Art

The name Paul Thek doesn't exactly roll off the tongue if you're asked to recall some late, great 20th century artists, but a modest retrospective just opened at the Douglas Hyde Gallery aims to give us the chance to change our minds about him or, more likely, provide an introduction to the man and his work. Thek, a New Yorker, was born in 1933, spent much of his time in Europe, felt largely neglected by an indifferent art establishment, and died in 1988. A Catholic who several times retreated to monastic life, he fought the age-old battle between the demands of the spirit and the delights of the flesh, and his unorthodox works reflect an intense, yearning sensibility. They could be anything from small, informal sketches (example above) to huge installations. This show, which argues the thesis that he was an underrated figure who anticipated many of contemporary art's current concerns, consists of drawings on newspaper, paintings, notebooks and some small sculptures.