To celebrate 100 years since the Royal Hibernian Academy first elected a female member, the National Gallery of Ireland has created an all-female exhibition – and Deputy Editor Ilaria Riccio evaluates why it is so groundbreaking.
Founded in 1823, the Royal Hibernian Academy is celebrating its bicentenary. Yet there is another, equally important anniversary at the heart of the exhibition “It Took a Century: Women Artists and the RHA.” As the title suggests, the exhibition commemorates 100 years since Sarah Purser became the first woman to be granted the status of member of the RHA. Full membership of the RHA grants the artists full recognition as artists – a sort of certificate that testifies to their mastery of visual art in all its manifestations. Before Purser, however, women artists were simply granted the status of Honorary Members – thus not acknowledging them fully as professionals; Margaret Allen was the first woman to be honoured with this title back in 1878. The exhibition is therefore a celebration of how far the RHA – and the arts world by extension – has come with regards to gender parity. A record number of 59 different women artists feature in the exhibition from across two centuries, each with their personal way of expressing themselves through art.
A record number of 59 different women artists feature in the exhibition from across two centuries, each with their personal way of expressing themselves through art.
What strikes visitors immediately is the variety of approaches to art within the exhibition: no two pieces are the same, even if conceived in the same historical era. Furthermore, the exhibit testifies to the ability of the featured artists to pull from different art movements to create unique pieces that are distinctively personal, yet have universal outreach thanks to their crossing of time and space. An example is painter Evie Hone, who mixed techniques from impressionism and cubism to create unique compositions that are recognisably hers. Alongside the combination of varied artistic influences, the exhibition reveals female artists did participate in artistic movements, yet they were rarely publicly acknowledged. This is the case of Mary Swanzy, whose art manifested through surrealism. “Allegory” – the piece featured in the exhibit – conveys religious imagery through surrealist shapes and techniques.
The exhibit testifies to the ability of the featured artists to pull from different art movements to create unique pieces that are distinctively personal, yet have universal outreach thanks to their crossing of time and space.
Further expanding the variety of artistic manifestations within the exhibition are the different materials used by the featured artists. For instance, the material of the sculptures on display ranges from marble to Kilkenny limestone and, notably, wood. Two artists in particular opted for this material: Imogen Stuart, who carved a self-portrait out of oak, and Janet Mullarney, whose composition titled “Heavenly Creatures” is made up of twelve wooden heads, once again all different from each other. Notable with regards to the uniqueness of materials use is a composition by abstract sculpture Eilis O’Connel: titled ‘Beat them at their own game,’ the piece combines steel, handmade paint, and paper amongst others to suggest that even mundane objects can be turned into works of art. Deserving of a mention is also Dorothy Cross’ ‘Shark-Heart Submarine,’ a model of a submarine allegedly containing a shark’s heart.
Despite their diversity, an underlying, uniting sense of protest can be inferred throughout the exhibition. Alongside the use of unconventional materials and the binding of rigid rules related to, for instance, painting, the exhibit features overtly protest pieces. A prominent example is Geraldine O’Neill’s ‘Age of Unreason,’ which offers a poignant commentary on the state of contemporary society, especially the legacy future generations will have to take on. Joy Gerrard also privileges protest subjects, which she reproduces using Japanese ink on linen. And whilst the rest of the exhibition is not political per se, the different approaches to visual arts displayed speak to the commitment of female artists – within the RHA and beyond – to make their voices heard in a world that tends to overlook them.
Whilst the rest of the exhibition is not political per se, the different approaches to visual arts displayed speak to the commitment of female artists - within the RHA and beyond - to make their voices heard in a world that tends to overlook them.
Featured artist Sinéad Ní Mhaonaigh understands painting as a language, and the “It Took a Century” exhibition shows that this language is both personal and universal. This is what makes this exhibition so groundbreaking: women artists have always been there, and if we had looked closely, we would have uncovered an endless canvas of possibilities for (self-)expression.