Seán Keating and the ESB: Enlightenment and Legacy

Seán Keating and the ESB: Enlightenment and Legacy

5 September - 21 December. This exhibition examines how Limerick romantic-realist painter Seán Keating charted Ireland's post-civil war progess through the advent of electricity and the construction of two massive power plants at Ardnacrusha in Co. Clare and Poulaphouca in Co. Wicklow, during the early days of Irish independence.

Keating’s oils, watercolours and mixed media paintings made at the power plants — from the collection of the Ireland's Electricity Supply Board (ESB) — are enhanced by film footage from the 1920s of the machinery in operation at Ardnacrusha.

Best-known for his iconic series of politically-inspired paintings made between 1915 and 1924, Keating was an academic painter of the old school and remained a fierce critic of modern trends in Irish art until his death in 1977.

A separate exhibition dedicated to the artist, entitled "Seán Keating: Contemporary Contexts", takes place at the Crawford Gallery in Cork until 27 October.

Mon-Sat. 11.00-19.00 Sun. 14.00-17.00