William Murphy

A LONELY RHINO IN THE DODDER

August 23, 2024 by infomatique

BEHIND THE DROPPING WELL PUB

The Dodder Rhino: A Mysterious Marvel

In the heart of Dublin, nestled by the River Dodder, stands an enigmatic bronze rhinoceros. Its imposing presence startles passersby as they cross Classon’s Bridge, adjacent to The Dropping Well pub. This life-sized sculpture, cast in bronze, commands attention from its plinth in the middle of the river.

A Lifelike Creation: The sculptor behind this masterpiece spared no effort. Every crease in the rhino’s skin is meticulously detailed, lending it a remarkably realistic appearance. Some say it’s as if this enormous mammal escaped from Dublin Zoo, journeying miles along the River Dodder to find its current home.

Dublin’s Best-Kept Secret: The Dodder Rhino has become a symbol of Rathmines, a district in Dublin. At The Dropping Well, one of the town’s oldest Irish pubs, the owners affectionately consider the river-dwelling rhino their “pet.” They even organised a contest to name it, with suggestions like “Milltown Muddler” and “The Plodder in the Dodder.” Ultimately, “Dodder Rhino” prevailed.
The Mystery Endures

THE BRONZE COW WAS ENJOYING LIFE BACK IN 2016

June 4, 2024 by infomatique

BUT IT IS NOW LONELY AS IT WAS RELOCATED TO WOOD QUAY

ABOUT THE ARTIST AND THE LOCATION

PUBLIC ART COLLECTION

The bronze cow sculpture, aptly titled “Ag Crú na Gréine” or “Enjoying the Sun,” was indeed a beloved feature of Wolfe Tone Park in Dublin. Crafted by Jackie McKenna, the life-sized cow was particularly popular with children who would often climb and play on it.

OFFICIALLY KNOWN AS THE CHARIOT OF LIFE

March 27, 2024 by infomatique

ITS NICKNAME IS THE MAD MILKMAN

The sculpture is officially known as the Chariot of Life, but it’s often colloquially referred to as The Mad Milkman.

The Chariot of Life was created by Oisín Kelly, an Irish artist born as Austin Kelly in Dublin in 1915. He worked as a teacher until he became artist in residence at the Kilkenny Design Centre in 1966. He initially attended night class at the National College of Art and studied under Henry Moore from 1948–1949. Kelly became well known after he was commissioned to do a sculpture, The Children of Lir (1964), for Parnell Square’s Garden of Remembrance.

The sculpture is located at the Irish Life Centre plaza, on Dublin’s Lower Abbey Street.

The Chariot of Life statue was commissioned by financier Michael Lucey who was responsible for the development of Irish Life Centre. The first phase of the development was completed in 1977, with the entire project finally realised in 1985. The Chariot of Life was unveiled on 7th July 1982 by Dr Niall Crowley, then Chairman of Irish Life Assurance. Kelly died the year before, in 1981.

The sculpture depicts the figure of a charioteer said to represent reason controlling the emotions. It was unveiled in 1982, the year following the sculptor’s death. This is Kelly’s largest work.

THE INTRIGUING STORY BEHIND BARRY FLANAGAN’S THE DRUMMER

March 24, 2024 by infomatique

ON VIEW AT THE IMMA IN DUBLIN

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.

‘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’.

LOST WITHOUT TRACE THEN FOUND IN A DAMAGED CONDITION

March 20, 2024 by infomatique

TRACE IS A SCULPTURE BY GRACE WEIR

This is a very old photograph dating from 6 August 2006. Unfortunately I do not know what camera was used but I suspect that it was a Canon IXUS [known as a Powershot in the USA].

From about 1988 until 2013 this large sculpture by sculptor Grace Weir stood across the street from St Stephen’s Green, near Merrion Row. I thought that the sculpture was “Portals” but I recently discovered that it was “Trace”.

Unfortunately this sculpture had to be removed to make room for traffic that had to be diverted because of the extension of the LUAS green line. It is now in storage but when it was “discovered” in 2017 four of the Portland-stone blocks were missing.

Trace had been commissioned in 1988 as part of Dublin’s millennium celebrations. It was made from limestone and Portland stone, with the latter taken from the Custom House and donated to the artist when the building was undergoing restoration works in the late 1980s.

Grace Weir studied at the National College of Art and Design and also at Trinity College Dublin, where she won an award for her Masters in Multi-Media graduation project. She co-represented Ireland at the 49th International Venice Biennale in 2001 with her video installation ‘around now’.

Grace Weir collaborated with an astrophysicist exploring aspects of Einstein’s relativity and was commissioned by Cornerhouse in Manchester UK to make two film works ‘Dust defying gravity’ and ‘Bending spacetime in the basement’ in regard to this. They were premiered at her solo show titled ‘a fine line’ at Cornerhouse, Manchester UK in September 2003. In May 2005 she was elected a member of Aosdána. Her work is held in many collections including that of the Irish Museum of Modern Art.