A Wild Atlantic Way exhibition comes to Hunt Museum from July 9 

A Wild Atlantic Way exhibition- An Atlantic Drive, 1944 Jack B. Yeats, (1871-1957), oil on canvas, The Hunt Museum © Estate of Jack B. Yeats, Licensed by: DACS London/IVARO Dublin, 2021

A Wild Atlantic Way exhibition comes to Hunt Museum from July 9 

Parknasilla, 1911, Estella Solomons, (1882 – 1968), Oil on board, Private Collection ©

The Hunt Museum’s summer exhibition “A Wild Atlantic Way” (opening on 9 July) gives visitors the chance to travel the Wild Atlantic Way from Donegal to Kinsale and experience the essence and soul of Ireland through a series of atmospheric and strikingly evocative paintings by 30 artists.

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Featuring works created between 1800’s and 2019 by Irish born artists or artists drawn to Ireland by the beauty of the Wild Atlantic Way, this major exhibition accentuates traditional habits and ways of life – remembering people and history through painting. [FULL LIST BELOW]

The inspiration for the exhibition first came to Naomi O’Nolan, Head of Exhibitions at The Hunt Museum, when she spent time on the West Coast of Ireland during the first lockdown of 2020. She noted, “For centuries, the majestical West of Ireland and the uniqueness of its coastline has attracted artists from all over the world. This exhibition focuses on the allure of the West Coast of Ireland to artists both past and present and how they have captured the ways of life and customs of people living and working on the coastline as well as the power and the beauty of the land and seascape.”

The exhibition is very timely given Limerick has just been designated as a Wild Atlantic Way Gateway City by Failte Ireland.

Jill Cousins, Director, The Hunt Museum, said “As Limerick seeks to create new and improved visitor experiences, we’re delighted to present this major exhibition, endorsed by Failte Ireland and linked to Limerick’s new designation as a Wild Atlantic Way Gateway City.   It will give visitors another reason to visit the city. With so many themes explored and works by very well-known artists, this staycation-inspired exhibition really has something for everyone.”

A show of both national and international significance, the exhibition will feature approximately 50 works, many from private collections which are not normally available for public viewing, together with some pertinent pieces from National Cultural Institutions.

The variety of artistic practice from the earliest work in the exhibition Samuel Lover’s The Kelp Burners (1835) to Donald Teskey’s ‘Turn in the Weather’ (2016) and John Shinnor’s portrayal of Loop Head (2019) bear testament to the enduring attraction of the West of Ireland to artists.

The theme of travel is further illustrated with a selection of illustrated travel books by artists and travellers from the 19th century to today. “A Wild Atlantic Way” offers a glimpse into how artists viewed and still view the West and the different approaches they take when responding to it, through their mastery in many different styles and techniques.

Over the summer, The Hunt Museum will have lots of events and activities to support the exhibition including: Family workshops, En Plein Air with local artists such as John Shinnors and Charlie Harper, a Masterclass in Landscape painting with Joseph Kelly, Podcasts by experts and the living artists alongside online lectures and talks.

13 September 2021: Four very distinguished lecturers will give their insights into the artists, the works and the social history represented in the Hunt Museum’s Summer Exhibition “A Wild Atlantic Way”. Dr Marie Bourke, Róisín Kennedy, Donal Maguire and David McBurnie are all participating in the lecture series taking place on 16^th and 23^rd of September.

Open to the public, people can join in person or online to learn more about the influences the West Coast of Ireland has had on artists and their art over the past 200 years as it has evolved to be now known as the Wild Atlantic Way.

Open until 3 October, “A Wild Atlantic Way – Irish Life & Landscapes” evokes the essence and soul of Ireland through a series of atmospheric and strikingly evocative paintings by 30 artists.

Featuring works created between 1800’s and 2019 by Irish born artists or artists drawn to Ireland by the beauty of west coast (including Shinnors, Teskey, Yeats, Lover, Hone, Souter and Jellett), this major exhibition accentuates traditional habits and ways of life – remembering people and history through painting.

Thursday 16th: 

Lunchtime: 1-2pm Marie Bourke: The Lure of the West for Artists: Looking at the enduring appeal of the West of Ireland. 

Evening: 7-8pm Róisín Kennedy: The West of Ireland and Irish Identity: How imagery of the West of Ireland was used to project a distinctive image of the Irish people and their homeland. 

Thursday 23rd: 

Lunchtime: 1-2pm David McBurnie:  Artistic Variations in Interpretations of the West: How perceptions of place and people affect artistic styles 

Evening: 7-8pm (online only, free) Donal Maguire: Shaping the Wild

Dates of Exhibition:   9 July – 3 October 2021

Tickets: Adults €10, Children go Free. Booking is essential to comply with Covid19 restrictions. You can book tickets online HERE or by calling (061) 312 833.

For more stories on the Hunt Museum go HERE