 The reception of Impressionist art at the Gallery got off to an exceptionally stormy start . In 1906 , Sir Hugh Lane promised 39 paintings , including Renoir 's <unk> , to the National Gallery on his death , unless a suitable building could be built in Dublin . Although eagerly accepted by the director Charles Holroyd , they were received with extreme hostility by the Trustees ; Lord Redesdale wrote that " I would as soon expect to hear of a Mormon service being conducted in St. Paul 's Cathedral as to see the exhibition of the works of the modern French Art @-@ rebels in the sacred precincts of Trafalgar Square " . Perhaps as a result of such attitudes , Lane amended his will with a codicil that the works should only go to Ireland , but crucially this was never witnessed . Lane died on board the RMS Lusitania in 1915 , and a dispute began which was not resolved until 1959 . Part of the collection is now on permanent loan to Dublin City Gallery ( " The Hugh Lane " ) and other works rotate between London and Dublin every few years . 
