Among those chosen are two artists featured on the pages of the Irish Arts Review: Miseon Lee, originally from South Korea, and now based in Dublin, is known for her classically poised self-portraits. Fellow artist James Hanley, discussed Lee’s career path in IAR, Autumn 2011 which we republish here. The work selected for the Hennessy Portrait Prize shows her attention turned to portraying her son with the same painstaking realism.
In the forthcoming winter issue, William Gallagher will preview sculptor Janet Mullarney’s dramatic installation at the Butler Gallery in Kilkenny as it relocates from its launch earlier this year at the Highlanes, Drogheda. Mullarney’s multi-media practice was also examined by Cliodhna Shaffrey in the Autumn 2010 edition of IAR which we republish here.
The other artists shortlisted are:
Catherine Barron from Co. Kilkenny; Self Portrayal – acrylic ink on shellac records
Gerry Blake from Co. Wicklow; Carmel (from “The Grey and the Green”) – photograph on fine art paper
Simon Burch from Co. Dublin; Ruby Walsh – photograph on photographic paper
Aidan Crotty from Co. Sligo; Self-portrait with a Flyer – oil on canvas
Eoin Heaney from Co. Dublin; Last Words – video on digital screen
Mark Heng from Co. Limerick; Self-portrait with Hat and Apron – acrylic on board
Stephen Johnston from Lisburn; The Artist – oil on canvas
Vera Klute from Co. Dublin; Anne Ryder – oil on canvas
Helen O’Sullivan-Tyrrell from Belgium; Ferdia – oil on canvas
Mandy O’Neill from Co. Dublin; Jody from the series ‘Promise’ – archival photographic print
Open to artists in all disciplines, the aim of the Hennessy Portrait Prize is to showcase and encourage interest in contemporary portraiture, and to raise the profile of the National Portrait Collection at the National Gallery of Ireland.
The panel of judges, comprising Aidan Dunne (Art Critic for the Irish Times); Colin Davidson RUA (artist); Catherine Marshall (scholar and curator) and Anne Hodge (curator, prints and drawings, NGI), was chaired by the director of the National Gallery of Ireland, Sean Rainbird.
Click here to read ‘Diary of a painter: Miseon Lee’ from the Autumn 2011 edition of the IAR.
Click here to read ‘Through a glass darkly: Janet Mullarney’ from the Autumn 2010 edition of the IAR.
Photography’s power to influence our perception of the natural world and its fragility has been gaining impact with the rise in awareness of climate change.
Touring Ireland over the past six months, ‘The Reason of Towns’ celebrates the design qualities of Irish towns and aims to motivate people to choose them as a place to live.
The winner of the 2024 RDS Taylor Art Award, given to the most promising emerging visual artist of the year in Ireland and worth €10,000, is Sorcha Browning.