Lane, Sir Hugh Percy

Sir Hugh Percy Lane, (born Nov. 9, 1875, Ballybrack, County Cork, Ire.—died May 7, 1915, at sea), Irish art dealer known for his collection of Impressionist paintings.

Lane travelled extensively in Europe as a boy. He began to work in art galleries in London in 1893, and in 1898 set up his own. He established a gallery of modern art in Dublin to advance Irish painting, acted as adviser to galleries at Johannesburg and Cape Town in South Africa, and was appointed director of the National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, in 1914. His death in the sinking of the “Lusitania” stirred a controversy over his collection, the bequest of which was unclear; ultimately it was divided between museums in London and Dublin. He had been knighted in 1909.