Irish Museum of Modern Art
From ArticleWorld
The Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA) is the greatest Irish national institution that collects modern and contemporary. IMMA was opened in 1991, on the 25th of May, in a very interesting location – the Royal Hospital in Kilmainham. The Royal Hospital is one of the finest 17th century buildings in the country and quite famous locally, especially after its restoration in 1984. At the moment, IMMA's activity is coordinated by Enrique Juncosa, ex-Deputy Director of the Reina Sofia National Museum of Moder Art. Enrique Juncosa is the successor of IMMA's first director, Declan McGonagle.
IMMA's focus is on the acquisition of contemporary art, and all acquisitions are made from primary markets – studios and galleries. However, IMMA accepts some donations of modern art (1940 to present). Considering its relatively small age, IMMA has a reasonable collection, having done great progress through a number of generous donations. The exhibition activity is extremely active despite the rather low space. Some exhibitions are hosted in other venues, in a national programme. Plans for future expansion of the collection do exist. An important part of the future plans consists in expanding the space, thus allowing the museum to host a permanent exhibition of contemporary art with an encyclopedic character, which would be completely new in Ireland.
The location is very interesting for hosting modern art exhibitions. Les Invalides in Paris served as model for the Royal Hospital's building, with long corridors and modest rooms between them. This has both advantages and disadvantages. While allowing for more exhibitions at the same time in excellent visual conditions, the museum cannot host large works, and moving the exhibited objects around is rather difficult. The old dining room is sometimes used for conference dinners or weddings.
IMMA also hosts an artist-in-residence programme, hosted in its art studios. The art studios are located in the old stables which have been restored and extended.