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Dublin: 10 °C Wednesday 22 May, 2013

Personal sketchbooks of Jack B Yeats go on public display for first time

The exhibition at the National Gallery of Ireland brings together – for the first time – a selection more than 150 of Yeats’ personal sketches, which the artist created over the years 1897 to 1955.

Image: Maxwell Photography

THE PERSONAL SKETCHBOOKS of beloved Irish artist Jack B Yeats are on display for the first time in the National Galley of Ireland in Dublin.

The exhibition brings together – for the first time – a selection more than 150 of Yeats’ personal sketches, which the artist created over the years 1897 to 1955.

The sketches, which were gifted to the National Gallery of Ireland by the artist’s niece Anne Yeats in 1996, were regularly drawn upon as a source of inspiration and subject matter by Yeats  in his watercolour and oil compositions.

The beautifully preserved sketches are a visual record of his experiences of urban and rural life in Ireland and England, as well as his travels cross Europe and New York City in 1904.

The original sketchbooks are displayed in chronological order, and visitors can also browse through individual sketches, letters and photographs using provided computer tablets.

“As a barometer of his life at home, in theatres, at the circus or at the races, Yeats’s sketchbooks give us a most intimate insight into the thoughts and passions of one of the most important Irish artists of the twentieth century. It is with great pleasure therefore, that we present, for the first time, an exhibition of a significant collection of Yeats’s sketchbooks,” said Sean Rainbird, Director of the National Gallery of Ireland.

The exhibitionist will run from 2 February – 5 May, admission free

Personal sketchbooks of Jack B Yeats go on public display for first time
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  • The Sketchbooks of Jack B Yeats, 1897-1955

    Peter Kennedy (7), of Raharney, Co Westmeath, checks out the custom-design tablet app at the Yeats exhibition. Exhibition design: Design Factory. (Photo: Maxwell Photography)
  • The Sketchbooks of Jack B Yeats, 1897-1955

    Enjoying the Samsung interactive technology at the Yeats exhibition opening in the National Gallery were Jillian Lowry (L) & Sarah Montague, both from Dublin. Exhibition design: Design Factory. (Photo: Maxwell Photography)
  • The Sketchbooks of Jack B Yeats, 1897-1955

    (L-R) Pauline Swords, curator of the exhibition, Catriona Yeats, Caroline Sleiman and Donal Maguire, curator of the exhibition, in attendance at the opening of the exhibition "The Sketchbooks of Jack B. Yeats 1897 -1955", in the National Gallery of Ireland. Exhibition design: Design Factory. (Photo: Maxwell Photography)
  • The Sketchbooks of Jack B Yeats, 1897-1955

    Enjoying the Samsung interactive technology at the Yeats exhibition opening in the National Gallery - Catriona Yeats and Pauline Swords. Exhibition design: Design Factory. (Photo: Maxwell Photography)
  • The Sketchbooks of Jack B Yeats, 1897-1955

    (L-R) Donal Maguire, curator of the exhibition, Catriona Yeats, grand niece goddaughter of Jack B Yeats and Pauline Swords, curator of the exhibition, in attendance at the opening of the exhibition "The Sketchbooks of Jack B. Yeats 1897 -1955", in the National Gallery of Ireland. Image: Maxwell Photography
  • The Sketchbooks of Jack B Yeats, 1897-1955

    Pictured: Donal Maguire, curator of the exhibition, Catriona Yeats, grand niece and goddaughter of Jack B Yeats, Caroline Sleiman, of Hennessy, Sean Rainbird, director of the National Gallery of Ireland and Pauline Swords, curator of the exhibition, at the opening of the exhibition "The Sketchbooks of Jack B Yeats 1897 -1955", in the National Gallery of Ireland. Exhibition design: Design Factory. (Photo: Maxwell Photography)
  • The Sketchbooks of Jack B Yeats, 1897-1955

    (L-R) Sean Rainbird, Director of the National Gallery of Ireland with Dr Olive Braiden, Chair of the Board of Governors & Guardians, NGI, at the opening of the exhibition "The Sketchbooks of Jack B Yeats 1897 -1955", in the National Gallery of Ireland. Jack B Yeats's personal sketchbooks from the National Gallery's Yeats Archive go on public view for the first time since they were presented in 1996 by the artist's niece, Anne Yeats. Image: Maxwell Photography

Read: Host of famous Irish artists’ work to go under hammer

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