Oriel Gallery facts for kids
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The gallery in 2024
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| Established | 1968 |
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| Location | 17 Clare Street, Dublin, Ireland |
| Type | Contemporary art gallery |
| Founder | Oliver Nulty |
| Public transit access |  Dublin Pearse Dawson Street (Green Line) |
The Oriel Gallery is a special art gallery in Dublin, Ireland. It focuses on showing and selling art made by Irish artists. It is known as Ireland's oldest independent art gallery, meaning it has been around for a very long time and is not part of a bigger group.
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What is the Oriel Gallery?
The Oriel Gallery is a place where you can see and buy amazing artworks. It has been a key part of the art scene in Ireland for many years. The gallery helps people discover and appreciate the talent of Irish painters and sculptors.
How the Gallery Got Its Name
The gallery was started by Oliver Nulty in 1968. He named it "Oriel" for a few reasons.
- It refers to the old Kingdom of Oriel, a medieval kingdom in Ireland. Oliver Nulty's hometown, Drogheda, was part of this ancient kingdom.
- "Oriel" can also mean a special type of window that sticks out from a building.
- In the Welsh language, "Oriel" is the word for "gallery."
A Look Back: The Gallery's Story
Oliver Nulty, who started the Oriel Gallery, passed away in 2005. He began his career buying and selling old items. Through this work, he noticed that Irish art was not getting much attention. He spent years collecting art before opening his own gallery.
Oliver Nulty believed that art in Ireland was not as popular as literature. He once said that Irish visual art in the 1940s, 50s, and 60s was like "the Cinderella of Irish culture." This meant it was often overlooked and not given the importance it deserved.
Bringing Irish Art to Life
Nulty saw a chance to change this. He started to show and sell beautiful Irish artworks through his gallery. He featured famous artists like Paul Henry and Jack Butler Yeats, who are considered very important in Irish art history.
He also created many high-quality books about the art he displayed. Oliver Nulty had a special love for the artist Percy French. He helped make French's art very popular, especially among Irish-Americans.
A Special Exhibition
Oliver Nulty was also the first to put on a special exhibition of art by Irish women artists. This show featured modern artists like Mainie Jellett and Evie Hone. The exhibition was opened by President Mary Robinson, who was the President of Ireland at the time. When Nulty first opened the Oriel Gallery, the National Gallery of Ireland did not even have a section just for Irish art. This shows how important his work was in promoting Irish artists.
Artists Featured at Oriel Gallery
Many talented artists have had their work shown at the Oriel Gallery over the years. Some of these include:
- Percy French
- Anthony Murphy
- Markey Robinson
- Nicholas Hely Hutchinson
- Henry Jones Thaddeus
- George Russell
- Paul Henry
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