An exhibition of recent print and drawing acquisitions opens today at the National Gallery of Ireland in Dublin. Entitled Eclectic Images the first part of the exhibition shows a selection of some 60 prints and illustrated books from the Brian Lalor Collection, which charts the developments in printmaking through the centuries, from the early reproductive prints of Maerten van Heemskerk (1498-1574), to Christopher Le Brun’s (b.1951) mysterious Four Riders series of etchings. It explores themes such as the portrait in print; early twentieth-century printmaking; Biblical Palestine; and works inspired by Whistler.
The second part of the display includes some of the most beautiful and unusual watercolours, drawings and prints acquired by the Gallery through purchase or gift since 2011. It features drawings by Fernand Lèger, Walter Osborne and Kyffin Williams, as well as prints by Berthe Morisot, Frank Brangwyn and Micheal Farrell. The generous donation of over 160 prints received from Brian Lalor in 2014 underlines how the national collection continues to benefit from the generosity of private donors. Eclectic Images runs until December 7. Here is a sample:
John Faulkner (1835-1894)
Inniskea Isle, Achill
Photo © National Gallery of Ireland
Charles Blair Leighton (1823-1855)
Choosing the Wedding Gown, 1869
Presented, Brian Lalor, 2014
Photo © National Gallery of Ireland
James Caldwall (1739-1819)
Macbeth, Act I, Scene III, 1798
Presented, Brian Lalor, 2014
Photo © National Gallery of Ireland
Wenceslaus Hollar (1607-1677)
Portrait of Mary Villiers, Duchess of Richmond and Lennox, c.1646
Presented, Brian Lalor, 2014
Photo © National Gallery of Ireland