Pre-dating Evie Hone and Mainie Jellett by several years, Mary Swanzy can arguably be identified as Ireland’s first ‘modernist’ painter. However, her experimentation with a wide range of styles, along with her reluctance to participate in large exhibitions led to her being critically side-lined. In the first substantial retrospective of her work since 1968, ‘Mary Swanzy: Modern Irish Master’ at IMMA explores Swanzy’s varied and exciting career, from her time in Paris with Gertrude Stein, to travels in Hawaii, the Balkans and Samoa.
Mary Swanzy: 26 October – 17 February 2019
