Download - 175th Anniversary of the Office of Public Works || Art of the State: Inheritance, Development, Legacy

Irish Arts Review

Art of the State: Inheritance, Development, LegacyAuthor(s): Jacquie MooreSource: Irish Arts Review (2002-), Vol. 23, 175th Anniversary of the Office of Public Works(2006), pp. 6-11Published by: Irish Arts ReviewStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25503510 .

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II ART OF THE STATE - INHERITANCE, DEVELOPMENT, LEGACY

6 |

OPW 175TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION



175 OPW

The Office of Public Works Oifig na nOibreacha Poibli

Art of the State

Inheritance, development, legacy

JACQUIE MOORE charts the constantly evolving role of the OPW in purchasing and

commissioning contemporary art works for new State buildings

In December 2004, the Government launched

Public Art: Per Cent for Art Scheme, General

National Guidelines - 2004.l The OPW was one

of several government departments who played a

role in the formation of these national guidelines.

However, the OPW has long been involved in art proj

ects, beginning in the 19th century.

Since its establishment by a British Act of Parliament

in 1831, the OPW has played a principal role in the

provision of government buildings in Ireland and

abroad. With these properties came the responsibility

for their contents, including furniture and art works. In

the 19th century, the OPW was responsible for the

management of Dublin Castle and also the residences

of the British Government officials in the Phoenix Park;

the Under Secretary's Lodge (now the site of the

Phoenix Park Visitors Centre), the residence of the

Chief Secretary (now home to the American

Ambassador), and the Viceregal Lodge (now Aras an

Uachtar?in). These properties and others such as the

Royal Hospital Kilmainham, yielded the majority of art

works (Fig 5) inherited by the Irish Government in

1922 following the departure of the British administra

tion. The collection contained portraits of British mon

archs, lords lieutenant, political monuments and sculp

tures in public parks. The OPW Art Management

Office continues to monitor these art works and has

responsibility for their care and conservation.

In more recent years, the OPW's dual responsibili

ties as an architectural practice and procurement

agency for other government departments has ensured

its central role in art acquisition. In the OPW, the

management of art works has always been undertaken

at the most senior level. Over the years, past chairmen,

commissioners, secretaries and principal architects

have taken part in the commissioning and purchasing

of art works on behalf of the state.

In its formative years, the role of the OPW in

relation to art acquisition was split into two distinctive

categories: the active commissioning of art works such

as portraits and portrait busts of national leaders; and

the management of procedures leading to the installa

tion and erection of monuments of national impor

tance. Since the 1970s, the OPW has been involved in

the purchasing and commissioning of contemporary art

works. In 1974, the OPW first acquired contemporary

art works for new buildings and Irish embassies

abroad, taking advantage of the Joint Purchase

Scheme established by the Arts Council in the late

1960s (Fig 9). In 1978 the OPW requested permis sion from the Department of

Finance to operate per

cent for art funding in

Ireland for the first time and

stated its case as follows:

'The provision of

works of art of various

kinds has come to be an

accepted feature of mod

ern office blocks and similar

i

1 Barrie Cooke

Whitethorn Bush

1966 oil on canvas

154 x 128cm

2 Janet Mullarney

The Offering 2001 bronze

23 x 36 x 15cm

OPW 175TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION |

7



The OPW has remained committed to exploring the

relationship between art and architecture in hundreds of public buildings throughout Ireland

3 Michael Boran

The Projectionist 1997 cibachrome

photograph 70 x 94cm

Image courtesy the artist

4 Andrew Folan

Revelation 1995

etching and

photography 125 x 94cm

5 Gaetano Gondolfi

(1734-1802) Juno

and the Peacocks

oil on canvas

101 x 101cm

6 Kate Warner

Clothesline 2005

oil on panel 40.5 x 43cm

buildings. It is the practice for developers to have such

works incorporated in the design of their buildings and

the public and the occupants of such premises now

expect to see them. They add a desirable dimension to

structures which can be very prosaic and uniform in

their construction and finishes. They also provide an

outlet for artistic talent in the country and give much

needed opportunities for employment... we now

seek the sanction of the Minister for ^^^^m

Finance to the expenditure of funds ^^^^^^^^^k on works of art in selected new

^^^^^^^^^H buildings. We consider 1% of the ^^^^^^^^^^H cost of a building or say ?6,000 ^^^^^^^^^^^B whichever is the lesser would be ^^^^^^^^^^^^B the correct proportion of cost to ^^^^^^^^^^^H spend on such works.'2 ^^^^^^^^^^^H

Happily the Department of ^^^^^^^^^^^B Finance agreed to the request and ^^^^^^^^^^H the OPW has remained committed ^^^^^^^^^H to exploring the relationship between ^^^^^^^^| art and architecture in hundreds of public ^^^^^B

building projects throughout Ireland. Today, the LI

OPW has responsibility for over 7,000 art works locat

ed in public properties throughout Ireland.

