21st Century Irish Craft at the National Museum of Ireland

The origins of the National Museum of Ireland (NMI) date to the foundation of its forerunner the Dublin Science and Art Museum in 1877. At that time and up until the early twentieth century acquisition of contemporary applied arts, both national and international was an important aspect of collecting. This situation changed on Irish Independence in 1922, and from that decade on the collections policy of the museum turned almost exclusively to that of historical collecting of Irish decorative and applied arts.

Irish Contemporary Craft Collection

In recent years this situation has changed, and the NMI has again been in a position to acquire contemporary Irish material for the national collection. Outside of the National Museum’s own budget, there is a joint purchase fund with the Crafts Council of Ireland since 2004, which has significantly helped in establishing an Irish contemporary craft collection held at Collins Barracks.

A selection of objects acquired as a result of this fund are on display at the National Museum of Ireland – Decorative Arts & History, and include the best of Irish ceramics, glass, furniture, wood-turning, jewellery and metals.

1. Two pieces from the colection by Róisín de Buitléar will be on view, Lios na ng – purchased 2007  and Time spent – purchased 2011.

Category : Exhibition | News