The FANTASTIC Irish Museum of Modern Art, housed in an amazing 17th Century Building must be seen!
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- Опубліковано 4 жов 2024
- Today’s film takes us the Irish Museum of Modern Art in Dublin, or IMMA as it’s abbreviated.
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Once past the imposing gates we have a long walk up the drive to the museum building. You might guess, in fact, that the incredible building you’re about to see didn’t start life out as a museum at all, in fact it was originally the Royal Hospital Killmainham and a very fine building built in the 17th Century, in 1684 to be exact.
The building’s original purpose was to house retired soldiers and it did just that for nearly 250 years. It is the oldest classical building in Ireland. It was, as you may have guessed, modelled on Les Invalides in Paris. It also has a close likeness to it’s sister building the Royal Hospital Chelsea.
As we emerge on the courtyard side we see just how spectacular a building this is with its classical colonnade. After this building was handed over to the Irish Free State in 1922 it was to become the Garda Headquarters between 1930 and 1950. For those watch from outside Ireland, the Garda is the Irish Police force. This building was restored between 1980 and 1984 and IMMA took up residence here in 1990.
As we walk into the main reception foyer, you can see that the achitects have deliberately sought to make a clear distinction between the old 17th Century fabric of the building and the new interiors, which I think works very well.
IMMA also has a residency programme which allows artists, both Irish and International, to work on site and have a relationship with the museum. I believe these buildings house the residence. Again this is another example of the sympathetic restoration programme that was deployed here.
As we go back inside again we can appreciate the successful blend of old and new architecture. On the first floor, as you might expect in a museum, you have a large gift shop, and then we make our way to some of the gallery spaces.
My purpose this film is to show you the building itself rather than individual artworks, after all exhibitions are continually changing and any artworks I might show may not be here when you visit the gallery. But, I just have to say something about this epic artwork that really caught my imagination while I was here. It’s by the artist Shane Cullen and is entitled Fragemens sur les Institution Republican IV, created between 1993 and 1997. At a first glance, this didn’t impress me aside from it’s sheer imposing scale. It’s comprised of 96 large panels inscribed with the contents of communications smuggled in and out of the Maze Prison by Republican prisoners and their colleagues on the outside during the period of the Republican Hunger Strikes. But the thing I found impressive about this artwork, was the fact that each of these individual panels has the text painted on by hand in a font to look like official Government documents. It’s truly a work of epic proportion and with meticulous attention to detail.
And then when you start to get into reading the text itself, text that would have originally been written in microscopic handwriting to facilitate the process of smuggling, you really start to see this as a transformative piece of art. So I guess this is the purpose of IMMA, to bring these great works to the attention of the public, local and international.
Back out of the gallery space again and we’re afforded this beautiful view over the courtyard and of the 17th Century chapel. And the people walking across the yard offer us some sense of scale.
As I go downstairs again we walk along the colonnade to visit another exhibition that I found fascinating. I’m merely trying to give you an idea of the kind of thing that IMMA does. This exhibition entitled ‘Revenants’ is by Kevin Mooney and is housed in a number of smaller spaces has a very clever concept. Since Ireland was colonised for such a long period, Mooney points to the fact that it’s art history is full of gaps, either because of poverty, famine or mass emigration or because of the fact that it’s story simply wasn’t told by the institutions of power. In this exhibition, Mooney reconstructs a fictional art history, including works by invented artists. He imagines here was this “lost art’ of the Irish diaspora might have been.
I just thought this was such an inventive and intriguing way to create a large body of work, and again it demonstrates the importance of IMMA in being able to exhibit such things.
Finally, every museum has a café, and IMMA’s café is particularly striking housed as it is in this converted basement area of the old hospital.
What a fantastic building!! Dublin is full of history. Our past is made of tragic events. But we are moving forward making better lives and better future's. As a member of the Irish diaspora, watching your brilliant wee shows can be an emotional rollercoaster. Keep going.
Thank you again Des, great to know it’s all so entertaining. I’ll certainly keep em coming.
One of the few benefits of the English in Ireland are these beautiful buildings. But your man playing the guitar, sounded like he broke a string as he followed you! I liked the art concept of what we might have been. Makes you wonder?
Ha ha, I love the tortured sound of a broken string Des.
I liked this video. I want to visit IMMA and this was informative and interesting. Thanks
Many thanks, so glad you enjoyed it. I hope you’ll watch more Naked Ireland videos.
I’m definitely visiting this museum. I’m really interested in reading those panels with the smuggled communications. Thanks for sharing this with us.
Just before you make a lengthy journey, that artwork may not still be on display. It was part of a temporary exhibition.
@@nakedireland I’m glad you mentioned that. We can contact the museum ahead of time. Thanks!
No problem glad you enjoyed the film. The museum is really great. You’ll love it.
I love that building! That court yard, I could spend all day looking at that. I have little interest in paintings or sculptures to be honest but I do like architecture and that place is superb. What was that bell just at the end, at the foot of the stairs?
You’re so right Rob, it’s an amazing building. The bell? I knew someone was going to ask me that. The honest answer is that I don’t know, but I’d guess that maybe it came out of the chapel on the other side of the courtyard. Perhaps they had to renew the bell and preserved the old one in the basement. I’m sure someone will see this and let us know the answer to our question.
@@nakedireland So happy to be the one who asked the question you don't know 😁 I do my best 😝. I was in my local church belfry recently and was amazed how old the bells were and still in perfect order, I expect that one still in tune too. A superb building indeed, keep the videos coming mate 👍🍻
Hoping someone will jump into the conversation here and give you the real answer. But thanks again for watching.
Sorry "The Garda" is NOT the Irish police force. I have noticed folk from the North say this ( "the Garda"). Its just completely wrong. In fact even "The Gardaí" is incorrect but at least its plural detailing more than one Garda and short for the official title. An Garda Síochána is the Irish police force.
Many thanks for the correction Mark.
@@nakedireland Sorry should have said great videos overall with fantastic and unusual music... sorry that Garda thing was just a bug bearer that i finally had the chance to reply to :)
You were quite right to point it out, I should have thought harder about it, I’m obviously aware that Garda Síochána is the name of the ‘force’ but having recorded myself saying ‘Garda’, It would have meant redoing the recording to correct it. Wish I had now. You’re very kind to say you enjoyed the video regardless and I hope you’ll watch more.
Your video is very nice but less views because the thumbnails are not Good And don't promote your video social
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My thumbnails are not good. But, your manners are worse. Many thanks, but I’m happy with Naked Ireland’s low key branded look. And I’m very happy with the site’s performance to date.