Masterpieces of Irish Olympic Art to be revealed in new landmark exhibition in Waterford
An exciting new exhibition is to due open in the Waterford Gallery of Art this summer featuring an incredible selection of artists that represented Ireland in the Olympic Games, and a select group of contemporary artists inspired by their story.
“MUSCLES & MIND: IRISH ART OLYMPIANS” (26th July 2024 – 26th November 2024) coincides with the official opening of the XXXIII Paris Olympic Games 2024, and will be launched by Olympic Silver Medal winner, John Treacy.
The revival of the modern Olympic Games in the late 1890’s by Baron Pierre De Coubertin embodied the ideal of a marriage between ‘Art and Sport, Muscles and Mind’. With support from the Waterford Arts Office, Creative Ireland, and the Olympic Federation of Ireland, the exhibition features artists from the Waterford Art Collection, as well as some of Ireland’s most renowned artists, who competed for their country in the Olympics between 1924 and 1948.
Artists included are Jack B. Yeats, Letitia Hamilton, Seán Keating, Mainie Jellett, Fr. Jack P. Hanlon, Desmond Broe, Flora Vere O’Brien, Ina Boyle, Stella Steyn, Hilda Roberts, Sir John Lavery, Sir William Orpen and more.
One of the main focuses of the exhibition is to highlight how integral art was to the early Olympics and question what is means to compete and represent your nation as an artist. The gallery has made some exciting discoveries including Mainie Jellett’s ‘The Bathers/Baigneurs’ artwork that was painted in 1922 but only recently has been identified as featuring in the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics.
Also enigmatic, and somewhat eccentric artist, Flora Vere O’Brien was featured twice in the 1948 Olympics with a poem ‘A Song for the Road’ and a print, assumed lost, entitled ‘The Hurlers’. Through the family of O’Brien, the gallery has managed to locate one of the original editions of the print as well as the linocut the image was made from.
The granddaughter of artist Desmond Broe, Sonachú O’Callaghan-Broe, has located a treasure trove of his work including his 1948 London Olympic Medal, Competing Certificate, images of his sculpture submitted in the 1948 Olympics and ‘Race of the Gael’, which was his sculpture featured in the 1952 Helsinki Olympics.
The Gallery also has works on display by Sir John Lavery (who represented Ireland and then changed allegiance to Great Britain) and a sketch and letter by Sir William Orpen of a billiards match. Orpen, a self-declared sports enthusiast, represented Great Britain and served as a part of the organising committee and judge in 1924.
The Olympic Council of Ireland has very kindly given on loan to the gallery a section of the Olympic Cauldron from London 2012 Games as well as artwork by this years commissioned Irish Art Olympian, Shane O’Driscoll.
As part of the Creative Ireland funded ‘Muscles & Mind: Open-Call’, the gallery is also to present a group exhibition exploring themes of nationality, representation, and art as competition, by contemporary artists living and working in Ireland including Catherine Barron, James Horan, Ramon Kassam, Alison Lowry, Séamus O’Brien, Noel O’Donoghue, Laurence O’Toole, Csilla Toldy, Duc Van Pham, Síle Walsh and Lee Welch.
Lastly, the WGOA SETU Graduate Award Commission, will officially launch the newly commissioned portrait of Olympic silver medal winner John Treacy, by recent SETU Waterford Visual Arts Graduate, Sammy Kane.
This Exhibition is a ‘Must See’ and the Gallery would like to thank all those who have made it possible, through their hard work and dedication. This very special exhibition will no doubt be one to remember and one that will be part of the history of the Waterford Gallery of Art in years to come.
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Image: Artist Sammy Kane photographing Olympic Silver Medal winner, John Treacy in preparation for his portrait.
For further information:
Luke Currall, Visual Arts Co-Ordinator, Waterford City & County Council, Waterford Gallery of Art
31-32 O’Connell St, Waterford, X91 RR2R
Mobile: +353 (0)87 338 6880
Email: lcurrall@waterfordcouncil.ie
On Monday July 1st, the elected members of Waterford City and County Council ratified the appointment of Sean McKeown as Chief Executive of Waterford City and County Council.
