George Dawson: An Unbiased Eye – Modern and contemporary art from Trinity College Dublin

Friday 19 November – Sunday 19 December 2010
Robert Ballagh: Woman Looking at Pierre Soulages, 1973, mixed media, edition 9/45, TCD Art Collections, donated by George Dawson; courtesy and © the artist | George Dawson: An Unbiased Eye – Modern and contemporary art from Trinity College Dublin | Friday 19 November – Sunday 19 December 2010 | Royal Hibernian Academy

Royal Hibernian Academy, Dr. Tony Ryan Gallery and the Atrium

Trinity College is currently celebrating 50 years of visual arts initiatives, in particular, the College Gallery Picture Hire scheme, founded during the academic year 1959-60 and still running today. The scheme allows students and staff with rooms and offices on campus to engage with art during their normal daily routines. Following the hugely successful collaborative exhibition, ‘Holding Together’, at the Douglas Hyde Gallery, the celebrations now move to the Royal Hibernian Academy where the focus is expanded to assess the Trinity College modern art collection for its Irish and international artistic content, within the context of major international artistic movements since the 1950s. The accompanying commemorative publication complements the exhibition by offering an insight into the generations of people and personalities that have shaped the collection, inspired by George Dawson, founder of the picture hire scheme and the driving force behind many of the major visual arts initiatives at Trinity.

Selected by Catherine Giltrap, Curator of the Trinity College Art Collections, the exhibition comprises over 35 works inviting the viewer on a journey through Cubism, Abstract Expressionism, and Minimalism, to Op, Pop, Conceptual, and Installation art, right up to the influence of digital technology on visual arts practice. Artists represented include Nevill Johnson, Pablo Picasso, Henry Moore, Gerard Dillon, William Scott, Roy Lichtenstein, Camille Souter, Victor Vasarely, Louis Le Brocquy, Brian O’Doherty (Patrick Ireland), Ellsworth Kelly, Robert Ballagh, Richard Gorman, and Clare Langan. Woven through the selection is a narrative recounting how the modern art collection at Trinity College was formed, by whom, and why. Visitors to the exhibition are encouraged to continue their experience by taking an interactive walking tour through the nearby Trinity College campus which serves as the University’s living exhibition space and features works by Arnaldo Pomodoro, Alexander Calder, Patrick Scott, Anne Madden, Barrie Cooke, and Michael Warren, among others.

The exhibition and publication have been generously supported by the alumni through the Trinity College Association and Trust and by Joseph O’Gorman. Further information is available here, and the Irish Arts Review Winter issue 2010 features a 4-page article by Catherine Giltrap on how George Dawson brought a modern art revolution to Trinity College.

Exhibition Talks series, The Royal Hibernian Academy

Dr. Tony Ryan Gallery and at The Trinity College Dublin campus

Sun. 12th & Sun. 19th December at 3pm

Curator’s tour of the exhibition, Catherine Giltrap, TCD Art Collections Curator

Wed. 15th December at Trinity College

1.15-1.45pm: Lunchtime Campus Art tour – meet Arts Building entrance overlooking the café – access via the Nassau Street entrance to TCD, sliding doors immediately on the right hand side.

Further information: www.tcd.ie/artcollections

Commemorative publication:

George Dawson: An Unbiased Eye. Modern and contemporary art at Trinity College Dublin since 1959. Edited by Catherine Giltrap

Supported by the Trinity College Dublin Association and Trust and by Joseph O’Gorman

ISBN: 978-1-906429-15-7;

Format: 280mm x 220 mm; 128pp;

Paperback with French flaps, thread sewn, Illustrations: 36 colour plates, and four generously illustrated essays

The publication is available to purchase from the Royal Hibernian Academy during the exhibition and from The Trinity College Dublin Library Shop, along with other gallery and mainstreet bookshops nationwide. To purchase a copy online, contact Associated Editions www.associatededitions.ie

This beautifully illustrated commemorative publication accompanies the exhibition at the Royal Hibernian Academy. The 128-page book recounts and contextualises Trinity College’s significant contribution to the development of modern and contemporary visual arts practice in Ireland, led by former Professor of Genetics, George Dawson (1927-2004). Internationally renowned sculptor Arnaldo Pomodoro contributes to the introduction, followed by essays from Catherine Giltrap (Curator of the Trinity College Art Collections), Dr. Yvonne Scott (Director of TRIARC – The Trinity Irish Art Research Centre), and Dr. Angela Griffith (Expert in the history and development of Irish graphic art). The final chapter brings together for the first time, insightful and humorous stories by Trinity College graduates and staff, as well as artists, arts professionals, architects, and friends of George Dawson, recounting 50 years of modern and contemporary visual arts activities at Trinity.

Proceeds from the book will support new acquisitions and conservation to perpetuate opportunities for generations of students, staff, and the visiting public to engage with the visual arts at Trinity College.

Image: Robert Ballagh: Woman Looking at Pierre Soulages, 1973, mixed media, edition 9/45, TCD Art Collections, donated by George Dawson; courtesy and © the artist
Friday 19 November – Sunday 19 December 2010
Royal Hibernian Academy
15 Ely Place, Dublin 2
Telephone: +353 1 661 2558
info@rhagallery.ie
www.royalhibernianacade...
Opening hours / start times:
Monday 11:00 - 17:00
Tuesday 11:00 - 17:00
Wednesday 11:00 - 19:00
Thursday 11:00 - 19:00
Friday 11:00 - 19:00
Saturday 11:00 - 19:00
Sunday 14:00 - 17:00
Admission / price: Free

 
Associated sites
Design: iCulture • Privacy and cookies
day before opening reception
day of opening reception
day before open to public
day open to public
day before closing
day of closing

(e-mail addresses are not retained after the reminder is sent)