A Fascinating Collection of Modern & Contemporary Art ~ The Irish Museum of Modern Art in Dublin

Written by Rolf Void Tuesday, 20 December 2011 23:21

The Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA) was established by the Government of Ireland in 1990 as Ireland’s first national institution for the presentation and collection of modern and contemporary art. The museum was officially opened on 25 May 1991 by the, then Taoiseach Charles J Haughey. Since its opening the museum has rapidly established itself as a significant and dynamic presence in the Irish and international arts arena. It is widely admired by its peers throughout the world for the range and relevance of its exhibitions, for its innovative use of its growing Collection, for its award-winning education and community program and for its visitor-centered ethos and facilities. The IMMA is Ireland's leading national institution for the collection and presentation of modern and contemporary art. The museum presents a wide variety of art in a dynamic program of exhibitions, which regularly includes bodies of work from its own Collection and its award-winning education and community department. It also creates more widespread access to art and artists through its Studio and National programs. The museum is housed in the Royal Hospital Kilmainham, the finest 17th-century building in Ireland. The Royal Hospital was founded in 1684 by James Butler, Duke of Ormonde and Viceroy to Charles II, as a home for retired soldiers and continued in that use for almost 250 years. The style is based on Les Invalides in Paris with a formal facade and a large elegant courtyard. The Royal Hospital in Chelsea was completed two years later and also contains many similarities in style. The Royal Hospital Kilmainham was restored by the Government in 1984 and opened as the Irish Museum of Modern Art in May 1991. The museum’s mission is to foster within society an awareness, understanding and involvement in the visual arts through policies and programs which are excellent, innovative and inclusive. IMMA has proved to be a valuable and popular addition to the country’s cultural infrastructure, attracting more than 400,000 Irish and overseas visitors each year, both to the Museum itself and to events organized throughout Ireland by its National program. It is hoped that in the future the Museum will be provided with more space, allowing its current activity to be complimented by an encyclopedic permanent display of contemporary art, something Ireland lacks. The IMMA has an excellent museum shop, with a strong emphasis on publications relating to modern Irish artists and a highly regarded café. Entry to the museum is free, and the museum’s Mediator Team (gallery staff) provide free guided tours every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday at 2:30pm. Visit the museum’s website at … http://www.imma.ie

The Collection of IMMA, which comprises some 4,500 works, has been developed since 1990 through purchase, donations and long-term loans, as well as by the commissioning of new works. The guiding principle behind this process is that the Ccllection is firmly rooted in the present. The museum’s acquisitions policy is to concentrate on the work of living artists, but it accepts donations and loans of more historical art objects with a particular emphasis on work from the 1940s onwards. The museum’s Collection is made up of the Permanent Collection and a number of loan collections. The Madden Arnholz Collection of some 2,000 old master prints also forms a part of the IMMA Collection. The museum displays its Collection in rotating temporary exhibitions, exploring the work of individual artists in solo displays, and through curated group exhibitions. The museum’s Collection is also the focal point for the IMMA National program. The permanent collection of IMMA comprises some 1,650 works. The collection reflects some of the most exciting trends in Irish and international art with lens-based work by Marina Abramovic, James Coleman, Willie Doherty, Gilbert and George, Candida Höfer, Pierre Huyghe, Philippe Parreno, Issac Julien, and Paul Seawright, installations by Gerard Byrne, Liam Gillick, Ann Hamilton, and llya and Emilia Kabakov. Also, sculpture by Stephan Balkenhol, Dorothy Cross, Iran do Espírito Santo, Juan Mũnoz, Kathy Prendergast, Rebecca Horn and Corban Walker; and paintings by Barrie Cooke, Howard Hodgkin, Tony O’Malley, Philip Taaffe, Juan Uslé, and Jack B. Yeats. Major donations include a wide variety of modern and contemporary art, including paintings by Basil Blackshaw, Cecil King and Sean Scully, sculptural works by Louise Bourgeois, Barry Flanagan and James McKenna and a film installation by Neil Jordan. Heritage Gifts include 50 works from the PJ Carroll & Co. Ltd. Art Collection, and 46 works from the Bank of Ireland Collection. In 1988 approximately 1,200 Old Master prints were donated to the Royal Hospital Kilmainham (now IMMA) by Clare Madden. The collection includes works by Dürer, Rembrandt, Hogarth, Goya and many other innovative European printmakers from the Renaissance onwards. Following the death of Clare Madden in October 1998 the collection was augmented by the addition of a large collection of books containing prints by the English printmaker Thomas Bewick and his family bringing the total range of printed images to 2,600. Related items in this bequest include unusual versions of the prints on silk and one of Bewick’s printing blocks.

