GORRY GALLERY Thomas Ryan R.H.A.
6. G.P.O. 1916, Illustrated Front Cover (detail)
GORRY GALLERY requests the pleasure of your company at the private view and sale of
Thomas Ryan R.H.A. ‘A Tribute Exhibition’ On Sunday, 26th November, 2017 Wine 3.00 p.m.
This exhibition can be viewed prior to the opening by appointment also on Thursday and Friday 23rd and 24th November from 11.30 a.m. - 5.30 p.m. and on the day of the opening.
www.gorrygallery.ie
26th November - 9th December 2017 Gorry Gallery – Thomas Ryan
R.H.A.
– ‘A Tribute Exhibition’ – November 2017 Page 1
1. Self-Portrait, (1965)
Gorry Gallery – Thomas Ryan
R.H.A.
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Introduction Thomas Ryan is a practitioner of a noble craft which requires – as a minimum – skill in drawing, painting, colour, composition, perspective and human anatomy. There are no short-cuts to the creation of the paintings seen in this exhibition and Tom Ryan is a fitting exponent of this disciplined tradition. But there is more. He has created some of the most recognisable indeed, in that overused word, iconic images of twentieth-century Ireland including ‘The G.P.O. 1916’ painted in 1966/7 which is exhibited publicly here for the first time since it was painted. It has been on loan to Leinster House where it has hung for the last twenty years. I first met Tom in the 1960s when, as an up-and-coming artist from Limerick, he was visiting my late father in this gallery for discussions about ‘art’. He progressed to become arguably the finest academic painter of his time in Ireland, his career culminating in his Presidency of the Royal Hibernian Academy. Tom’s oeuvre is as impressive for its variety as for its technical brilliance and its compass includes historical figure subjects, landscapes, interiors, still-lifes and portraiture. Tom has never waived from the path of academic painting. For some, this is perceived as a negative – for me, it is an accolade. Whatever one’s viewpoint of the great ‘canon of art’, the skill and craftsmanship of Tom Ryan should be recognised, appreciated and admired. It is some seventeen years since his ‘Retrospective Exhibition’ was held at the R.H.A. and it is fitting that ‘another look’ should be taken at work from different periods of his illustrious career. Painters are not always the best judges of their own work. They are often dissatisfied when what they had perceived in their mind’s eye does not manifest itself on canvas. For this exhibition, Tom afforded me the freedom to choose the paintings from his studio which I regarded as most worthy to represent him – a fine compliment indeed. In a recent newspaper interview about my views on painting I argued that ‘real quality stands the test of time and endures beyond changing trends in taste’. I think these comments are particularly relevant to the artistic practice of Tom Ryan. Tom’s work will be admired and treasured in decades to come when the ephemeral fads that grip the art world periodically are long forgotten. Indeed, in his penetrating engagement with the most momentous events of Ireland’s long struggle for freedom, Ryan will come to be seen as the history painter of twentieth-century Ireland. James Gorry
Gorry Gallery – Thomas Ryan
R.H.A.
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2. In the National Gallery, (1965) Gorry Gallery – Thomas Ryan
R.H.A.
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Biography: 1929: Thomas Ryan was born at 30 St. Joseph’s Street, Limerick on the 16th September. 1945-1948: Studied at the School of Art in Limerick where he spent three years training under the Yorkshire artist Richard Butcher. 1948-1952: Received a scholarship to study at the National College of Art in Dublin where he was taught by Seán Keating and Maurice MacGonigal. 1963: Elected an Associate of the Royal Hibernian Academy. 1971: Became a full Member of the Royal Hibernian Academy. 1982: Elected President of the Royal Hibernian Academy and remained in the post for a decade. During his time as President, Ryan undertook the completion of the building of the new gallery space on Ely Place, begun by Matt Gallagher, which had been left unfinished for a period of twelve years. 1982: Became an Honorary Member of the Royal Academy in London and the Royal Scottish Academy in Edinburgh. In addition, Ryan became a Governor of the National Gallery of Ireland, an Associate of the National College of Art and Design, a Founder Member or the European Council of the National Academies of Fine Art in Madrid, and a Board Member of the Stamp Committee at An Post. 1990: Elected President of the United Arts Club in Dublin and President of the Limerick Art Society. 2007: Made a Freeman of the city of Limerick on the 15th June. He also became a Doctor of Literature from the University of Limerick. 2017: His painting of the first sitting of Dáil Éireann in the Mansion House (which hung over the entrance to the Dáil chamber) is soon to be illustrated as a postage stamp. Gorry Gallery – Thomas Ryan
R.H.A.
