“New Perspectives” exhibition looks specifically at new acquisitions made by the gallery between 2011 – 2020. Can you tell me about the variety of artwork on display?

Our exciting summer exhibition showcases works of art that have been added to the National Gallery of Ireland’s collection over the past decade, either through purchase, gift or bequest. A diverse array of drawings, paintings, prints, photographs, sculpture, and archival material by artists ranging from Peter Paul Rubens to Dorothy Cross, and Ilya Bolotowsky to Mairead O’hEocha are included. From old master paintings to contemporary pieces, the exhibition has something for everyone to enjoy. This exhibition provides us with an opportunity to display a selection from the over 2,000 artworks that have been acquired during the last ten years. New artworks bring fresh perspectives, advance art history, create new contexts and enable discoveries. Acquisitions add dynamism and prevent the collection from becoming static. They can be made in response to a temporary loan exhibition, can highlight how a gap in the collection might be filled, or can introduce an entirely new artistic medium to the collection, such as photography. Whatever strategy is adopted, there is always a time lag between acquisitions being made and it becoming obvious how they shape the future of the collections and displays. This exhibition draws together all these strands to give coherence to the great variety of works we have newly acquired.

Alice Neel (1900–1984), Cityscape, 1934, Oil on canvas

I’m sure there are many reasons why works are chosen to become part of the National Gallery of Ireland’s collection. Can you tell me about some individual works and the stories behind them?

A myriad of interesting stories weave their way through this exhibition. For example, our stunning Alice Neel painting Cityscape, dated 1934, has a fascinating story attached to it. A resident of New York, Neel painted portraits, still lifes and street scenes. In December 1934, her partner destroyed the majority of her artwork in a jealous rage. Following this, Neel decamped from their Greenwich Village apartment and spent the next week in a hotel on 42nd Street. It was there that she painted the snowy rooftops of this Manhattan cityscape. Through extensive research, my fellow curator Janet McLean both found and correctly dated this painting. She also discovered that the steeple depicted in the immediate foreground is the Holy Cross Church. The painting is a welcome addition to the National Collection, given the fact that it marked a new start for Neel and her art.

Juan Carreño de Miranda (1614–1685), The Adoration of the Magi, mid-1660s, Oil on canvas

Another important painting that was acquired last year is The Adoration of the Magi by the Spanish artist Juan Carreño de Miranda. In this familiar biblical scene, the artist skilfully depicts the sumptuous robes of the Magi, paying close attention to the play of light across their silks, ermines, jewels, and turbans. Appointed painter to King Charles II in Madrid in 1669, Carreño de Miranda was a seminal figure in the development of Spanish Baroque art. Dr Aoife Brady, Curator of Italian and Spanish Art at the National Gallery of Ireland, notes: ‘This ambitious, large-scale composition speaks of his abilities as a mature artist, and provides a harmonious counterbalance to the many Sevillian masterpieces in the collection’.

Margaret Clarke (1884–1961), Girl Praying c.1925

As well as purchasing new artworks for the collection, we have received many generous gifts and bequests. A case in point are two paintings by the Irish artist Margaret Clarke. Her painting Miserere, dated 1926, was lent to the exhibition Margaret Clarke: An Independent Spirit that I curated back in 2017. It was subsequently gifted to the collection in 2020. Through this 2017 exhibition, a number of the artist’s works in private hands also came to light, including Girl Praying, dated c.1925, which depicts Clarke’s eldest child Ann. Hitherto unrecorded, it had belonged to the same family for years. It was gifted in 2019 by Mr Leo Donnelly in memory of his wife and mother-in-law, who had derived great pleasure from their regular visits to the Gallery.

Aoife Layton (b.1979), Clash, 2018, Mezzotint on Fabriano paper

Our focus has been to examine closely more recent art, particularly art made in Ireland. We are committed to acquiring key examples of Irish contemporary art, and work by women artists. Two examples across different media in the exhibition are Aoife Layton’s striking mezzotint print Clash, dated 2018, and Siobhán Hapaska’s sculpture snake, apple, tree, also dated 2018. Layton notes: ‘Clash was developed from a series of observational drawings of captive pelicans. In it I seek to represent the birds in a formal composition which reflects the idiosyncrasies of their anatomy and behaviour.’ Over the course of the past decade, the Gallery has actively acquired the work of artists associated with some of Ireland’s many vibrant print studios including Stoney Road Press, Graphic Studio Dublin, and Cork Printmakers, from where this print was purchased in 2019.

Siobhan Hapaska (b.1963), snake, apple, tree, 2018, Aluminium, artificial snakeskin, fibreglass, two-pack acrylic paint, oak, lacquer

Hapaska works with a wide range of industrially manufactured and natural materials. snake, apple, tree is one of a series of works comprising an arrangement of steel joists (covered with artificial snakeskin) that appear to grip and compress fibreglass spheres out of shape. Her use of timber in this work is unique in the series. The title of this intriguing sculpture invites figurative interpretations and suggests biblical narratives. Artworks like this certainly expand or push the boundaries in terms of media traditionally associated with collecting at the Gallery.

Evelyn Hofer (1922–2009), Distillery, Dublin, 1966, 2003, Dye transfer print

The Gallery has actively been acquiring photography. Can you tell me about this new departure?

At the end of 2018, the Gallery actively went about establishing a strong collection of photography. Within two years, a core group of around 250 works has been acquired, with important names like Man Ray, Elliott Erwitt, Evelyn Hofer, and Amelia Stein included. Evelyn Hofer was a German-American documentary and portrait photographer. She visited Dublin in 1966. The photographs she made were published in Dublin: A Portrait (1967), in collaboration with the writer VS Pritchett. In 2019 the National Gallery of Ireland acquired a group of photographs from the series. Her compelling image of a desolate street acts as a stark reminder of what we have all experienced during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mandy O’Neill (b.1967), Edna O’Brien Diptych, 2020 Photograph

Am I correct in saying that another section of this exhibition will open in July?

Yes, we will open a further section of our “New Perspectives” exhibition in July, which will highlight the diverse range of portraits acquired by the Gallery over the past decade. During that time, the profile of portraiture has been significantly raised, due to the Gallery’s active engagement with living artists. Recent additions include portraits of the legendary hurler Henry Shefflin, the fashion designer John Rocha, writer and television star Graham Norton, former State Pathologist Professor Marie Cassidy, and filmmaker Lenny Abrahamson. Many familiar faces, uniquely depicted in paint, pencil or porcelain, sit alongside an array of artist’s intriguing self-portraits. Here too, photography has played its role in extending the scope of portraiture in the collection. Some new additions in this medium include Kim Haughton’s sensitive portrayal of JP Donleavy and Mandy O’Neill’s striking diptych of Edna O’Brien. In addition to our New Perspectives exhibitions, a whole host of new acquisitions are peppered throughout the Gallery, identified by a “New Perspectives” insignia. I would invite everyone to come and see these new additions to the collection in the flesh, now that you can!

Need to Know: “New Perspectives. Acquisitions 2011-2020” is at National Gallery of Ireland, in Rooms 6-10, from May 11 – August 2. The exhibition curators are Sean Rainbird (Director, National Gallery of Ireland), Janet McLean and Niamh MacNally (Curators, National Gallery of Ireland); www.nationalgallery.ie.