The heist: down to a fine art
Duke of Wellington by Francisco de Goya. This was allegedly taken from the National Gallery in London by a bus driver, in 1961. The story went that Kempton Bunton was outraged that the UK was to spend £140,000 to keep the painting in the country. He returned the painting three years later and got three months in jail, his legal team arguing that he wanted only the frame.GEMMA TIPTON
‘The Judgement’, stolen from a California museum last week, wasn’t the first Rembrandt to fall victim to a heist, and it won’t be the last. But what drives art thieves, and how do Irish galleries safeguard against them?
HOW SAFE are Ireland’s artworks? At the gallery in the Louvre that houses the Mona Lisa , there is no doubt about which is the most important painting in the room: it’s the one with the extra protection around the frame, the barrier to keep visitors at arm’s length and, of course, the security guard. Crowds cluster around, making you wonder how easy it might be to lift another of the ignored artworks in that space and walk away with it. When the Mona Lisa was stolen, 100 years ago tomorrow, on August 21st, 1911, that is exactly what happened.
The thief, Vincenzo Peruggia, simply took it off the wall and wandered out of the galleries with the wooden panel hidden under his smock. He later claimed it was an impulse crime, committed on a whim.
No alarm bells rang. No one noticed it was missing for 24 hours. They thought it had been removed for cleaning or to be photographed.
As soon as the news spread, thousands of people arrived and queued at the Louvre to stare at the brighter patch of wall the painting had left behind. When it was recovered, two years later (it had been hidden in a trunk in Peruggia’s room), it returned to the gallery in triumph as the world’s most famous painting.
Dublin Museum Of Modern Art - News
The specific security measures used at the National Gallery or at the Irish Museum of Modern Art are, unsurprisingly, a closely guarded secret, with both institutions refusing to comment on the details. However, all of the country's leading galleries
She added that the international artists involved will be of the caliber of Lucian Freud, whose exhibition three years ago at the Irish Museum of Modern Art attracted large crowds. “It has the potential to be a world-class event.
The show was organized by Dublin's Irish Museum of Modern Art in 2009 -- her first retrospective abroad -- and has been traveling ever since in Europe and the United States. MOCA was a late addition; the decision makes sense, though, given the artist's
Westmeath Culture Night 2011 will build on the success of last year and will boast everything from drama, music - traditional and modern - performance art, exhibitions, street dancing, historic tours, face painting and more.
Continuing on the arts recommendations, the Museum Of Modern Art in Kilmainham is around 20-30 minutes from the centre of town via Luas (the tram system). Boozers. There's a couple of small streets off Temple Bar (which is itself best avoided) that fit
Residency Unlimited | Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin, Ireland
The Artists’ Residency Programme studios are programmed approximately a year in advance. There are eight studio spaces, four upstairs studios and four larger downstairs spaces. Each studio has the possibility of accompanying accommodation space, either in self-contained apartments over the studios or in the accommodation block, the Flanker Building, which can house five artists at a time. The artist’s presence on the Programme is funded in terms of studio/accommodation, relevant administrative back-up and a bursary of €400 per month for the duration of the residency. Specific proposals may necessitate extra fund-raising with which the Museum may assist.
Santiago Borja, In The Shadow of the Sun, ARP/IMMA 2010
IMMA wishes to advise that, owing to essential and extensive refurbishing works, the main building at the Museum will be closed from 1 November 2011 until 31 December 2012.
Exhibitions will continue in the New Galleries and the Artists’ Residency Programme will also continue on site during the closure. The café, bookshop and grounds will also remain open to visitors. IMMA will also present exhibitions and projects in an off-site location in Dublin, while the highly-successful National Programme will continue in venues around Ireland, North and South.
The Artists’ Residency Programme is an integral part of IMMA’s work and is programmed until the end of November 2011. For 2012 the ARP is implementing a programme which will focus on studio based activities incorporating research and the commissioning of artworks, in light of this 2012 is being programmed through invitation only. The next open call for applications to the ARP will be announced in 2012 and will be seeking applications for 2013 programming. Your email will remain on the ARP database and you will be notified about future opportunities.
I'm at irish museum of modern art (Dublin) 
We're putting on the Wizard of Oz at IMMA, Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin this Friday 8pm €5 BYOB
I'm at irish museum of modern art (Dublin) 
Grand Entrance - Museum Of Modern Art, Dublin