An exhibition on Irish art and culture during the 18th century is in preparation at the Art Institute of Chicago. Ireland: Crossroads of Art and Design 1690-1840, opens on St. Patrick’s Day. It will present 300 objects drawn from public and private collections across North America and will include furniture, decorative arts, paintings, sculpture, architecture, bookbindings, ceramics, glass, furniture, metalwork, musical instruments and textiles.
Organised thematically throughout six galleries – from portraiture to landscapes, from Dublin to the Irish country house – the exhibition will celebrate the Irish as artists, collectors and patrons. It will open on March 17 and run to June 7.
Robert Fagan. Portrait of a Lady as Hibernia, c. 1801. Private Collection. Courtesy Art Institute of Chicago.
John Egan. Portable Harp, c. 1820. The O’Brien Collection. Courtesy Art Institute of Chicago.