The Museum's temporary exhibition program regularly juxtaposes the work of leading, well-established figures with that of younger-generation artists to create a debate about the nature and function of art.Works shown range from painting and sculpture to installation, photography, video and performance. These exhibitions usually last three to four months and up to four shows can be on view at any one time. IMMA originates many of its exhibitions but also works closely with a network of international galleries and museums. The museum also displays its collection in rotating temporary exhibitions as well as projects and exhibitions based on the work of its education and community departments. Amongst the exhibitions currently on view is a collection of works by Romuald Hazoumè (until May 15th 2011). Winner of the Arnold Bode Prize at documenta 12, Romuald Hazoumè is one of Africa’s leading visual artists. He has worked with a wide variety media throughout his career, from discarded petrol canisters, oil paint and canvas, to large-scale installation, video and photography. The exhibition at IMMA focuses on his iconic sculptures made from discarded plastic canisters which resemble the primitive tribal masks that were so influential to the early Modernists, such as Picasso and Braque. Until 12 Jun 2011, “Philip Taaffe - Anima Mundi” is a survey of the work of the American painter Philip Taaffe, featuring 34 mixed media, mostly abstract paintings from the last ten years. Taaffe’s work has been celebrated in museums around the world for its rich fusion of abstraction with ornamentation, combining elements of Islamic architecture, Op Art, Eastern European textile design, calligraphy and botanical illustration. The exhibition includes many of the most striking examples of the vivid, complex images that result from Taaffe’s highly individual use of line and color. ‘Old Master Prints: The Madden Arnholz Collection’ is on exhibition until June 12th 2011 and displays prints by many of the most famous artists ever to work with print-making. Works by Albrecht Dürer, Francisco de Goya, William Hogarth and Rembrandt van Rijn are all featured with works drawn from the Madden Arnholz Collection. “Les Levine: Three Works from the 1970s” provides the public with an opportunity to view three series of etching and photographic works from the 1970s, recently donated to IMMA by the artist. In the works, the New York-based Irish artist mixes text and image to reinforce his belief that social and political problems are valid concerns for art.

A major travelling exhibition will be on view from 6th April 2011, when IMMA hosts “Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera: Masterpieces of the Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection” (on view until June 26th 2011). “Masterpieces of the Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection”, presents the iconic paintings of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, the two central figures of Mexican Modernism. Few artists have captured the public's imagination with the force of Mexican painter Frida Kahlo (1907 – 1954) and her husband, the Mexican painter and muralist Diego Rivera (1886 – 1957). The myths that surrounded them in their lifetime arose not only from their significant body of work, but also from their active participation in the life of their time, their friendships (and conflicts) with leading figures, their imposing physical appearance and spirited natures. The paintings exhibited include key images by Kahlo such as "Self Portrait with Monkeys", and "Self Portrait as a Tehuana" or "Diego in My Thoughts", and the major work by Rivera, "Calla Lily Vendors" (all 1943). The paintings are supplemented by other works including diaries, lithographs, drawings, pastels and collages, all offering a rich visual experience for the visitor. Also included are striking photographs of Kahlo and Rivera by Lucienne Bloch, Héctor García, Martin Munkacsi, Nickolas Muray and Bernard Silberstein. The Museum concentrates on acquiring contemporary art by living artist and buys only from primary markets: studios and galleries. It also accepts donations of art dating from 1940 onwards and through some generous gifts has made progress towards a representative collection of art of that period