Visual Arts in Limerick
Cultural History, Ardagh Chalice, Famous
Art Museums (like National Self-Portrait Collection, Hunt Museum) and
Galleries.
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Visual Arts in Limerick |
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CULTURAL PREHISTORY
OF LIMERICK |
Visual Arts in County LimerickLying south of Clare and north of Cork in the province of Munster, County Limerick (Luimneach) has a population of 175,304 and is named after the City of Limerick on the River Shannon. Limerick City is a major cultural and commercial centre in the county, hosting the University of Limerick, and numerous cultural institutions. Early Visual Arts One of Limerick's earliest art treasures was the famous Ardagh Chalice, which was discovered in 1868, in a field near the village of Ardagh, County Limerick. Comparable with the Derrynaflan Chalice, the Ardagh Chalice is one of the great surviving masterpieces of Celtic metalwork from the Irish Insular art period (c.700-900) - the golden age in the history of Irish art. Other items in the Ardagh Hoard, included a smaller bronze ministerial cup and four brooches. |
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MONUMENTS OF IRISH CULTURE |
Arts Centres and Institutions Limerick boasts several arts centres/institutions, both of which contribute greatly to visual arts and culture within the county and beyond. Limerick City Art Gallery One of Ireland's oldest galleries, Limerick City Gallery of Art presents exhibitions featuring Irish sculpture and Irish painting from its Permanent Collection as well as temporary art shows. Its own collection contains representative works of modern Irish art in all media, including: drawing, painting, sculpture, fine art photography and contemporary media. Famous Irish artists in the collection include: Paul Henry, Sean Keating, Jack B. Yeats, John Morris and the sculptress Dorothy Cross. In addition, the Limerick City Gallery of Art houses the National Collection of Contemporary Drawing. At the end of each year, the Gallery hosts the annual exhibition of the Limerick Art Society - the oldest art society in Ireland. Other galleries include: Angela Woulfe Gallery, Limerick (061-310164); Belltable Arts Centre, Limerick (061-319866); Gallery 75, Limerick (061-315650); Limerick Printmakers, Limerick (061-311806); Ruby Lane Fine Art, Limerick (061-446699); Thomas Street Arts Framing Centre, Limerick (061-410199). The National Self-Portrait Collection of Ireland Housed at the University of Limerick, the National Self-Portrait Collection of Ireland includes 400 self-portraits by native or resident Irish artists, in a variety of media including: tempera, watercolour, gouache, oils, acrylics, drawings in pen and ink, crayon, pastels, mixed media, bronze and stone sculpture, stained glass, etching, dry-point, woodblock, whalebone, porcelain and stone, ceramics and photographs. |
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Famous Artists Famous Limerick painters and sculptors include: Douglas Alexander, (Landscapes); Norman Garstin, (Figure and Landscape Painter); Sean Keating, (Romantic Realist Painter); Dermod O'Brien, (Portraitist, Landscape and Figure Painter); John Shinnors, (Contemporary Abstract Landscapes); Donald Teskey, (Landscape Artist). Other renowned names include: Valerie Brennan, (abstract landscapes); Diana Copperwhite, (Abstracts); Jack Donovan, (Figure Painter); Christopher Doran, (Founder Member of the Limerick Art Society); Bridget Fahy, (colourist); Martin Finnin, (Contemporary Mixed-Media Artist); Mike Fitzharris, (Landscapes in Oils and Mixed-Media); St George Hare, (Figure Painter); Kate Hennessy, (Contemporary); Pamela Leonard, (Watercolourist and Printmaker); Brian MacMahon, (Landscapes noted for Impasto); Roger McCarthy (landscape artist); Henry Morgan, (Expressionist Figurative Painter); Jeremiah Hodges Mulcahy, (Landscapes); Geraldine O'Brien, (Flower Painter); Fergus O'Ryan, (Printmaker and Oil Painter); Thomas Ryan, (Portraiture, Landscape, Still Life and Historical Paintings); and Walter Verling, (Landscape Artist). |
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• For more about Irish culture, see:
Ireland Visual Arts.
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