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Dublin
welcomes largest ever exhibition of Ireland's best-known 20th century
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Press Release 18 February 2003 Paul
Henry The biggest exhibition of the works of Paul Henry ever held in Dublin was formally opened today (Tuesday, 18 February) by Mr. John O'Donoghue, T.D., Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism. This is the first exhibition of an Irish artist to be held in the Millennium Wing of the National Gallery. The exhibition, which is sponsored by FBD Insurance, will be open to the public from February 19th and run until May 18th 2003. Paul Henry is recognised as one of Ireland's most important landscape painters of the twentieth century. He is renowned for his views of Achill Island where he resided for a large period of his life. Among his best-known paintings are 'Launching the Curragh' and 'The Potato Diggers' 1912. Visitors to the National Gallery will have an opportunity to see many works rarely seen in public, of note are: 'A West of Ireland Village' (1920-1) from the Musée national d'art moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, and 'A Mountain Village' (1926-9) from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. The exhibition brings together over 100 works drawn from both public and private collections in Ireland, the US, France and other collections in Europe and is selected and curated by Dr. S.B. Kennedy, Head of Fine and Applied Art at the Ulster Museum, Belfast. In addition to the paintings on show in the Millennium Wing there will be a special selection of the artist's works on paper on view in the Print Gallery. An Acoustiguide audio tour, supported by KPMG, will be available for hire during the exhibition. Mr. Raymond Keaveney, Director of the National Gallery said, "One year on from its inauguration, we are delighted, for the first time, to host the works of an Irish artist in the Millennium Wing. People from all corners of Ireland will be familiar with Henry's works and we have captured paintings from around the world in this wonderful exhibition. We are deeply indebted to the sponsor FBD Insurance and to the generosity of the lenders who have made this wonderful event possible." Commenting
on their sponsorship, Mr. Paul O'Callaghan, Chief Executive of FBD
Insurance said, "As the largest Irish owned Insurance Company,
we are pleased to sponsor this exhibition devoted to one of the
most famous Irish artists and see it as an ideal association for
our company. The Paul Henry show will touch the hearts and minds
of all Irish people and we are delighted to be able to assist in
bringing this to the Irish public." In an accompanying illustrated catalogue, published in association with Yale University Press, Dr. Kennedy brings together for the first time material relating to the artist's method of working and his treatment of the landscape. "Henry", he says, "is the most important Irish landscape painter of the twentieth century. Almost single-handedly he defined a view of the Irish landscape, in particular that of the West, that remains as convincing to modern eyes as it was in his own time." For further
information & images contact: For Tickets to the Paul Henry Exhibition:
Guided School Tours of the exhibition are available Mondays 10am-12noon and Tuesdays 1pm-3pm. All school groups are advised to book 3 weeks in advance of their visit through the ticket phone line (663 3513) During the exhibition, there will be complementary programmes and activities:
Entry to the National Gallery's permanent collection is free and visitors are welcome to explore and enjoy the new Millennium Wing with its Shop, Restaurants and presentation of 20th century Irish paintings. The only admission charge will be for the Paul Henry exhibition. Gallery
Shops Fitzers
at the Wintergarden Restaurant and Gallery Café
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