'Fantastic coup' for closed Crawford Art Gallery
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Mary McCarthy, Director of the Crawford Art Gallery, at the unveiling of four new artworks acquired by the gallery. PHOTO: Joleen CroninImage 2 of 3
Jean O'Donovan, Registrar of the Crawford Art Gallery, inspecting 'Winter Evening, Calary' (1964) by Camille Souter.Image 3 of 3
A close up of Sean Keating’s 'Elijah with the Ravens, Version II'.Its doors may be closed to the public for redevelopment but that hasn’t stopped Cork’s Crawford Art Gallery from acquiring four significant works to add to its collection.
Seán Keating’s ‘Elijah with the Ravens, Version II’ (1930) and his self-portrait, circa 1961, along with ‘Winter Evening, Calary’ (1964) by abstract and landscape artist Camille Souter, and ‘Attic Bedroom’ (date unknown) by Grace Henry, will all be on display for visitors when the gallery reopens.
The acquisitions bring to 15 the number of Keating works in Crawford Art Gallery’s collection. Keating, born in 1889 in Limerick, is considered one of Ireland's leading painters of the first half of the twentieth century.
One of his best-loved paintings, ‘Men of the South’, depicting men of the 2nd North Cork Brigade of the IRA awaiting an ambush, is already in Crawford Art Gallery’s collection. In November 2023, the Crawford purchased ‘The Window’, a tender depiction of Keating’s wife, May, which has attracted significant attention since its arrival to Cork.
“This is a fantastic coup for Crawford Art Gallery, for the National Collection, and for Cork,” said Crawford Art Gallery director Mary McCarthy. “As these important acquisitions show, we are continuing to work behind the scenes to enhance the National Collection.
“The public will have an even more exciting and enriching visitor experience awaiting them when we re-open our doors following Transforming Crawford Art Gallery,” she added. Crawford Art Gallery is currently closed to the public for Transforming Crawford Art Gallery, an extensive restoration and redevelopment project that is currently expected to be complete in 2027. Behind the closed doors, staff continue to take care of the collection of over 3,500 artworks. The collection is being decanted into secure storage throughout the winter of 2024, for the duration of the building’s renovations.
The four new additions to the gallery’s collection were all purchased with the financial support of the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.