The Lewis Glucksman gallery at University College Cork (UCC) has won a prestigious architectural award from the UK Civic Trust - one of the largest and most comprehensive design award schemes in Europe.
The award follows on from the gallery being shortlisted for the biggest prize in architecture in UK and Ireland, the Stirling Prize, last year. The exhibition space also picked up the top prize at the Irish Architecture Awards in June of 2005.
The director of the Glucksman Gallery, Fiona Kearney, said yesterday it was an "honour" to be recognised by the UK Civic Trust, and that the award emphasised the international significance of the architecture of the exhibition space at UCC.
Meanwhile, an exhibition marking Ireland's participation at the 51st Venice Biennale has opened at the Glucksman gallery.
The Venice Biennale was founded in 1895 and is probably the most important international exhibition of contemporary art.
For the first time in the history of Ireland's participation at Venice, the artists selected for exhibition have the opportunity to present their work in an Irish context.
Commissioner Sarah Glennie invited six artists to represent Ireland at the 51st Biennale: Stephen Brandes, Mark Garry, Ronan McCrea, Isabel Nolan, Sarah Pierce and the collaborative artists Walker and Walker.
The artists have reworked the site-specific nature of their Venice installations at the Scuola di San Pasquale for the Glucksman gallery.
The exhibition runs until April 30th.