Sarah Purser: Private Worlds opens today at the National Gallery of Ireland. The exhibition explores the private worlds of her female sitters. There are two portraits of Kathleen Behan (nee Kearney and mother of Brendan) who was one of her favourite sitters. A highlly accomplished portraitist these pensive, introspective works capture the character of her sitters without leaning into sentimentality. Purser was, in 1924, the first women member elected to the RHA and a founding member of the Friends of the National Collections, Ireland. The exhibition continues until February 25
