Irish Museum of Modern Art facts for kids
| Músaem Nua-Ealaíne na hÉireann | |
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North facade of the main building, viewed from the formal garden
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| Established | 25 May 1991 |
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| Location | 8 Military Road, Kilmainham, Dublin, Ireland |
| Type | Museum of modern art |
| Architect | William Robinson |
| Public transit access | Heuston railway station James's Luas stop (Red Line) |
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The Irish Museum of Modern Art (Irish: Áras Nua-Ealaíne na hÉireann), also known as IMMA, is Ireland's main place for showing and collecting modern and contemporary art. You can find it in Kilmainham, Dublin. It's a really cool spot to see amazing artworks from Ireland and around the world!
Contents
History of IMMA
How the Museum Started
An Irish art collector named Gordon Lambert wanted to help create a new art gallery. He met with the leader of Ireland at the time, Charles J Haughey, who was called the Taoiseach. Lambert offered to give his art collection if the government made a gallery.
The Irish Museum of Modern Art was officially set up by the Government of Ireland in 1990. It opened its doors on May 25, 1991, with help from Charles Haughey.
Museum Directors
The first Director of IMMA was Declan McGonagle, who worked there for 10 years. After him, Enrique Juncosa and then Sarah Glennie led the museum. Annie Fletcher has been the Director since 2018.
The Museum Building and Grounds
A Historic Home for Modern Art
The Irish Museum of Modern Art is located in a very old building called the Royal Hospital Kilmainham. This building was built in the 1600s! It was started in 1684 by James Butler, who was the Duke of Ormonde and worked for King Charles II.
The Royal Hospital was built as a home for soldiers who had retired. It was used for this purpose for almost 250 years.
Building Design and Features
The Royal Hospital is a special place to show modern art. It was designed by Sir William Robinson. The building looks a bit like Les Invalides in Paris. It is built around a central courtyard. Inside, there are long hallways that lead to many smaller rooms.
The old stables of the hospital have been fixed up and turned into art studios. IMMA even has a program where artists can live and work there for a while.
Challenges and Solutions
At first, there was an idea to build a brand new museum in Dublin. But the Royal Hospital was chosen because it was easier at the time. However, the building wasn't perfect for a museum. It sometimes didn't have enough large spaces for big art shows.
Also, the Royal Hospital didn't have good storage for all the artworks. By 2003, some art pieces were damaged because of changes in humidity and temperature. The Office of Public Works helped the museum find new, safer places to store most of its collection, even using storage containers in the museum's car park!
IMMA's Art Collection
What IMMA Collects
IMMA holds the Irish National Collection of modern and contemporary art. This means it has over 3,500 artworks by artists from Ireland and other countries. The museum mostly collects art made after 1940.
You can see works by many famous artists in the collection. Some of these include Lucian Freud, Marina Abramović, Louise Bourgeois, Joseph Cornell, Robert Rauschenberg, Sol LeWitt, Louis le Brocquy, Matt Mullican, Roy Lichtenstein, and Lawrence Weiner. You can search through the entire collection on IMMA's website.
Helping the Collection Grow
In 2016, a special fund called the Hennessy Art Fund for IMMA Collection was started. This fund helps the museum buy new art. Before this, the museum didn't have much money to buy art since 2011.
The fund is a partnership that helps IMMA buy art from Irish artists who are just starting out or are in the middle of their careers. Thanks to this fund, IMMA has been able to add works by artists like Kevin Atherton, David Beattie, Rhona Byrne, Dennis McNulty, Ciarán Murphy, Maireád McClean, Mark Garry, and Yuri Pattison to its collection. Before this fund, the museum often relied on donations from private people to get new art.
How IMMA is Funded
IMMA is a special type of organization that does not have shareholders. It gets most of its money from the Irish government through the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media. It also gets money from sponsors, special events, and its own activities.
See also
In Spanish: Museo Irlandés de Arte Moderno para niños
