Visiting an art gallery or buying a work of art is now part of everyday life, something impossible in the 1960s. Since then, the role of the visual arts in our society has undergone major change. This second volume continues the collecting of oral histories of Irish art and the infrastructure around which it developed since 1950. Twelve interviewees - writers, artists, collectors, and galleries - contribute engaging and informative reading.

The voices of Patrick Scott, Francis Ruane, Homan Potterton and Bruce Arnold emerge with energy, charm and cohesion. Every collector will find interest in how Gordon Lambert went about collecting, and how Francis Ruane, advisor to AIB, feels about the art world. Each interview is structured to bring out the most in the interviewee resulting in a unique compilation, historically important but humanly engaging. It presents a very good picture of behind-the-scenes concerns in Irish art over 50 years, a record that will be of value to all.