Madam, - We noticed a letter in your edition of May 22nd from Geraldine Molloy, seeking information on an Irish artist.
The National Irish Visual Arts Library (NIVAL) was formally established in 1997 with the aim of documenting all aspects of 20th-century and contemporary Irish art and design and providing public access to a national research resource.
NIVAL is a partnership initiative between the National College of Art and Design and the Arts Council. It has also received funding from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland and the Heritage Council.
The library is a unique research facility wherein every aspect of 20th century Irish art and design has been documented. Much of the material, amassed over the past 30 years, is unavailable elsewhere.
The collection includes monographs, exhibition catalogues, artists' books, price lists, press releases and newspaper reviews. The library subscribes to a number of relevant journals and significant back-runs of these are available.
The library serves a wide range of researchers including authors of books and articles, art and design practitioners, scholars and lecturers, as well as the general public interested in current, historical and biographical information on the visual arts in Ireland.
More information is on our website www.ncad.ie/nival.
- Yours, etc,
EVE PARNELL, National Irish Visual Arts Library, National College of Art and Design, Thomas Street, Dublin 8.