The OPW Art Management Group was set up in the

early 1990s to formalise policies and procedures in

terms of the OPW's acquisition and collection manage

ment activities as it had become apparent that the OPW

was responsible for a substantial number of historic and

contemporary art works. Since its formation, the Group

has comprised senior personnel in the OPW, including

the Chairman, Commissioners and the Principal

Architect. The first Art Adviser to the OPW was Noel

de Chenu, HRHA, who was then the retired principal

architect. The current Art Adviser is Patrick J Murphy,

HRHA. Other business units within the OPW are rep

resented on the Group, including Architectural

Services, Board Support, Facilities Management,

^^^^^ and the Art Management Office.

^^^^^^^^ One of the best practice principles set

^^^^^^^^^L down in the recent National

^^^^^^^^^^L Guidelines is that public engagement

^^^^^^^^^^A with the art works is an essential

^^^^^^^^^^^k part of the process. Since 1991,

^^^^^^^^^^^1 the OPW has toured an

^^^^^^^^^^^H exhibition, entitled 'Art of the

^^^^^^^^^^^m State'. Over the years, paintings,

^^^^^^^^^^m sculpture and original prints have

^^^^^^^^W been exhibited in venues throughout

^^^^^^^^ Ireland and abroad. Since 1997, the

^^^^^ Department of Finance and Personnel of

Li Northern Ireland has co-operated with the OPW

in the exhibition, exhibiting a selection of works it has

purchased for the Northern Ireland Civil Service

Collection (N1CS). The NICS has been in existence since

the early 1960s and represents the works of more than

540 artists, mainly from Ulster. This joint exhibition has

proved an important joint cultural venture between

North and South, with ministerial involvement and sup

port from Irish, Northern Irish and UK Governments.

8 I

OPW 175TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION



ART OF THE STATE - INHERITANCE, DEVELOPMENT, LEGACY

/ _ r *

The 2006 touring exhibition is entitled 'Reflections'.

Most of the works have been purchased very recently

for new building projects and some of them are by

recent art college graduates (Fig 6). The Art

Management Group initiated a policy within the

OPW to support the work of emerging artists and this

has proved a very successful venture (Figs 8&l10) dis

playing innovative art works in non-gallery public

spaces - in garda stations, local government offices,

courthouses, and social welfare offices. Both the visit

ing public and the staff working there have the oppor

tunity to engage with contemporary art.

This year sees the publication of the fourth volume

in the series Art in State Buildings. This summary illus

trated catalogue lists details of all art works commis

sioned and purchased by the OPW between 1995 and

2005. Earlier catalogues have documented the periods

between 1922 and 1995. This new volume reflects the

increase in the number of art works due to the govern

ment's initial adoption of a per cent for art scheme in

Ireland in 1994 and the increased funding levels deliv

ered in 1997. An analysis of the art works acquired in

the period reflects the commitment the OPW has to

implementing the scheme in all its building projects.

Other government departments operating the scheme,

such as the Department of Environment and Local

Government in relation to the roads and community

projects; the Department of Health and Children in

relation to hospitals; and the Department of Education

and Science in relation to schools and colleges, will

have undertaken art projects which reflect the nature

of the work they do and the environment in which

their per cent for art funding has been generated.

The OPW Art Management Group has embraced

the challenge of placing contemporary Irish art in the

public domain. However, the OPW places art in work

Patrick J Murphy Patrick Murphy ?s a renowned authority on contemporary Irish art,

and also a keen collector. He was born in New Ross, Co Wexford,

in 1939. In the course of a distinguished career in brewing he worked

for Guinness in Dublin, London, Malaysia and Ghana, returning to

Dublin in 1973, before joining the Irish malting industry as managing

director of Irish Malt Exports Limited.

As a passionate collector of art himself, he has always been

generous with his business expertise in the cause of art, and has a

long and honourable association with the burgeoning Irish art scene.

In 1980 he replaced the founder Michael Scott as Chairman of

Rose, the pioneering Irish Exhibition of Contemporary Art. Some of

the main achievements of his chairmanship were obtaining the

Guinness Hop Store as a venue for art exhibi

tions and pioneering the Royal Hospital

Kilmainham as an exhibition space for inter

national contemporary art.

