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Eilis O'Connell (born 1953,
O'Connell has been commissioned to make public sculptures throughout the UK and Ireland.
She is a founder director of the National Sculpture Factory (Cork); a member of
Official website
1953 births Living people Artists from Derry (city) Sculptors from Northern Ireland Abstract sculptors British women sculptors Alumni of Cork Institute of Technology Massachusetts College of Art and Design alumni Aosdána members 21st-century British women artists Irish contemporary artists {{UK-sculptor-stub 21st-century Irish women artists
Eilis O'Connell (born 1953, Derry
Derry, officially Londonderry (), is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland and the fifth-largest city on the island of Ireland. The name ''Derry'' is an anglicisation of the Old Irish name (modern Irish: ) meaning 'oak grove'. The ...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label=Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is #Descriptions, variously described as ...
) is an abstract sculptor. She is known for her free-standing works and wall pieces.
Early life and education
O'Connell was born in Derry and educated at the Crawford School of Art, Cork, Ireland andMassachusetts College of Art and Design
Massachusetts College of Art and Design, branded as MassArt, is a public college of visual and applied art in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1873, it is one of the nation’s oldest art schools, the only publicly funded independent art school ...
, Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...
, USA.
Career
O'Connell has been commissioned to make public sculptures throughout the UK and Ireland.
She is a founder director of the National Sculpture Factory (Cork); a member of Aosdána
Aosdána ( , ; from , 'people of the arts') is an Irish association of artists. It was created in 1981 on the initiative of a group of writers with support from the country's Arts Council. Membership, which is by invitation from current member ...
and the Royal Hibernian Academy; and a former member of the Arts Council of Ireland.
Her honors include the Art & Work Award from Wapping Arts Trust, and Royal Society of Arts
The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA), also known as the Royal Society of Arts, is a London-based organisation committed to finding practical solutions to social challenges. The RSA acronym is used m ...
Award (1998). O'Connell's works were displayed at the Biennale de Paris
The ''Biennale de Paris'' (English: Paris Biennale) is a noted French art festival.
History
The 'Biennale de Paris' was launched by Raymond Cogniat in 1959 and set up by André Malraux as he was Minister of Culture to present an overview of young ...
(1982) and the São Paulo Art Biennial
The São Paulo Art Biennial ( Portuguese: ''Bienal de São Paulo'') was founded in 1951 and has been held every two years since. It is the second oldest art biennial in the world after the Venice Biennale (in existence since 1895), which serves as ...
(1985). She has received fellowships from The British School at Rome
The British School at Rome (BSR) is an interdisciplinary research centre supporting the arts, humanities and architecture.
History
The British School at Rome (BSR) was established in 1901 and granted a UK Royal Charter in 1912. Its mission is " ...
and PS 1 in New York.
The artist's 1988 work "''The Great Wall of Kinsale'' is one of the most contentious public artworks ever erected in Ireland." Composed of several sections and forms, it is also the longest sculpture in Ireland at 179 feet. The large rusted steel sculpture drew protest, concerns of safety, an attempt to deinstall it, and criticism of its appearance. Eventually, the rusty metal was painted, a water feature was added, and barriers were placed around it without O'Connell's permission. As such, she considers the work to have been "destroyed". In artist Sean Lynch's 2011 show, ''A Rocky Road,'' at the Crawford Art Gallery
The Crawford Art Gallery ( ga, Áiléar Crawford) is a public art gallery and museum in the city of Cork, Ireland. Known informally as the Crawford, it was designated a 'National Cultural Institution' in 2006. It is "dedicated to the visual arts ...
, he investigated the legacy of O'Connell's ''Great Wall of Kinsale''.
She exhibited sculptures at Eileen Gray
Eileen Gray (born Kathleen Eileen Moray Smith; 9 August 187831 October 1976) was an Irish architect and furniture designer who became a pioneer of the Modern Movement in architecture. Over her career, she was associated with many notable Euro ...
's E-1027
E-1027 is a modernist villa in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, in the Alpes-Maritimes department of France. It was designed and built from 1926-29 by the Irish architect and furniture designer Eileen Gray. L-shaped and flat-roofed with floor-to-ceiling wi ...
house in France in 2018.
O'Connell's work is in the collections of IMMA
''Imma'' is a large genus of moths in the obtectomeran " micromoth" family Immidae. This is the type genus of its family. They are widespread in the tropics, with most species occurring between the Himalayas and the Oceanian region; the genus is ...
, Lismore Castle, Cass Sculpture Foundation
The Cass Sculpture Foundation was a charitable commissioning body based in Goodwood, Sussex, England. The Foundation's 26-acre grounds were home to an ever-changing display of 80 monumental sculptures, all of which were available for sale with th ...
, Chatsworth, Antony House
Antony House is the name of an early 18th-century house, which today is in the ownership of the National Trust. It is located between the town of Torpoint and the village of Antony in the county of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is a Gr ...
and more.
See also
*List of public art in the City of London
This is a list of public art in the City of London, including statues, busts, commemorative plaques and other memorials.
The City of London is the historic nucleus of London as well as its modern financial centre. The City of London Corporat ...
* List of public art in Bristol
This is a list of public art in Bristol, England. This list applies only to works of public art on permanent display in an outdoor public space. For example, this does not include artworks in museums.
Bedminster
Brislington
Broa ...
* List of public art in Cork city
This is a list of public art on permanent public display in Cork city, Ireland. The list applies only to works of public art accessible in a public space; it does not include artwork on display inside museums. Public art may include sculptures, s ...
References
Bibliography
* *External links
*Official website
1953 births Living people Artists from Derry (city) Sculptors from Northern Ireland Abstract sculptors British women sculptors Alumni of Cork Institute of Technology Massachusetts College of Art and Design alumni Aosdána members 21st-century British women artists Irish contemporary artists {{UK-sculptor-stub 21st-century Irish women artists