Irene Broe (1923 – 1992) was an Irish

sculptor Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

Life

Her father,

Leo Leo or Léo may refer to: Acronyms * Law enforcement officer * Law enforcement organisation * ''Louisville Eccentric Observer'', a free weekly newspaper in Louisville, Kentucky * Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity Arts an ...

, was a sculptor, with the family sculpting business run from a premises in Harold's Cross, Dublin. Her brother, Desmond, was also a sculptor. Broe attended the National College of Art and Design, studying sculpture and graduating in 1951. St-valentine 110921-01

Irene competed in the 1952 Summer Olympics in art (a non-medal event). Among her notable pieces are heads of

Donagh O'Malley Donogh Brendan O'Malley (18 January 1921 – 10 March 1968) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician and rugby union player who served as Minister for Education from 1966 to 1968, Minister for Health from 1965 to 1966 and Parliamentary Secretary t ...

(1968) and

Arland Ussher Percival Arland Ussher (9 September 1899 – 24 December 1980) was an Anglo-Irish academic, essayist and translator. Ussher was born in Battersea, London, the only child of Emily Jebb (born on the Lyth estate, Ellesmere, Shropshire in 1872) a ...

(1978). Her work was exhibited alongside her brother and father, as well as

May Power May Power (11 September 1903 – 1993) was an Irish sculptor. Early life and family May Power was born in Dublin on 11 September 1903. Her parents were the sculptor Albert Power, and Agnes (née Kelly). She had 6 brothers and 3 sisters. H ...

, at the 1955 Institute of the Sculptors of Ireland exhibition in the

Hugh Lane Gallery The Hugh Lane Gallery, officially Dublin City Gallery The Hugh Lane and originally the Municipal Gallery of Modern Art, is an art museum operated by Dublin City Council and its subsidiary, the Hugh Lane Gallery Trust. It is in Charlemont House ( ...

. She spent a period of time in

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

, where she sculpted the head of the prime minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman. She exhibited this piece in 1964 at the New York World Fair. A statue of St Clare by Broe can be seen in the

Church of the Immaculate Conception, Dublin The Church of the Immaculate Conception, also known as Adam and Eve's, is a Roman Catholic church run by the Franciscans and it is located on Merchants Quay, Dublin. History During the Dissolution reign of King Henry VIII around 1540 the Fri ...

. Her statue of

St Valentine Saint Valentine ( it, San Valentino; la, Valentinus) was a 3rd-century Roman saint, commemorated in Western Christianity on February 14 and in Eastern Orthodoxy on July 6. From the High Middle Ages, his Saints' Day has been associated with a ...

at the shrine at

Whitefriar Street Carmelite Church Whitefriar Street Carmelite Church is a Roman Catholic church in Dublin, Ireland maintained by the Carmelite order. The church is noted for having the relics of Saint Valentine, which were donated to the church in the 19th century by Pope Gre ...

, Dublin is possibly her best known work.

References

External links

Episode of the ''Three Castles Burning'' podcast which discusses Broe
1923 births 1992 deaths 20th-century Irish sculptors 20th-century women artists Irish sculptors Women sculptors Artists from Dublin (city) {{Ireland-sculptor-stub