RHA Collection

Founded in 1823, the Royal Hibernian Academy of Arts is one of Ireland’s principal public art galleries and hosts world-class exhibitions of Irish and international artists. The gallery provides a vital platform for contemporary Irish art and artists and admission is always free.

The RHA holds a unique position in Irish culture as the oldest artist-led visual arts institution in the country, founded nearly 100 years in advance of the formation of the independent Irish state. Having existed either side of the Republic’s formation, and through the War of Independence, the RHA’s significance within both the historic and art-historic landscape of the country is unparalleled.

The RHA is the only organisation that can be seen to have provided a consistent platform for the creation and exhibition of Irish art for the last two centuries. The RHA Collection currently consists of 470 works of art spanning from 1748 to the present day. The majority of the Collection is made up of work by RHA Members known as Diploma Pieces. These are works presented to the Academy by each new Member upon election to the Academy. The Collection also includes works of Academy Members that have been donated over the years by the Gallery’s patrons and other Member artists.

Over the past three years, the RHA has undertaken a major project of research, management and digitisation of the RHA Collection, which currently consists of over 470 artworks, and is growing from strength to strength each year. This is an ongoing project, involving not only photography of the artworks and the creation of an online database, but also storage, condition reporting, restoration and conservation.

Today, for the first time in the Academy's 200-year history, we are delighted to say we have phase one of our Collection Project completed. As RHA Keeper, I have been asked to curate a selection of 50 works for this, our first online Collection Viewing Room. It was very difficult to select just 50 from the wealth of work in the Collection. My aim has been to give a broad overlook from different periods and disciplines and styles in order to show the range that it covers.

Having the RHA Collection online at last is a fantastic resource, and it was very exciting for me personally to be able to see the extent of the beautiful works included. Some of the work I was familiar with, particularly those from the current RHA Members. But there were many surprises, and it was wonderful to see the range of works from as far back as 1796, William Ashford's beautiful landscape Lover's Leap, The Dargle River to one of our most recent additions Joy Gerrard's Protest Crowd, London from 2020. Now, for the first time in the Academy's 200-year history, via the RHA website, we can facilitate online access of our Collection to the public. This will be a valuable tool to facilitate research, learning and engagement with this ever changing and growing collection of artworks.

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RHA Collection

RHA Collection Project 2023

RHA Collection

Carey Clarke PPRHA In conversation with James Hanley RHA

It Took a Century - Women Artists and the RHA | 30 June - 22 October 2023

RHA West - Ballina Civic Offices Municipal Gallery | 9 September - 20 October 2023

IMOGEN STUART EXHIBITION - THE COACH HOUSE GALLERY | 3 NOVEMBER 2023 - 18 FEBRUARY 2024

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