Edward Delaney facts for kids
Edward Delaney (1930 – 22 September 2009) was a famous Irish sculptor. He was born in Claremorris in County Mayo in 1930. Some of his most well-known artworks are in Dublin. These include the 1967 statue of Wolfe Tone and a famine memorial. You can find them at the northeast corner of St Stephen's Green. Another famous piece is the statue of Thomas Davis. This one is in College Green, across from Trinity College Dublin. Both of these statues were made using a special method. It's called lost-wax bronze casting. This was his main way of working in the 1960s and early 1970s.
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Edward Delaney: A Famous Irish Sculptor
Edward Delaney went to the National College of Art and Design in Dublin. He also studied casting in Germany. The Irish Arts Council helped him with this. He showed his art for Ireland at the Biennale de Paris in 1959 and 1961. This is a big art event in Paris.
His Early Life and Achievements
Edward Delaney showed his art around the world. He was at the Paris Biennale in 1959 and 1961. He also showed his work at the World Fair in New York in 1965. His art was displayed in many cities. These included New York, Tokyo, Buenos Aires, and Budapest. In Ireland, his art was shown in several galleries.
He won many awards and scholarships. He received a German fellowship for sculpture in 1956–57. He also won the Bavarian State Foreign Students Sculpture Prize in 1958. An Italian Government Scholarship for sculpture followed in 1959–60. The Arts Council of Ireland gave him sculpture prizes in 1962 and 1964. In 1991, he won the Royal Hibernian Academy Award. This was for his excellent bronze sculptures.
Delaney married Nancy O'Brien in 1961. They had five children together. Later, he moved to Galway around 1980. There, he met Dr Anne Gillen and had two more children. He was a member of Aosdána, a group of Irish artists.
Edward Delaney passed away on 22 September 2009. He was 79 years old. His oldest son, Eamon Delaney, unveiled a sculpture in his honor in 2013. His daughter Catherine is also an artist.
Edward Delaney's Unique Art Style
Edward Delaney's statues of Wolfe Tone and Thomas Davis are special. They show some of his unique style. This style is called expressionism. These statues are less abstract than most of his other work from that time. The famine memorial, however, is more typical of his abstract style.
Arts writer Judith Hill noted something important. These statues do not try to look exactly like the people they show. Instead, they use their size and shape to show how important these figures were. They also show the public role of memorial statues. This means his work helped change how public art was seen.
All of Edward Delaney's art shares a strong quality. It is very robust, meaning strong and solid. Aidan Dunne, an arts writer, reviewed his work in 2004. He described Delaney's bronze pieces as robust. Yet, they also had a certain tenderness about them.
From 1980 onwards, Edward Delaney focused on big art projects. He made large outdoor sculptures. He also worked with stainless steel in Carraroe, County Galway. The Royal Hibernian Academy held special shows of his work. These were in 1992 and again in 2004.
Where to See Edward Delaney's Art
Edward Delaney's artworks are in many important collections. You can find them at the Central Bank of Ireland in Dublin. The Bank of Ireland and Allied Irish Banks also have his pieces. The Hugh Lane Municipal Gallery of Modern Art in Dublin has some. So does the Ulster Museum in Belfast.
Other places include the Waterford Museum and the Office of Public Works in Dublin. His art is also in the First National Bank of Chicago and the First National City Bank of New York. The Irish Arts Council owns some of his work. You can also see his art at KLM Airlines Headquarters in New York. The Irish Management Institute in Dublin and Jefferson Smurfit Group Ltd. have pieces. Norman B. Arnoff in New York, University College, Dublin, and the Abbey Theatre in Dublin also display his art.
A lot of Delaney's work used to be at the Open Air Sculpture Park. This park was in Carraroe in the west of Ireland.
A new sculpture by Edward Delaney was unveiled in 2013. It is in his hometown of Crossboyne, Claremorris, County Mayo. The sculpture is called 'Integration'. It is an abstract globe made of stainless steel. His family gave this sculpture to the town. It is in a special park near Crossboyne church. Edward's son, Eamon Delaney, unveiled it. Many family members, friends, and neighbors attended the event.
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