This afternoon, Trinity Arts Festival (TAF) and the College Art Collections took students and staff on a tour of some of the most awe-inspiring modern pieces from an impressive art collection that includes works by Patrick Scott, Henry Moore and Jack B Yeats, offering an intimate and insightful look at easily missed works of art. Meabh Noonan, Art Collections Assistant, and Catherine Giltrap, Curator of the College Art Collections, led an enthusiastic group on a tour of some of the modern marvels that are part of Trinity’s art collection.
Beginning in the Arts Block with sizeable work of art by Margaret Corcoran entitled “Return to Cythera”, Noonan began explaining the work’s history and that in making the piece the artist was “layering different stories from different times”, creating a colourful and engaging painting. Next, the group was ushered to an artwork most students pass almost everyday in the entrance of the Lecky Library, “Castellar” by Irish-born Eileen Gray, a beautiful textile piece that needs to be seen up close to be fully appreciated.
One of the most famous works from the collections is Arnaldo Pomodoro’s “Sphere within a Sphere” (Sfera con Sfera), which was donated by the artist to Trinity’s art collection. Noonan explained that Trinity’s sculpture is one of several different versions and that the familiar sphere can also be found in the Vatican in Rome and the United Nations in New York. She is right when she said that “the shining brass works well against the Berkeley” and that the sphere, which is located between the Museum Building and the Berkeley Library “brings the three of them together in one spot”. Giltrap continued by saying that “public art has to work with its environment”, and the sphere is successful in bridging and connecting the modern, concrete Berkeley library with the extravagance of the Museum Building.
Another highlight of the tour included Apples and Atoms by Eilís O’Connell, which commemorates Nobel Prize winner Ernest T S Walton. Walton served as a lecturer in Trinity and alongside John Cockcroft, successfully split the atom, with Albert Einstein later declaring that their success help him develop his theory of special relativity. The sculpture was commissioned by the College on the 80th anniversary of the experiment in 2012, with the sculpture being erected in 2013. Noonan and Giltrap explained the appropriate location of the sculpture, considering its proximity to the building in which Walton lectured for over 40 years and to Trinity’s trees, Walton’s other passion. In addition, Noonan explained, several apple trees were planted surrounding the sculpture to commemorate Walton’s passion.
The tour offered participants a chance to engage with a selection of modern works from the College Art Collections in an informal and intimate setting, while Giltrap and Noonan offered insightful information about each individual work of art, giving staff and students a new perspective on familiar painting, tapestry and sculpture. In the campus modern art tour, TAF and the College Art Collections offered a unique way to engage with the art that surrounds us on a daily basis.
