Ninety paintings, prints and sculptures which once graced the former Great Southern hotels will be enjoyed by the general public for generations to come, Minister for Arts John O'Donoghue said yesterday at the Crawford Art Gallery in Cork.
He was unveiling the Great Southern Art Collection exhibition, described as a fascinating mini-survey of mid-20th century Irish art. The Minister said it had been a great pleasure to oversee the transformation of the Crawford gallery into the first national cultural institution to be located in its entirety outside Dublin.
Chairman of the Crawford John R Bowen said the presentation of the Great Southern Art Collection by the Government to the gallery was a privilege. "However, this is only the beginning of a new chapter in the gallery's history, and we look forward to continuing to develop the collection, concentrating on Irish art but also including international works," he said.
Highlights of the collection will tour the country and there are plans to display a number of pieces in the new headquarters of the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism in Fossa, Co Kerry.
In November 2006, more than 90 works of art, mostly paintings and original prints, were transferred to the ownership of the State by the Dublin Airport Authority. Known as the Great Southern Art Collection, these works span the years between 1947 and 1974, three important decades in the development of the visual arts in Ireland.
As the Great Southern Hotel Group was then part of CIÉ, and owned by the State, the paintings, sculptures and prints were part of the national collection. They were previously displayed in Killarney, Parknasilla, Cork, Rosslare, Galway and Dublin.
The acquisition of the Great Southern Art Collection significantly strengthens the Crawford's holdings in 20th-century Irish art. When seen in the context of Gibson bequest acquisitions and the more recent bequest of the Fr John McGrath collection, it confirms the emergence of the Crawford as a centre of national and international importance for the conservation and display of Irish art.
The Great Southern Art Collection includes works by William Leech, Gerard Dillon, Norah McGuinness, Nano Reid, Cecil King, Anne Madden and Maurice McGonigal. The exhibition will remain on display at the Crawford Art Gallery, Emmet Place, Cork, until June 2nd.