Part of the Burst the Heart Open Exhibition Crew, from left to right: Robert Williams, Conservation Assistant & Class of 2014, Catherince Macek, Bookbuilder Intern and Class of 2012, Kathleen Williams, Irish Studies Librarian and Barbara Adams Hebard, Conservator, Burns Library. Photo by Gary Wayne Gilbert.
The Boston College Center for Irish Programs and the Boston College Libraries extend a warm invitation to the exhibition of Irish paintings entitled Burst the Heart Open, showing at the John J. Burns Library at Boston College. Sponsored by Culture Ireland and the Office of Public Works, Ireland the collection of paintings spans a century of Irish art – art that was created across a time period that saw enormous change in the island of Ireland. Exploring the rich and various approaches of artists the exhibition includes works by Patrick Collins, Louis le Brocquy, Ciaran Lennon and Paul Doran.
Most of the artists represented are Irish by birth or have lived and worked in Ireland. Some represent the Irish Diaspora. While the selections included do not form a complete survey of painting in Ireland, they do present an overview of works that manifest the joy of working in the medium of paint.
The "Burst the Heart Open" and "Painter, Illustrator, Author: Irish Art in the Twentieth Century" exhibits are on display in the Burns Library's Irish and Fine Print Rooms from November 14th, 2011 - January 14th, 2012. Photograph by Andrew Kuhn.
The passion for Irish painting present in Burst the Heart Open cannot be contained in oil and canvas. The book has also been a site where Irish painters have honed their craft as illustrators, designers and writers. This intersection of Irish painting, literature, and book arts has provided an opportunity for the Burns Library to place volumes from its Irish and Fine Print Collections in dialogue with Irish painting. As a companion exhibit to Burst the Heart Open, Painter, Illustrator, Author: Irish Art in the Twentieth Century seeks to understand the paintings of artists such as Jack B. Yeats, Louis le Brocquy, Norah McGuinness, and Barrie Cooke through a consideration of their artistic endeavors printed within the pages of books. Taken together, the exhibits invite the viewer to experience the richness of Irish art in a variety of media and emphasize the fruitful collaboration between Irish painting and the book arts in the twentieth century. The exhibition runs from November 14, 2011 through January 14, 2012. For information on Burns Library hours and directions to the Burns Library, click here.
- Andrew Kuhn, Curator for Painter, Illustrator, Author: Irish Art in the Twentieth Century, Burns Library Reference Assistant and Ph.d. Candidate in the Department of English
