West: Art from the Edge of Ireland

An oil painting showing groups of people gathered on a village road, with thatched houses overlooking the sea. The women are wearing shawls and red dresses and are barefoot. There are animals - pigs and chickens - on the road too.
Walter Osborne (1859-1903), Life in Connemara, 1898. Courtesy of the O’Brien Collection. Photography: Michael Tropea.

1 April - 11 July 2027
Rooms 6-10 | Tickets from €0 - €16

This exhibition will bring together works by artists who have turned their attention to Ireland’s western seaboard, offering not only scenic views of this enduring terrain, but reflections on how its representation has transformed over time. Spanning the 19th century to the present day, the exhibition will investigate the West of Ireland as a place to explore identity, memory and the natural environment. 

The exhibition will feature a wide variety of media, including painting, sculpture, photography, video and works on paper. Much-loved artists, whose work will be on display include Sean Scully (b. 1945), Mainie Jellett (1897-1944), William Orpen (1878-1931), Seán Keating (1889-1977), Dorothea Lange (1895-1965), Frederic William Burton (1816-1900) and Dorothy Cross (b. 1956). Visitors to this exhibition will experience the West as a source of freedom, inspiration, peace, cultural preservation and revival, as well as a location that is layered with narratives of human experience. 

The accompanying publication will expand on the interdisciplinary elements of the exhibition, exploring social, political, environmental, and cultural history of the West of Ireland.

Curator: Sarah McAuliffe, Curator of Irish Art Post 1900