Water Colour Society of Ireland

Water Colour Society of Ireland (WCSI) is a watercolour society in Ireland, founded in 1870. The Society held its first exhibition in the Courthouse, Lismore, Co Waterford in May 1871.[1]

History

The Water Colour Society of Ireland (WCSI) was founded in 1870 as the Amateur Drawing Society by an informal group of six well-connected women from County Waterford, Baroness Pauline Prochazka, the Misses Keane, Miss Phipps, Miss Curry and Miss Musgrave.[2][3] Eight years after its founding, the organisation briefly became the "Irish Fine Art Society" before settling to its current name in 1888.[4] The stated objective of the Society is "to promote and develop nationally the use and appreciation of watercolour and associated media among artists, students and the general public."[1]

Members

Important past members include Nathaniel Hone RHA, Lady Butler – Elizabeth Thompson, Sir Frederick William Burton, Rose Maynard Barton, Mildred Anne Butler, Percy French, Evie Hone, Walter Osborne RHA, Sarah Purser RHA, Norah McGuinness, Harry Clarke, Gerald Dillon, Letitia Hamilton, Paul Henry, Evie Hone, Mainie Jellett, Harry Kernoff, Frank McKelvey, Sir William Orpen, Nano Reid, Æ – George William Russell, Gladys Wynne, Jack B. Yeats, and Anne Yeats. Other members included Tom Nisbet RHA, Brigid Ganley HRHA, Maurice McGonigal PRHA, Kitty Wilmer O'Brien RHA, Niccola Carraciola RHA, Desmond Carrick RHA, William Carron ARHA, John Coyle RHA, Chris Dearden ARUA, James Nolan RHA, Brett McEntagart RHA, James Hanley RHA, Neil Shawcross RUA, Tom Ryan PPRHA, as well as Lady Ardilaun, Bingham McGuinness, Manie Jellet, Fr Jack Hanlon, Lilian Davidson, May Guinness, Flora Mitchell, Bea Orpen, George Campbell, Helen O'Hara, Sean O'Connor, Richard Caulfield Orpen, Patrick Cahill, Brid Clarke, Berthold Dunne, Olivia Hayes, John Keating, Patricia Jorgensen, Grania Langrishe, Nancy Larchet, Anthony Loughran, Fergal MacCabe, Terence O'Connell, Tom Roche, Susan Sex, and Vincent Lambe.[3][5][6][7][8]

Exhibitions

The society held the first exhibition in 1871 at the courthouse in Lismore, County Waterford, and went on to exhibit at Clonmel, Carlow, and finally in 1891 the society begun an annual Spring Exhibition at Molesworth Hall, Dublin.[2][9] The national collection for the society which consists of painting by 122 members was founded in 1993, and is housed at the Concert Hall of the University of Limerick.[5][10] In 2004 the National Gallery held an exhibition, 150: The Watercolour Society of Ireland's Exhibitions.[6] In 2009, the university published an illustrated book, The Silent Companion – An illustrated History of The Water Colour Society of Ireland.[11] Almost 25,000 works by 1,200 artists are listed in the societies Exhibition List 1872–1994 (1994).

See also

Footnotes

References

Further reading

External links