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11. Jane (Fixing her Hair), (1991) Gorry Gallery – Thomas Ryan
R.H.A.
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12. Cherries, (1997)
Gorry Gallery – Thomas Ryan
R.H.A.
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9. The Red Haired Girl, (1964)
Gorry Gallery – Thomas Ryan
R.H.A.
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31. Mrs. Heslim’s Garden, Ratoath, Co. Meath, (1999)
Gorry Gallery – Thomas Ryan
R.H.A.
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29. Self-Portrait, (1960) Gorry Gallery – Thomas Ryan
R.H.A.
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Page 10
13. The Shannon at Limerick, (1962)
Gorry Gallery – Thomas Ryan
R.H.A.
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Page 11
18. Seanad Éireann, (1962) Gorry Gallery – Thomas Ryan
R.H.A.
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Page 12
16. St. Joseph’s Church, Limerick Gorry Gallery – Thomas Ryan
R.H.A.
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Page 13
10. Flowers in a White Enamelled Jug, (2003)
Gorry Gallery – Thomas Ryan
R.H.A.
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32. Mr. Hickey in the French Room at the National Gallery, (1967)
Gorry Gallery – Thomas Ryan
R.H.A.
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Page 15
24. Portobello Harbour, Dublin, (1976)
Gorry Gallery – Thomas Ryan
R.H.A.
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Page 16
50. Bridge on the Seine, Paris, (1963)
Gorry Gallery – Thomas Ryan
R.H.A.
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Page 17
30. The Life Class, (1962) Gorry Gallery – Thomas Ryan
R.H.A.
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Page 18
43. A Bowl of Fruit, (1997)
Gorry Gallery – Thomas Ryan
R.H.A.
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Page 19
51. Garden Pots with White Lilies, (2007)
Gorry Gallery – Thomas Ryan
R.H.A.
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7. Áras an Uachtaráin, Waiting for the President, (2007) Gorry Gallery – Thomas Ryan
R.H.A.
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Catalogue
All works are oil paintings, with the exception of number 8. Measurements in centimetres, height precedes width.
Gallery I
Gallery II
1.
Self-Portrait, (1965)
73.5 x 40.5
2.
In the National Gallery, (1965)
66 x 71
3.
Dáil Éireann
76 x 76
4.
Bored, (1974)
51 x 61
5.
The Great Chapel, Maynooth
71 x 61
6.
17. The Artist’s Materials, (2005)
G.P.O. 1916, (1966/7)
132 x 160
7.
Áras an Uachtaráin, Waiting for the President, (2007)
86 x 77
8.
Drawing of Seán Keating, (1964)
35 x 37
9.
The Red Haired Girl, (1964)
71 x 91
Illustrated page 2
Illustrated page 4
25.5 x 38
51 x 45
Illustrated Front Cover
Illustrated page 21
88 x 63
18. Seanad Éireann, (1962)
76.5 x 75.5
19. His Lordship’s Honours, (1999)
61 x 71
20. Painting in the Garden, (2013) Illustrated page 8
40.5 x 51
21. Flowerpots, (2003)
Illustrated page 14
Illustrated page 6
30 x 40.5
51 x 51
22. Apples, (2004)
36 x 46
Illustrated page 7
Gorry Gallery – Thomas Ryan
R.H.A.
