Life
1875-1968; b. New York City of Irish, Scottish and English extraction;
ed. Columbia Univ., grad. Mining Engineering, 1898; made professional
start in Colorado; Chief Engineer with Guggenheim Exploration Co., 1903-08;
registers Selection Trust in London, 1914; became interested in Arabic
MSS on a visit to Egypt; travelled in China and Japan, 1917; took out
British citizenship, 1933; served on govt. committees during World War
II; settled in Dublin, presenting 93 paintings to the Irish Nation, 1950;
opened Chester Beatty Library in his home at 10 Ailesbury Rd., Ballsbridge,
to researchers, 1953; presented 143 pieces of Oriental weaponry to the
Army Museum at the Curragh; knighted by the Queen, 1954, in which year
a library extension was built and opened the public; Beatty made first
honorary citizen of Ireland, 1957; other honours incl. DSA, Hon. LLD,
and Hon. DSc.; d. in Monaco; the collection removed to Dublin Castle and
reopened there in 2000, when it was awarded the title of Irish Museum
of the Year; later selected as European Museum of the Year in 2002; the
current director is Dr. Michael Ryan.
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Criticism
Charles Horton, Alfred Chester Beatty: From Miner to Bibliophile (Dublin:
TownHouse 2003), 48pp.; David Edgar, Treasuring the Word: An Introduction
to Biblical Manuscripts in the Chester Beatty Library (Dublin: TownHouse
2003), 48pp.
Notes
There is a website at www.cbl.ie.
Admission is free Opening Hours: Mon-Fri 10am-5pm (May to September) Tues-Fri
10am-5pm (October-April) Saturdays 11am-5pm (all year) Sundays 1pm-5pm
(all year) Closed Public Holiday Mondays, Good Friday, 24th, 25th and
26th December, 1st Jan Free public tours are available on Wednesdays at
1pm and on Sundays at 3pm and 4pm. Other times by prior arrangement. In
addition to the items on display from its permanent collection, the Library
mounts special temporary exhibitions. It also runs an event-filled public
programme which includes lectures, workshops and demonstrations. Facilities
include: Restaurant, Gift and Book Shop, Audio-visual presentations, Roof
Garden, wheelchair access, baby-changing facilities. [See also Library
information, infra.]
Library information: Situated in the heart of the city centre [...] the Chester Beatty Library's exhibitions open a window on the artistic treasures of the great cultures and religions of the world. The Library's rich collection of manuscripts, prints, icons, miniature paintings, early printed books and objets d’art from countries across Asia, the Middle East, North Africa and Europe offers visitors a visual feast - all the collecting activities of one man. / Egyptian papyrus texts, beautifully illuminated copies of the Qur’an [Koran], the Bible, European medieval and renaissance manuscripts are among the highlights of the collection. Turkish and Persian miniatures and striking Buddhist paintings are also on display, as are Chinese dragon robes and Japanese woodblock prints. In its diversity, the collection captures much of the richness of human creative expression from about 2700 BC to the present day. [...]
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Princess Grace Irish Library (Monaco)