A UNIQUE exhibition created for and by The Hunt Museum is pulling international interest to their gallery, contemporaneous Irish masters juxtaposed. Lavery & Osborne is an exhibition of the fine body of work created by Sir Hugh Lavery (1856-1941) and Dubliner Walter Osborne (1859-1903), men who never knew each other but who had oddly similar arcs to their training and acclaim.
Sadly, Osborne’s output was snuffed by pneumonia and early death, aged 43.
Sir Hugh was self-made and became the aged darling of European society, moving to Dublin late in life with his second wife Hazel. He was knighted and loved.
The head of collections and exhibitions at The Hunt Museum, Naomi O’Nolan, began her work in gathering the art two years ago. From Chicago to London, literally, the hunt was on. An idea of the scale of her task: 50 of the 62 works are from private collections, some not having been seen in public since completion.
“This has been our most popular exhibition yet,” notes a relieved Naomi. “Some 10,000 people have seen it thus far and we have another five weeks to run.”
After the Jack Yeats/ Paul Henry success with ‘Observing Ireland’, a punter indicated the potential loan of some Lavery’s from a private collection.
“Lavery and Osborne are our most loved artists. Both worked at the same time but they came from totally different backgrounds. Both showed great potential at a young age and both got scholarships.”
She details the hard-scrabble early years for the orphaned two year old Hugh, son of a failed Belfast publican. Ultimately, the young Hugh rose to run with the famous Glasgow Boys clique. Good Queen Vic herself commissioned him to paint her entourage’s tour of their iconic group show. That two-year project had him signed, sealed and delivered to society thereafter.
Photo: Keith Wiseman
Osborne was born into the wealthy Protestant class and was schooled at Royal Hibernian Academy. Separately, the artists gravitated to continental conservatoires of prestige. They were intrigued by ‘plein air’ led by Antwerp’s Academy de Beaux Arts and, interestingly, both lived in Brittany for a while in different parts.
Stand out masterpieces for this writer (RR) were Lavery’s studies of Tangiers, and Osborne detailing humble workers. Society commissions were steady income for the pair and this exhibition is streamed in six subject categories, i.e. Abroad, Portraits.
“Lavery absolutely fell in love with Morocco,” observes Naomi O’Nolan. “Osborne saw the beauty of the mundane.” Her long agency with auction rooms, lenders and private collectors helped facilitate the 60+ works, “some of which have not been seen publicly in 130 years.”
Collectively, the show makes for a special appreciation and, inevitably, is an implicit commentary on their times. Tickets at www.huntmuseum.com, tours 12noon and 3pm.
