MOVED FROM AIB HEADQUARTERS IN BALLSBRIDGE TO THE NORTH UNIVERSITY CAMPUS IN MAYNOOTH
I never noticed this sculpture before even though it has been here since September 2021.
The stainless steel ‘Freedom’ sculpture by Alexandra Wejchert was installed on the North Campus of Maynooth University under a long-term loan agreement between AIB and the University.
Commissioned by AIB bank in 1985, the stainless-steel sculpture stands at 11.5 m (37 ft) high and was considered among the most ambitious large-scale exterior sculptures in Ireland. Following the relocation of the AIB headquarters from Ballsbridge, the sculpture required a new site and is now a defining feature on the landscape of Maynooth University, as a publicly accessible exterior artwork for the community and the wider region.
Alexandra Wejchert (16 October 1921 – 24 October 1995) was a Polish-Irish sculptor, known for her use of perspex (plexiglass), stainless steel, bronze and neon colours. Wejchert became an Irish citizen in 1979, a member of Aosdána in 1981, and a member of the Royal Hibernian Academy (RHA) in 1995. She was recognised internationally when she was the only Irish sculptor included in Louis Redstone’s new directions (1981). She was shown at the Solomon gallery from 1989 numerous times, including a solo show in 1992. A number of her most important pieces were for Irish universities, such as Geometric form at the University of Limerick and Flame at the University College Cork in 1995, her last work. She died suddenly at her home on Tivoli Road, Dún Laoghaire on 24 October 1995. She had one son, Jacob. The RHA held a posthumous exhibition of her work in 1995. Wejchert is said to have influenced the younger generation of Irish sculptors, including Vivienne Roche, Eilis O’Connell, and Michael Warren. Flame was selected to be a part of the Irish Artists’ Century exhibition at the RHA in 2000.
This was my first time to use my Sony A7RIV for more than a year and I used a Batis 25mm lens which I really like.
