Barbara Dawson Director of the Hugh Lane beside the artwork.

Dublin City Gallery The Hugh Lane together with Criminal Assets Bureau is delighted to announce the return of In the Omnibus by the French artist Honoré Daumier (1808 – 1879). This beautiful drawing in watercolour and gouache was stolen from the Gallery in 1992 and recovered by CAB late last year. In the Omnibus is part of the original collection presented by Hugh Lane to Dublin for the Gallery of Modern Art which first opened to the public in 1908.

“We are delighted to have In the Omnibus returned” says Barbara Dawson director of the Gallery. “It was such a shock when it was stolen and we had messages of sympathy from galleries and museums in Ireland and around the world.  We are very pleased to have it on exhibition again for all our audiences to enjoy. Daumier is a very significant artist whose powerful realism and social consciousness continues to have relevance today. Our congratulations and thanks to the members of CAB for their outstanding detective work in finding In the Omnibus”.

“The Criminal Assets Bureau wishes to thank the Hugh Lane Gallery for their kind words of appreciation.  The Bureau is particularly pleased that as part of its investigative work in 2013, this significant piece of artwork has been recovered and restored to the gallery, having been stolen in 1992. I wish to express my congratulations to the Bureau Officers involved in the investigation and in particular to Detective Garda Philip Galvin whose investigative work led directly to the recovery of this piece of artwork” said Detective Chief Superintendent Eugene Corcoran, Chief Bureau Officer, Criminal Assets Bureau.