The Birth of Modernism in Irish Art 1920-1960 is the title of an exhibition running at the State Apartment Galleries in Dublin Castle until August 18. In his catalogue commentary curator David Britton notes that it took time before the influence of early 20th century advances in art reached these shores. With the formation of the Irish Free State in 1922 the culturally conservative government and middle class catholics favoured art depicting west of Ireland cottages (Paul Henry), Irish agricultural workers (Sean Keating) or people at leisure as shown by William Conor or James Humbert Craig. The main exponents of Surrealism were Colin Middleton and Nevill Johnson. Mainie Jellett and Evie Hone were the first artists to promote pure Cubism in Ireland, but other Irish artists like May Guinness and Mary Swanzy had studied in Paris before Jellett and Hone’s arrival there. When Jellett first exhibited pure abstract work in 1923 there was a hostile review by the artist/poet George Russell. In 1943 Jellett was instrumental along with le Brocquy, Norah McGuinness, Jack Hanlon and others in organising the first Irish Exhibition of Living Art. Dublin Castle is one of the leading public sites of the OPW. Visitor numbers have been rising and reached 440,000 last year.
