Irish Art to Make a Splash - Riddle Magazine

Irish Art to Make a Splash

The Art of A Nation Exhibition looks to capture 130 years of under-estimated Irish Art

Article by Rupert Watkins Photography by Andy Barnham

Riddle was lucky enough to be at the Irish Embassy earlier today for the launch of The Art of a Nation exhibition that will be held at Mall Galleries, The Mall from May 13th. Bringing together 70 paintings from Allied Irish Bank’s (AIB) collection, the exhibition covers the gamut of Irish art from the 1880’s to the current day.

At the launch, three different and distinct paintings were on display, Corpus Christi Procession c1880 by Aloysuis O’Kelly, War of Independence c1921 by Sean Keating and a modern work It’s a Blue Giraffe by emerging artist Shane Blount. O’Kelly’s work clearly shows the Impressionist influences he bought back to Ireland from his period in France whilst War of Independence is a muscular and visceral work showing clearly the passions and intensity that drove this particular artist.

This is the largest exhibition of Irish art to be held in London since 1981. AIB has been acquiring pieces since 1980 and this show calls upon only a fraction of it’s remarkable and important 3,000 strong collection. Speaking at the launch, the Irish Ambassador to London, Daniel Mulhall, stressed the importance of Ireland’s art within its rich and varied culture - pointing to the many Irish Nobel prize winning writers and poets - as part of the country’s “soft” power.

Starting on May 13th, the exhibition will run for three weeks. Entry is free