merrion street

Jimmy Deenihan TD, Minister for Arts Heritage and the Gaeltacht, will this evening (Thursday 29

November, 2012) officially open

in Limerick City Gallery, Limerick.

The 'Into the Light' exhibition includes over 150 works from the Arts Council collection. Many of the works have been recalled from loan locations across the country and will also go on display in Dublin City Gallery, Crawford Art Gallery, Cork and The Model, Sligo.

Minister Deenihan said "This initiative of the Arts Council to gather some of the most important recent work of Ireland's visual artists and showcase the great art produced over the lifespan of the Arts Council is a wonderful idea. By bringing this exhibition across the country to venues in Sligo, Limerick, Cork and Dublin, the Arts Council aims to ensure regional access for the public to our national collection"

For the Limerick element of the exhibition, the pieces on display have been selected by Baz Burke, Anne Horrigan, John Logan, Paul Tarpey and Helen Carey. They include paintings and sculpture acquired by the Arts Council during the early days of the collection in the 1960s and 1970s. 'Into the Light" pays tribute to a distinctive national collection that has been active for 50 years tracking contemporary visual arts developments as they emerged.

Minister Deenihan said "I'm sure that choosing works for this display was not an easy task however the outcome will, I have no doubt, be a very successful exhibition. I would like to acknowledge the stewardship of Pat Moylan as Chair, Orlaith McBride as Director, and the Arts Council in organising this exhibition."