henry Fuseli (1741–1825), John Hamilton Mortimer (1740–1779), Thomas Rowlandson (1757–1827), and J.M.W. Turner (1775–1851), the show explores how artists responded to a time of revolution and transformation, pushing the boundaries of their art into new imaginative territories.

Organised in collaboration with Tate.

Curated by Anne Hodge, Curator of Prints and Drawings at the National Gallery of Ireland and Alice Insley, Curator of British Art c. 1730 – 1850 at Tate.

This exhibition is supported by The William Blake Giving Circle. 

The Gallery would like to thank the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport for their ongoing support.

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