He has been a Trustee of the National Self

Portrait Collection, Limerick since 1990 and

was a member of the Cultural Relations

Committee of the Department of Foreign Affairs

from 1981-1995. In 1990 he was awarded the

Lord Mayor of Dublin's Millennium Medal. In

1999 he was elected Honorary Member of the

RHA and awarded its gold medal. He was

Chairman of the Contemporary Irish Art Society

from 1990-2000, and was Chairman of the Arts Council from

2000-2003. He is a member of the International Council of the

Museum of Modern Art, New York, and was twice President of the

Irish Exporter's Association. He is currently Art Adviser to the Office

of Public Works. In this role, he advises on acquisitions, portrait

commissions, exhibitions and art policy. He describes his involve

ment: 'My aim as Art Adviser to the Office of Public Works is to

secure the best possible works of modern Irish art for display in pub

lic buildings, under the Government's Per Cent for Art Scheme. In

pursuit of this objective, many prints, paintings and sculptures by

recent graduates of the various Irish art colleges are purchased as

well as key works by more established artists. The hope is that these

modern works of art will improve the office environments of the many

people who visit and work in these spaces, and encourage them in

their enjoyment of art.'

ing buildings and this brings its own challenges in

terms of the display, security and care of art works. The

advantage of housing art in public buildings is that

99.9% of the art works are permanently on display,

with only a small number of works in storage awaiting

conservation or en route to a new location.

The relationship between the client department and

the Art Management Office is a crucial part of the

administration process and is very important when art

works are placed on permanent public display outside a


9



'Public art creates a dialogue with a people, a time and a place. The Per Cent for Art Scheme gives the Irish public the opportunity to experience a vast range

of contemporary art, borne out of capital construction

projects, in their everyday life'

10 I



ART OF THE STATE - INHERITANCE, DEVELOPMENT, LEGACY II

9 10

gallery environment. Unlike a public gallery, the envi

ronment is first and foremost concerned with the busi

ness of the government department operating in the

building; people are there primarily for a purpose other

than viewing art. When the department takes owner

ship of the art works and has pride in their display, the

art works have found a good home and an interested

audience. By the nature of its role, the OPW has limi

tations on the types of art works it acquires -

video,

installation and performance-based art projects do not

fit easily into office environments. Yet when these

media can be incorporated into a project, the Art

Management Group is keen to do so. In the OPW's

head office on St Stephen's Green, a poem by Paula

Meehan is displayed alongside a sculpture by Marie

Foley.3 Music has also been commissioned for Ardfert

Cathedral and St Stephen's Green.4

Working with staff in other government depart

ments in placing art works within their buildings

is a tremendously rewarding activity that the Art

Management Office staff undertake on a regular basis.

Each building project is unique in terms of its usage,

architectural design, and per cent for art budget. Having

the general public and staff engage with contemporary

art and creating a lively debate when art works are

installed is an integral part of the process. The National

Guidelines state:

'Public art creates a dialogue with a people, a time

and a place. The Per Cent for Art Scheme gives the

Irish public the opportunity to experience a vast range

of contemporary art, borne out of capital construction

projects, in their everyday life. In turn it provides a

challenge and an opportunity to a wide range of artists

to create work for public engagement and response'.5

The OPW has the privilege of meeting this chal

lenge in public building projects throughout Ireland. It

continues to embrace the Scheme and constantly eval

uates the best practice principles in relation to the com

missioning and purchase of art works. Keenly aware of

its responsibility for the care of art works created in the

past, in the present and looking forward to the future,

the OPW Art Management Group continues to work

with artists, arts officers and gallery owners. Their

commitment, talent and dedication to art make the

challenge immensely satisfying.

Jacquie Moore is Deputy Art Adviser and a member of the

OPW's Art Management Group. She is currently researching a PhD

in public art collections.

7 Sean Keating

An IRA Flying Column 1921

oil on canvas

190 x 223cm

8 Darren Murray

Chamonix, Mont

Blanc, 2004

oil on canvas

154 x 186cm

Image courtesy Kevin Kavanagh

Gallery

9 Patrick Collins

Virgin River 1967

oil on canvas

72 x 89cm

10 Louise Ward

Si/7/ Life I

mixed media on

watercolour card

88 x 66cm

1 Published by the Department of Arts,

Sport and Tourism and also available on

www.gov.ie/arts-sport-tourism 2 Letter from Meta Hastings-Doyle, OPW

to the Secretary, Department of Finance, dated 3 August 1978

3 Six Sycamores by poet Paula Meehan

in collaboration with sculptor Marie

Foley. These works were commissioned

in 2000 with per cent for art funding

arising from a new link corridor

between numbers 51 and 52 St

Stephen's Green

4 Fergus Johnston was commissioned to

create a piece for Ardfert Cathedral in

2000 and Benjamin Dwyer for the St

Stephen's Green 125th anniversary cele

brations in 2005

5 Public Art: Per Cent for Art Scheme, General National Guidelines -

2004,

pl6


1 1



Download - 175th Anniversary of the Office of Public Works || Art of the State: Inheritance, Development, Legacy

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