Illustrated page 13
61 x 71
12. Cherries, (1997)
Illustrated page 11
16. St. Joseph’s Church, Limerick
51 x 61
50.5 x 40.5
46 x 56
14. Garden Path with Pots, (2011)
11. Jane (Fixing her Hair), (1991)
15. Flowers in a Jug, (2015)
10. Flowers in a White Enamelled Jug, (2003)
13. The Shannon at Limerick, (1962)
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Illustrated page 12
Gallery III (Downstairs) 23. Self-Portrait, (1963)
34. Study From the Life
35.5 x 12.5
24. Portobello Harbour, Dublin, (1976)
25.5 x 35.5
46 x 36
35. Ulick O’Connor Illustrated page 16
41 x 26
25. Sunday Morning, (1960)
36. Myles in the Studio, (2008)
40.5 x 30
51 x 41
26. VAT 69 Bottle, (1958)
37. City Wall and St. Mary’s Cathedral, Limerick,
20.5 x 23
40.5 x 50.5
27. Still Life with Pearls, (1999)
38. Roses in a Glass Vase, (2001)
40.5 x 50.5
40.5 x 30.5
28. Garden with Woman Reading, (2013)
39. In Memoriam, (2014)
51 x 61
29. Self-Portrait, (1960)
51 x 61
40. Under the Parasol, (2007)
45.5 x 35.5
Illustrated page 10
30. The Life Class, (1962)
30.5 x 40.5
41. Pink Rose, (2014)
41 x 31
Illustrated page 18
15 x 20
31. Mrs. Heslim’s Garden, Ratoath, Co. Meath, (1999)
42. Pale Pink Rose, (2017)
40.5 x 51
Illustrated page 9
32. Mr. Hickey in the French Room at the National
50.5 x 60.5
Illustrated page 15
33. The Painter’s Garden, (1998)
15 x 20
43. A Bowl of Fruit, (1997)
Gallery, (1967)
Illustrated Inside Back Cover
40.5 x 50.5
44. Pink Rose with Ring
15 x 20
40.5 x 50.5
Gorry Gallery – Thomas Ryan
R.H.A.
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Illustrated page 19
Gallery III (Downstairs) – continued 45. Rose
52. Woman Potting in the Garden, (2003)
15 x 20
50.5 x 61
46. The Artist in the Mirror, (1961)
53. Beach at Shankill, County Dublin, (1959)
35.5 x 25.5
39.5 x 56
47. Bouquet of Flowers with Mask, (1960)
54. The Naul Church, (1973)
30 x 35.5
51 x 61
48. Sligo, (1988)
55. Artist and Model, (1985)
51 x 61
46 x 36
49. Saturday Night, (1963)
56. Yellow Rose with Paint Brush, (2014)
40.5 x 30
50. Bridge on the Seine, Paris, (1963)
33 x 46
15 x 20
57. Red, Pink and White Roses, (2010) Illustrated page 17
0.5 x 25.5
51. Garden Pots with White Lilies, (2007)
58. Pink Rose with Quill, (2015)
35.5 x 46
Illustrated page 20
Gorry Gallery – Thomas Ryan
R.H.A.
15 x 20
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Page 24
38. Roses in a Glass Vase, (2001)
I am grateful to Aisling Gorry, Hannah Baker and Gearรณid Hayes for their assistance in the preparation of this exhibition and catalogue.
GORRY GALLERY 20 Molesworth Street, Dublin 2. Telephone and Fax + 353 (0)1 679 5319 The Gallery is open Monday - Friday 11.30 a.m. - 5.30 p.m. Saturday (during exhibition only) 11.30 a.m. - 2.30 p.m. www.gorrygallery.ie Origination by DOC - the_doc@eircom.net Printing by Colorman Printers