Ruairí Quinn
Ceist:4 Mr. Quinn asked the Taoiseach when the Sydney Nolan bequest of paintings to the nation will be made; where it will be hung; when it will be open to the public; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Sir Sydney Nolan Bequest.
In June 1989 I accepted, on behalf of the nation, the first instalment of Sir Sydney Nolan's generous gift of his paintings. This comprised six paintings on the theme of the Wild Geese and they will be displayed at the new Irish Museum of Modern Art at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham which will be opened early next year. Sir Sydney Nolan has indicated to me his intention to give further instalments of the gift over a period for the Museum of Modern Art.
I am sure that the House will join with me in expressing our thanks and appreciation for this splendid gift to the Irish people from one of the world's foremost artists.
I would like to thank the Taoiseach for his reply which is, to my knowledge, the first official confirmation that this is the situation. This matter has been going on for some time. Could the Taoiseach assure the House that in relation to any future bequests Sir Sidney Nolan might wish to make to this nation we will not lose the opportunity in a manner similar to what happened in the case of the Sir Hugh Lane collection and that there will be proper accommodation for such bequests?
Yes. We are much better equipped now than we were in Sir Hugh Lane's day.
I, on behalf of my party, also join in welcoming this very generous bequest by Sir Sidney Nolan. In discussions with the artist, would the Taoiseach consider the possibility that at some stage the paintings might be displayed in the artist's ancestral county of Clare?
That is an excellent suggestion, but would the Deputy not regard the Royal Hospital at Kilmainham as being near enough?
I make the suggestion in all seriousness. It is widely accepted that we should decentralise the arts as much as possible.
As the person involved when Sir Sidney Nolan made the bequest, let me also express my appreciation of this magnificent bequest to the nation. Does the Taoiseach think the Royal Hospital, Kilmainham, is a particularly suitable place for the exhibition of these paintings in view of the very large size of the canvasses?
As the Deputy may be aware, that question was thoroughly looked into and a decision finally taken that Kilmainham Hospital is the best place available.