Artwork from Kildare County Council’s Municipal Art Collection Features in Major Exhibition at National Gallery of Ireland
2nd May 2025: Kildare County Council are pleased to announce that one of the artworks from their Municipal Art Collection has been selected to feature in a major exhibition at the National Gallery of Ireland this summer. Evie Hone’s-stained glass “Three Fishes” was most recently displayed in the foyer of the Riverbank Arts Centre in Newbridge. It has now been removed temporarily for this important exhibition at the National Gallery of Ireland.
The exhibition, “Mainie Jellett and Evie Hone. The Art of Friendship”, is dedicated to these pioneering modernists, and brings together 90 of their works of art. It explores their friendship and shared experiences while studying in Paris during the early 1920s and traces their careers back to Ireland. The exhibition highlights the early convergences and later divergences in their styles as they developed distinct artistic voices. Featuring paintings, stained glass, and preparatory drawings, it reveals how both women were trailblazers in Irish art although remaining connected to conventional themes such as religion and landscape.
Kildare County Council’s Municipal Art Collection was established through the Architects Department in the 1970s. To date, the Municipal Art Collection consists mainly of small to medium-scale two-dimensional work, mostly paintings and prints. The Collection also includes sculpture, photography and multi-media by local and national artists. Members of the public can view Kildare County Council’s Municipal Art Collection in public buildings across the county.
The “Mainie Jellett and Evie Hone. The Art of Friendship” exhibition continues at the National Gallery of Ireland until 10th August 2025. More information on times and access is available at nationalgallery.ie.
