Vera Klute | Breakage | 2020 | Oil on board | 130 x 350cm

For Culture night 2022 the Arts Council will maintain its proud tradition of showcasing a selection of works recently added to its extensive Visual Art Collection.

This year we are delighted to once again welcome audiences to share these works in person at the Arts Council’s buildings in Dublin as part of Culture night.

Works by many of Irelands most distinguished and celebrated artists will be shown on the night including recently acquired pieces by: Helen Blake, Vivienne Dick, Eleanor Duffin, Paul Hallahan, Andreas Kindler Von Knobloch, Vera Klute, Colm Mac Athlaoich, Leanne McDonagh, Rajinder Singh, Kathy Tynan, Suzanne Walsh and Marcel Vidal.

The works on show from the Collection showcase the Arts Councils ongoing commitment to purchasing excellent and ambitious works of art which reflect the amazing standard of contemporary Irish visual arts practice and which both engage with and represent Ireland today.

In addition to the artworks on display in Merrion Square on the night the Arts Council Collection can also be seen throughout the country as part of ongoing exhibitions and long term display in public buildings such as hospitals, universities and schools.

For those who won’t be able to visit in person on the night we are sharing some insight on each of the artist and artworks which will be on display:

‘This painting is from a series of works that Klute made during, and in response to, the COVID-19 lockdown.

In this new vacuum, nature takes centre stage in her work. The palette throughout is dark with occasional details of bright and saturated colour. The scenes are alive with an abundance of flora, where the chaos of plants dissolves into natural patterns. Featuring parks and landscapes from North Dublin City, the artist guides the viewer off the main road, down the pathways and into the thicket.

Since graduating in Fine Art from IADT, Vera Klute has held solo exhibitions at the RHA Gallery, the Butler Gallery, Kilkenny, and The LAB, Dublin. She has shown in group exhibitions at Reina Sofia Museum, Madrid, Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin, VISUAL, the Crawford Art Gallery, and regularly at the RHA and RUA annual exhibitions.

She won the 2015 Hennessy Portrait Prize and in 2019 won the Dublin City Council commission to commemorate the singer Luke Kelly with a sculpture in Dublin 1.’

Since 1962, the Arts Council has been buying art from working artists. The Collection that evolved tells the story of modern and contemporary Irish visual art in a unique and fascinating way. Today the Collection continues to grow and its almost 1,300 paintings, sculptures and other works are on display in public spaces all over Ireland for people to experience and enjoy first hand.

Explore the Collection and more on our website here.