William Murphy

ON VIEW AT THE IMMA IN DUBLIN

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Barry Flanagan’s “The Drummer,” a lively 15ft-tall bronze hare sculpture, has always intrigued me. This piece, which graces the entrance of Dublin’s Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA), recently surprised me with its lack of uniqueness. There are multiple copies, including one at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in the USA. This discovery, coupled with a lingering rumour about the IMMA sculpture’s origins, piqued my curiosity.

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‘The Drummer,’ one of IMMA’s more recent acquisitions, was donated by Flanagan in 2001. However, it seems this whimsical sculpture might have been destined for a different setting. According to sources, a sculpture intended for Áras an Uachtaráin, the Irish presidential residence, was reportedly rejected by then-president Mary McAleese because the artist was not Irish. This motivated me to investigate the story behind ‘The Drummer’ further.

I discovered that a copy of ‘The Drummer’ resides at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in the USA. Created in 1996 and donated by the artist in 2001, it is described as an abstract sculpture depicting a rabbit [rather than a hare] on its hind legs, a drum and stick held in its hands. This sculpture is the second in an edition of seven, which was quite surprising.
Flanagan’s hare statue, Large Left-Handed Drummer, was also on display in Union Square, Manhattan from 18 February to 24 June 2007.

‘The Drummer’ characterises Barry Flanagan’s series of hare sculptures which have formed a large part of his work from the early 1980s to the present day. Flanagan’s hares are spectacular in size and convey an extraordinary spontaneity and naturalness. There is nothing repetitive in his use of a single theme; each hare is extremely individualistic and dynamic. Many portray human attributes – dancing, playing instruments, engaging in sports and even using technical equipment. In addition to his emblematic hare sculptures, Flanagan’s work also includes ceramic pieces, abstract sculptures, drawings in ink and pencil, water-colours and collages on paper in a wide range of subject matter including life studies, animals and abstract shapes.

In 2013, I read in the Sunday Times: “A sculpture greeting visitors to the Irish Museum of Modern Art (Imma) for more than a decade was originally destined for Aras an Uachtarain but was turned down by Mary McAleese because the artist was not Irish, according to a new book.”

Having always doubted the story and now knowing that there are seven copies (or versions) of the sculpture, I decided to fact check and have included the results below:

There seems to be some truth to this claim, although the reasoning behind the decision remains somewhat open to interpretation.

The claim about ‘The Drummer’ and Mary McAleese’s decision is reported in several sources, including the Sunday Times article noted in online discussions about the sculpture and a book cited in the sources of the sculpture’s Wikipedia page.

There doesn’t seem to be any official statement from Mary McAleese or the Áras an Uachtaráin directly confirming or denying the claim. This lack of comment might be standard practice for such situations.

Potential Motivations: If the claim is true, it’s difficult to identify McAleese’s exact reasoning. Here are some possibilities:

Nationalism: A desire to support Irish artists and showcase Irish talent.
Symbolism: Perhaps the image of the drumming hare, while whimsical, was not seen as fitting the symbolic or stately role of the artwork outside a Presidential residence.
Other Factors: There may be entirely unknown personal or administrative reasons influencing the decision.

Important Note: Without a direct statement from those involved, we can’t know the absolute certainty or full motive behind the reported rejection of the sculpture.

Conclusion: It seems plausible that the claim has some basis in truth. However, the exact reasoning behind the decision, if it did happen, remains a bit of speculation.

While there are indeed several copies (or versions) of ‘The Drummer’ by Barry Flanagan, it seems the total number might be less than seven. Here’s what I could find:

Confirmed Locations:

Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA), Dublin, Ireland: This is the original ‘Drummer’, donated by the artist in 2001. (https://imma.ie/collection/the-drummer/)
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington D.C., USA: Another prominent and publicly owned example of the sculpture.
Chatsworth House, Derbyshire, UK: Part of the Chatsworth House Trust Public Collection. (https://www.barryflanagan.com/artworks/drummer/)

Possible Locations:

The artist’s website mentions an edition of 5 (+2 artist’s copies). This suggests there might be two more privately owned copies of ‘The Drummer’. (https://www.barryflanagan.com/artworks/drummer/)

Update 24 March 2024

Additional Information: The Beverly Hills City Council Collection and a private collector in Nantes, France, have also acquired versions of ‘The Drummer’.

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