Art in Ireland during the 1930s and 1940s still primarily consisted of traditional representational art. Championed by the Royal Hibernian Academy and the National College of Art, traditionalist art remained the favoured style. Many Irish artists rejected the established institutions and sought inspiration from other fields, particularly modern literature. The war years and aftermath impacted cultural discourse in Ireland as artists and intellectuals debated the nature of “Irish Art” and its purpose in shaping national identity, amid a backdrop of broader concerns regarding Ireland’s global position.
Major institutions supporting traditional representation faced criticism from growing groups of modernist artists. Mainie Jellett and Evie Hone moved to Paris in 1921, working under French cubists, André Lhote and Albert Gleizes. In 1923, she exhibited cubist paintings at the Dublin Painters' Exhibition which faced harsh criticism for their abstract style. This exposure to European modernism shaped Jellett’s return to Ireland as she became strongly critical of the growing conservatism of Irish art.
The Irish Exhibition of Living art was formed as a critical response to gallery institutions rejecting modern art. Prior to the formation of the IELA, the White Stag Group of the late 1930s, supported exhibiting non-traditional representations and provided accessible alternatives to art institutions. The IELA was formed in 1943 after a group of artists in Ireland sought to oppose the traditional hegemony created by the RHA and the National College of Art. These artists included Norah McGuinness, Fr. Jack Hanlon, Hilary Heron and Louis le Brocquy, among others. The first two presidents, Mainie Jellett and Norah McGuinness, held the position during the exhibition’s formative years. The IELA was established as a space to display work by contemporary artists regardless of their prescribed school or style. It provided a forum for debate and expansion regarding definitions of Irish Art, encouraging abstract expressionism and the avant-garde.
The IELA would remain a significant space for contemporary Irish art, supporting developments in mediums of performance, video, and installation art.
Major institutions supporting traditional representation faced criticism from growing groups of modernist artists. Mainie Jellett and Evie Hone moved to Paris in 1921, working under French cubists, André Lhote and Albert Gleizes. In 1923, she exhibited cubist paintings at the Dublin Painters' Exhibition which faced harsh criticism for their abstract style. This exposure to European modernism shaped Jellett’s return to Ireland as she became strongly critical of the growing conservatism of Irish art.
The Irish Exhibition of Living art was formed as a critical response to gallery institutions rejecting modern art. Prior to the formation of the IELA, the White Stag Group of the late 1930s, supported exhibiting non-traditional representations and provided accessible alternatives to art institutions. The IELA was formed in 1943 after a group of artists in Ireland sought to oppose the traditional hegemony created by the RHA and the National College of Art. These artists included Norah McGuinness, Fr. Jack Hanlon, Hilary Heron and Louis le Brocquy, among others. The first two presidents, Mainie Jellett and Norah McGuinness, held the position during the exhibition’s formative years. The IELA was established as a space to display work by contemporary artists regardless of their prescribed school or style. It provided a forum for debate and expansion regarding definitions of Irish Art, encouraging abstract expressionism and the avant-garde.
The IELA would remain a significant space for contemporary Irish art, supporting developments in mediums of performance, video, and installation art.
-lg (1).jpg)