Arts Council Exhibits Recent Acquisitions at the Grand Opera House |
23/07/2007
The Arts Council in conjunction with the Grand Opera House is delighted to present ‘Recent Acquisitions 2003-2007’, an exhibition of some recent purchases of art.
The exhibition, at the Phoenix Gallery in the Grand Opera House opens on Thursday 23rd August and runs until Saturday 15th September and will showcase some of the best work created in Northern Ireland over the last few years by a selection of emerging and established artists.
 |
Dr Suzanne Lyle, Curator of the Arts Council’s collections, said, “One of the best ways the Arts Council can support our local artists as they build their careers is by purchasing their works. For an artist, having the Arts Council buy your work represents more than a few pounds in the pocket; it is an endorsement which carries weight and opens the door to new opportunities with other art collectors and galleries. Each year since 2003 we have put aside £40,000 to buy challenging and innovative art by contemporary artists working in all media in Northern Ireland, and this exhibition offers a wonderful chance for us to promote and celebrate the tremendous local artistic talent included in our new acquisitions.”
Aine Dolan, Education and Programme Manager at the Grand Opera House, said,
“Recent Acquisitions’ is an exciting selection of works by Northern Irish artists, many of whom have exhibited internationally. We’ve paintings by artists such as Jack Pakenham and Barbara Freeman, for instance, who have shown their work regularly in galleries around the world. This is a very accessible exhibition, although as you’d expect, it raises some interesting challenges along the way, and I’d urge everyone to come along to the gallery to see for yourselves.”
The Phoenix Gallery, housed in the Grand Opera House (028 9024 0411) is open from 9.30am – 7pm, Monday to Saturday and admission to the exhibition is free.
