Tag Archives: art

Art work returned to The Hugh Lane

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2 - Barbara Dawson Director Dublin City Gallery The Hugh Lane

Barbara Dawson Director of the Hugh Lane beside the artwork.

Dublin City Gallery The Hugh Lane together with Criminal Assets Bureau is delighted to announce the return of In the Omnibus by the French artist Honoré Daumier (1808 – 1879). This beautiful drawing in watercolour and gouache was stolen from the Gallery in 1992 and recovered by CAB late last year. In the Omnibus is part of the original collection presented by Hugh Lane to Dublin for the Gallery of Modern Art which first opened to the public in 1908.

 

“We are delighted to have In the Omnibus returned” says Barbara Dawson director of the Gallery. “It was such a shock when it was stolen and we had messages of sympathy from galleries and museums in Ireland and around the world.  We are very pleased to have it on exhibition again for all our audiences to enjoy. Daumier is a very significant artist whose powerful realism and social consciousness continues to have relevance today. Our congratulations and thanks to the members of CAB for their outstanding detective work in finding In the Omnibus”.

 

“The Criminal Assets Bureau wishes to thank the Hugh Lane Gallery for their kind words of appreciation.  The Bureau is particularly pleased that as part of its investigative work in 2013, this significant piece of artwork has been recovered and restored to the gallery, having been stolen in 1992. I wish to express my congratulations to the Bureau Officers involved in the investigation and in particular to Detective Garda Philip Galvin whose investigative work led directly to the recovery of this piece of artwork” said Detective Chief Superintendent Eugene Corcoran, Chief Bureau Officer, Criminal Assets Bureau.

 

Art in Parks

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Art in Parks, a new guide to sculpture in Dublin City Council Parks is now available to view here.

The guide explains the story behind over thirty pieces of sculpture and has descriptions on the work, the artists and the parks where they are situated. It is hoped that with this information the experience of visiting city parks will be enhanced as well as promoting the creative arts in the city.

The guide includes the popular Oscar Wilde sculpture that is made of coloured stone from different countries as well as the more hidden abstract Adult and Child Seat located in St Catherine’s Park.

“Visiting the city’s parks offers an opportunity to experience some of Dublin’s most historic and contemporary public spaces while engaging with some of the city’s rich and exciting collection of public art. I hope this guide makes these sculptures more accessible and enjoyable to all who visit these parks” said Kieran O’ Neill, Senior Executive Landscape Architect in Dublin City Council.

Francis Bacon exhibition of photos of Freud opens tomorrow

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Dublin City Gallery The Hugh Lane is delighted to announce a display of material relating to Lucian Freud drawn from Francis Bacon’s archive and studio which is located in the Gallery.  The significance of this exhibition is that items on display relate  to the recently auctioned painting at Christie’s, New York of ‘Three Studies of Lucian Freud 1969’ by Francis Bacon.  The painting sold last night at a record price of $142.4m, – €104m.

 

The material, relating to the triptych, (three paintings in one), includes a heavily manipulated photograph of Lucian Freud seated on a bed.  This photograph taken by John Deakin in the 1960’s, is manipulated by Bacon in advance of painting. The photograph is deliberately torn with the corner folded, so that Freud’s left leg is obscured. The fold is fixed with paper clips as was a practice of Bacon’s and the paint marks on the photograph indicate that Bacon consulted the photograph during the painting process.

 

“Lucian Freud was a significant figure in Francis Bacon’s life during the 1950s and 60s and he is the subject of some of Bacon’s most memorable paintings. We are very fortunate to have the archive of Francis Bacon in the Hugh Lane as it is a unique resource which relates directly to his artworks and adds an immense amount of information on Francis Bacon and his art” says Barbara Dawson, director.

 

Francis Bacon and Lucian Freud were friends in the 1950s and 60s and over 60 images of Lucian Freud were discovered in Francis Bacon’s Studio which is now located in Dublin City Gallery The Hugh Lane. A display of images of Lucian Freud including photographs by John Deakin commissioned by Francis Bacon will go on exhibition in the Gallery on 14 November 2013.