Exhibition showing Crawford Gallery's Harry Clarke stained-glass panels opens in Dublin
Stained glass by Harry Clarke
An exhibition showcasing stained-glass panels created by one of Ireland’s most renowned artists in the field, in collaboration with Cork’s Crawford Art Gallery, has opened in Dublin.
The display of Harry Clarke’s pieces marks a special collaboration between the National Museum of Ireland and the Cork gallery, bringing together panels that have not previously been displayed in the same place before.
The showing will involve six of Clarke’s stained-glass panels. Three of the panels have been transported from Crawford Art Gallery, with the gallery closing earlier this year on a two-and-a-half-year renovation of the iconic building.
The exhibition, Harry Clarke’s-Stained Glass, will run for at least two years.
The panels on display in the exhibition include:
- The Consecration of St Mel, Bishop of Longford, by St Patrick (1910);
- The Godhead Enthroned (1911);
- The Meeting of St Brendan with the Unhappy Judas (1911);
- The Unhappy Judas (1913);
- A Meeting (1918);
- Richard Mulcahy (c 1925).
Clarke’s work is celebrated worldwide for its originality and impressive technical skill, with pieces found in 16 counties across the country, mostly in churches.
Crawford Art Gallery director Mary McCarthy said she was delighted to see the pieces get "a new temporary home” at the National Museum, where they can be enjoyed over the festive season.
“This loan ensures that these stunning works remain accessible to the public and demonstrates the strengths of collaborations between our National Cultural Institutions,” she said.
Lynn Scarff, director of the National Museum of Ireland, said the museum would ensure the public could continue to access the “exquisite” stained glass panels that have been on display in Cork.
“Bringing them together with the glass from our own collection will give visitors a special opportunity to see these six panels together in one exhibition,” she said.
“We hope this display will invite new perspectives as well as bringing new visitors to Harry Clarke’s work, engaging wider audiences on the diverse and unique aspects of our national collection.”
