175th anniversary of the office of public works || art of the state: inheritance, development,...
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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
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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 |
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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
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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
OPW 175TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION |
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'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
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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
OPW 175TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION |
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