Highlanes Gallery’s magical year of painting continued yesterday as Mise en scène, a major new exhibition of work by senior Irish artist, Eithne Jordan, RHA, opened to a large gathering.
This comes within a year of major exhibitions, where painting has taken priority, from Adamantine, the large-scale retrospective of the work of Drogheda artist Nano Reid, marking the 40th anniversary of her death late last year, to two solo exhibitions by Helena Gorey, and recently Liliane Tomasko, a curated show from the gallery’s Collection by painter Raphael Hynes – For the Love of Paint, and which will continue with an exhibition of twenty Irish and British-based artists, The Tyranny of Ambition which will open in late November.
Highlanes Gallery presents Eithne Jordan’s Mise en scène in partnership with the Crawford Art Gallery, Cork, where Jordan, one of Ireland’s pre-eminent painters, presented sixteen new paintings on canvas of interiors of public and private galleries, museums and institutional buildings that have attracted the artist’s attention, in Ireland, France and further afield.
Many of these buildings once served the causes of science, aristocracy, government and culture and still do. The juxtaposition of these sumptuous and pompous interiors with the functionality of their use in contemporary life is what attracts the artist’s attention, whose interest is piqued by the overall impression created by the ensemble of décor. Part II of the exhibition will open in Cork within the sculpture gallery on Friday 9th September.
The exhibition opened at Highlanes Gallery on a sunny Saturday afternoon, with an in conversation with the artist, and the exhibition’s curator, Margarita Cappock, hosted by Highlanes Gallery director, Aoife Ruane, and the staff and board of the gallery.
In attendance were some of Jordan’s family, also involved in Irish creative life, including writer and film director, Neil Jordan, educator, Dervil Jordan and Ursula Jordan. Artists of note at a local and national level were also present in support of this influential voice in Irish art, including Maud Cotter, Alice Maher, Richard Gorman, Anita Groener, Raphael Hynes, Claire Halpin and Robert Armstrong, and curator and collector, Jobst Graeve.
Pictured at the opening of Eithne Jordan’s exhibition in the Highlanes Gallery were (from left): Ursula, Dervil, Neil and Eithne Jordan. Photo: Rob Fay.
Highlanes Gallery will be engaging audiences through its public programmes including children at primary school, and teachers and students at second level, over the run of the exhibition, which continues until Saturday 1 October.
Highlanes Gallery is grateful for the ongoing support of the Arts Council of Ireland, Louth County Council and Patrons, Benefactors and Friends.
For more information go to www.highlanes.ie or email info@highlanes.ie
