Work of the week

11 May 2020

6 May 2020

28 April 2020

21 April 2020

14 April 2020

6 April 2020

30 March 2020

“I was a great believer in hot buttered toast at all hours of the day." Words of wisdom from Frank O'Connor for this WORK OF THE WEEK! Frank O'Connor, who died on this day in 1966, is one of Ireland's most celebrated short story writers. This portrait of him by Norah McGuinness (1901-1980) is currently […]

Did you know that a version of our WORK OF THE WEEK – Deirdre (1942) by Jacob Epstein – was once owned by actor Peter O’Toole? Purchased as part of the Gibson Bequest in 1955, our version is properly titled Third Portrait of Deirdre (Leaning Forward). A bronze sculpture with green patina (oxidized film), it […]

Red Roofs, Nerja (1973) bristles with a quivering, restless energy as the artist balances colour with the particulars of light and form that run in parallel with reality. In this painting, Alicia Boyle responds to the palette and textures of Nerja, Spain in her typically impressionist style. As a comparison, however, it is quite different […]

Amongst the portraits displayed on our first floor is this singular work by Eileen Healy – shown here in a detail. The artist depicts a seated Cónal Creedon – with hands clasped and wearing a long coat (and sheriff’s badge!) – seemingly deep in thought, perhaps plotting out the germ of a new story. “I […]

A Race in Hy Brazil (1937) presents a lush, peopled landscape in rich blue and green tones. Vigorously and expressively painted by Jack B. Yeats, this stunning work depicts the mystical ‘Isle of the Blest’ from Irish mythology. Reputed to lie in the Atlantic Ocean – and even appearing in nautical charts over the centuries! […]

An image of destruction that holds contemporary resonance, this is one of over 300 watercolours by Joseph Stafford Gibson, which were bequeathed to us after his death in Madrid on 3 February 1919. In a letter to British MP Arthur James Balfour (1848-1930) dated 8 February 1894, Gibson explains that he “lived in France from […]

Dylan is Ainm Dom... (2018), as its Irish language title suggests, explores contemporary concerns with self-identity in modern Ireland. It is the work of rising artist Stephen Doyle and was previously shortlisted for the prestigious Zurich Portrait Prize 2018 at the National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin. The setting is a park near seventeen-year-old Dylan’s home […]

The Boxer (c.1914) by William Orpen is a pencil and watercolour study that came into the collection in 2012 when it was donated to the State as part of the AIB Art Collection. It depicts a boxer being assisted out of the ring by two figures, male and female, with the faint echo of a […]

WORK OF THE WEEK!Properly titled El PerseguidorDespojado (the bereft tracker), this painting by Seán Keating is inspired by Don Quixote (1605-15), Miguel de Cervantes’ celebrated novel about a delusional hidalgo (gentleman). Brimming with symbolism, it is possible that the artist selected this subject for its nationalist commentary to reflect a pivotal time in Ireland’s own […]