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Royal Hospital Kilmainham
Dublin 8, D08 FW31, Ireland
Phone +353 1 6129900

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As the title suggests, this exhibition is concerned with the human gaze; of the artist, the sitter or the viewer of the work. Gaze particularly asks us to examine relationships between the artist and the sitter, and also focuses on the representation of the nude and the oftentimes visceral portrayal of the body in art, particularly in Freud’s work. Unfolding over a series of three floors in the dedicated Freud Centre, the exhibition encourages the visitor to journey from room to room, allowing space for reflection, but always considering who is gazing at whom. At times you are sharing the viewpoint of the sitter, at times the artist, but you are always involved in a constant exchange between all three perspectives in the room; the viewer, artist and sitter.

Showing alongside works by Lucian Freud the exhibition includes work by Marina Abramovic, Stephan Balkenhol, Phil Collins, John Coplans, Dorothy Cross, Pauline Cummins, Albrecht Dürer, Ann Hamilton, Edward Hopper, Rebecca Horn, Annie Leibovitz, Mark Manders, Edward McGuire, Danny Osborne, Rembrandt, Thomas Ruff and Hannah Starkey, all drawn from the IMMA Collection.

IMMA Collection: Freud Project is a major five-year initiative for IMMA, where fifty-two works by painter Lucian Freud (1922-2011) have been lent to the museum’s Collection by private lenders. During this unique project, IMMA will present a series of Freud-related exhibitions each year.

Freud visited Dublin and Connemara in Ireland in the late 1940s, partly on a pilgrimage to Jack B.Yeats whom he considered the greatest living painter and later when married to Caroline Blackwood of the Guinness family. From the 1950s he connected with Irish artists such as Patrick Swift whose Dublin studio he used and Edward McGuire whose tutor he was at the Slade Art School, as well as the literary circle of Patrick Kavanagh, John Montague, Brendan Behan, Anthony Cronin and their Soho milieu. An in depth account of Freud and Ireland will be explored through the Freud Project, including his close links with the other great figurative painter of the 20th century, Irish-born and London-based, Francis Bacon – his friend, mentor and great rival of thirty years and whose studio you can visit in Dublin City Gallery the Hugh Lane.


About the Artist

Lucian Freud 1922–2011

Lucian Freud (1922-2011) was one of the greatest realist painters of the 20th century. Renowned for his portrayal of the human form, Freud is best known for his intimate, honest, often visceral portraits. Working only from life Freud’s studio was intensely private and he mainly worked with those he was close to, often asking subjects to sit for hundreds of hours over multiple sittings to better capture the essence of their personality.
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IMMA Collection: Freud Project

IMMA has secured a significant five-year loan of 52 works by one of the greatest realist painters of the 20th century, Lucian Freud (1922-2011). Renowned for his portrayal of the human form, Freud is best known for his intimate, honest, often visceral portraits. Working only from life Freud’s studio was intensely private and he mainly worked with those he was close to, often asking subjects to sit for hundreds of hours over multiple sittings to better capture the essence of their personality.

IMMA Collection: Freud Project features a selection of 30 of the artist’s finest paintings, and 20 works on paper. The works, mainly dating from 1970 onwards, explore several of the artist’s key themes such as Portraiture; Self Portraiture; Still-life; Animals and Nature; works that reflect his interest in the people and the natural world.

The works, on loan from private collections, are predominantly presented in a dedicated Freud Centre in IMMA’s Garden Galleries for five years. With this extraordinary resource IMMA will create a centre for Freud research with a programme of special exhibitions, education partnerships, symposia and research that will maximise this important opportunity for schools, third level students, artists and audiences all over Ireland and beyond.

During this unique five-year project IMMA will present a series of different and exclusive Lucian Freud related exhibitions, with a new programme of events and openings each year, including works and new commissions by other modern and contemporary artists in response to Freud, and will reveal exciting new perspectives on this major artist today.


Visiting the Exhibition

This exhibition is on display in the Freud Centre which is located between the Formal Gardens and the main gate on Military road.

Please note that entrance to the Freud Centre is by timed ticket only. Please purchase your ticket in advance of attending the exhibition as tickets are not available for purchase at the Freud Centre itself. Tickets may be bought online or in-person at the box office in the main IMMA Reception (off the courtyard).

Please note that rucksacks and large bags cannot be brought into the Freud Centre and must be left in the free lockers provided in the Main Galleries. Therefore if you are bringing a large bag please allow at least 20mins to stow your bags and make your way to the Freud Centre.

If you have your printed ticket or have saved your ticket to your mobile device you can make your way directly to the Freud Centre. If you are purchasing your ticket on-site at IMMA please allow at least 10minutes to purchase your ticket in person and walk to the Freud Centre. Entry is not guaranteed during busy periods as capacity is strictly limited for each time slot.

Booking online will guarantee entry for your preferred time slot, avoid queues and allow you to proceed directly to the Freud Centre on arrival at IMMA. There are no booking fees for purchasing online.

Please read the ticket Terms and Conditions in advance of your visit.


Take IMMA home



Catalogue IMMA Collection: Freud Project €18.00 Images of all 50 works at the core of the IMMA Collection: Freud Project are included in this beautifully presented book. It also features contributions from 31 Irish and International artists on the work of Lucian Freud. View Product
Catalogue IMMA Collection €25.00 The first full-colour publication on the IMMA Collection presents more than 180 artworks selected to give a sample of the quality, range and international nature of the works acquired by the Museum since its foundation in 1991. View Product
Catalogue Post-War American Art, The Novak
O'Doherty Collection
€30.00 A result of Brian O’Doherty and Barbara Novak’s friendship with outstanding artists in New York, particularly of the 60s and 70s. This book includes works by artists from the period. View Product
Catalogue Out of the Dark Room,
The David Kronn Collection
€30.00 Out of the Dark Room comprises a selection of more than 150 works drawn from the exceptional collection of modern and contemporary photographs of Irish-American collector David Kronn. View Product



Additional Resources 

 

Additional Resources

Supporters

IMMA Collection: Freud Project is made possible through the visionary support of the Freud Circle, and those donors that wish to remain anonymous.

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