Celebrating 70 years of the Butler Gallery Collection

The Butler Gallery has an extraordinary resource in its fine permanent collection. Established in 1943, the collection has continued to flourish through gift, loan and purchase. It is a rich archive to which the inquisitive eye may turn and return. The gallery has an on-going commitment to keep this diverse collection fluid, exhibited and enjoyed by the public. Including loans from the Sir Basil Goulding Collection and private collections, the Butler Gallery Collection is an eclectic catalogue that can be read and appreciated on many levels.

In Celebrating 70 Years of the Butler Gallery Collection we continued to explore this valuable resource and revisit beloved favourites, showcase new acquisitions, and introduce new long-term loans to the collection. The selection reflected the broad character of the collection itself and embraces a variety of genres from painting, drawing and printmaking, to sculpture and photography.

The exhibition featured a new loan of a suite of prints by world-renowned artist Louise Bourgeois (1911-2010). In keeping with our commitment to collect works by artists featured in our artistic programme, we are delighted to highlight a number of new additions to the collection. These included photography by Jackie Nickerson, sculpture by Paul Mosse, painting by British artist Bob and Roberta Smith and a work on linen by Helena Gorey, all artists who have exhibited in the Butler Gallery in recent years. These works convey a contemporary freshness and are a window into this ever-evolving collection, which we are fortunate to maintain here in Kilkenny.