The National Gallery of Ireland has acquired a Jack B Yeats painting with financial support from the Government and a private donor.
Bought last year, the painting, titled Singing The Dark Rosaleen, Croke Park, is on display for visitors to view in the gallery’s Irish rooms.
This “deepens the gallery’s representation of one of Ireland’s most beloved and influential artists, while offering a poignant reflection on a pivotal moment in Irish history”, the National Gallery said.
The painting was stolen in the 1990 Dunsany Castle art theft, however five years later it was returned to its owner, Sheila Plunkett, who subsequently sold it to the late businessman Ben Dunne for £500,000.
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It is understood Mr Dunne and his wife sold the painting, via Gormleys, in 2022 for about €1 million.
The 1921 painting is not a depiction of the scene of the 1920 Bloody Sunday tragedy in which British forces opened fire on a Dublin-Tipperary GAA match in Croke Park, killing 14 and injuring 60, although is said to be closely associated with it.
“Its title, setting, and sombre tone evoke the tragedy and its consequences,” the National Gallery said, saying that it remained unclear if the scene depicted a specific moment or an amalgam of Yeats’s memories.
The gallery described it as “one of Yeats’s few overtly political works”, which “stands as a deeply personal response from a keenly sensitive individual to a seismic moment in Irish history”.
It is said this oil on canvas painting is an early representative of the expressionist paintings he would later be lauded for such as 1924’s The Liffey Swim.
“This acquisition is a testament to the [gallery’s] commitment to preserving and presenting Ireland’s artistic and historical legacy, ensuring that future generations can engage with the powerful narratives woven into the national collection,” the National Gallery said.
Gallery director Caroline Campbell said this acquisition “enriches our national collection and allows us to share his remarkable legacy with all our visitors”.
