Landscape is theme of OPW touring exhibition
The Office of Public Works, in conjunction with the Department of Finance, Northern Ireland is currently hosting their joint touring exhibition, 'Untitled [landscape]' at Rathfarnham Castle, Dublin.
The exhibition comprises of thirty art works chosen from the collections of Northern Ireland Civil Service and the Office of Public Works, providing an opportunity to show the art from both collections to the public. The two administrations have been jointly organising these touring art exhibitions for over 20 years.
Speaking at the opening of the exhibition, OPW Chairman Maurice Buckley said: "I am delighted to be here this evening to open this unique exhibition focusing on the theme of 'Landscape', and to launch the Rathfarnham Castle Guidebook, which I believe complements and enhances the visitor experience in its selections of images on display against such wonderful surroundings of this historic location.”
This year the exhibition was curated by Dr Louise Kelly and Davey Moor from the OPW Art Management Office and consists of landscapes in a range of mediums, from oils on canvas to prints and photographs. A free catalogue accompanies the exhibition and in it Moor succinctly describes the artworks as 'thirty idiosyncratic views of nature; each scape contoured somewhat to the code of a personal iconography. We see vistas charged with politics, humour, memory, gender, and often by an introverted look at the workings of picture construction, whether analogue or digital.
The Rathfarnham Castle Guidebook written by Jane Fenlon with contributions from Antoine Giacometti and Rebecca Jeffares covers the history of the Castle and its occupants from 1583 right up the present day. It includes a wealth of detail on the architecture and interior decoration of the house and the history of the gardens and demesne as well as fascinating information on the archaeological discoveries made in 2014. It is beautifully illustrated with images from the castle’s art collection as well as photographs by Con Brogan, David Davison and Alva MacGowan, drawings by Gráinne Carr and a variety of images sourced from the National Monuments Service at the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, the Irish Jesuit Archives, the National Gallery of Ireland, the British Library, the Royal Collection Trust and other institutions both in Ireland and overseas.
Books can be purchased from Rathfarnham Castle Price: €5
The exhibition will run to the end of January and admission is free. It then moves onto the Luan Gallery, Athlone.
Click on the attached - www.opw.ie/en/latestnews to view the catalogue that accompanies the exhibition