Cork’s Crawford Art Gallery has ‘thrilling moment’ as it adds four new paintings to national collection

The Keating paintings ‘Elijah with the Ravens, Version II’ (1930) and his self-portrait (c1961) were recently acquired at auction alongside two others, ‘Winter Evening Calary’ (1964) by abstract and landscape artist Camille Souter and ‘Attic Bedroom’ (date unknown) by Grace Henry.

All four were purchased with the support of the Department of Arts.

The latest Keating acquisitions bring to 15 the number of paintings from the Limerick man in Crawford’s collection.

Born in 1889, one of Mr Keating’s best-loved paintings ‘Men of the South’, showing men of the 2nd North Cork Brigade of the IRA awaiting an ambush, already lies in the collection.

Last November, the Cork gallery also purchased ‘The Window’, a tender depiction of Keating’s wife, May, at a Dublin auction.

Mr Keating was said to have felt his mission was to help to define Irish nationhood through his painting, and nationalism was a driving force behind his work. He was a staunchly traditional realist painter, although abstract art thrived at the time he lived and taught in Ireland.

Scottish artist Grace Henry, meanwhile, was a founding member of the Society of Dublin Painters in 1920 and lived with her husband Paul Henry on Achill Island for 10 years. Camille Souter was a British-born Irish artist who also lived and worked on Achill.

All four of the newly acquired paintings will go on public display when the gallery reopens.

Art gallery director Mary McCarthy described the acquisitions as a “fantastic coup” and marked a “thrilling moment” for Crawford Art Gallery.

“[It makes] Crawford Art Gallery an even more significant custodian of public works by this much-loved and historically important Irish painter,” she said.

“Crawford Art Gallery’s doors might be closed to the public at present for redevelopment, but as these important acquisitions show, we are continuing to work behind the scenes to enhance the national collection.

“The public will have an even more exciting and enriching visitor experience awaiting them when we re-open our doors following transforming Crawford Art Gallery.” 

Last month, the gallery closed its doors as work was set to begin on a two-and-a-half-year renovation of the building.

The overhaul includes a five-storey extension being added, along with a restaurant, adding 50% more space for storage and exhibitions.

Most of the Crawford’s 3,500 artworks will be kept in storage, but some have found temporary homes at the Cork Public Museum, the Hugh Lane Gallery in Dublin, and Hillsborough Castle in Co Down.

Staff are set to remain on site until February to facilitate removing the artworks, with the gallery earmarked for re-opening in 2027.