Workshop to explore artist Robert Henri’s connection with Mayo

Mulranny Arts Centre will host an evening lecture exploring the connection between American artist Robert Henri and Achill Island on Thursday, October 8.

Artist and art historian Jessica Sharkey will lead the event as part of her autumn residency at Mulranny Arts. Drawing on her ongoing PhD research at Trinity College Dublin, she will examine Henri’s work and his relationship with Achill and the wider West of Ireland.

Henri, who lived from 1865 to 1929, holds an important place in Achill’s artistic history. From his home at Corrymore, he painted hundreds of portraits and landscapes, creating a significant visual record of the island, its people and its landscape during the early decades of the 20th century.

Henri first travelled to Ireland in 1913 with the intention of painting the people of the west coast. During his time at Corrymore House, he produced approximately 500 landscapes and portraits.

The lecture will offer an insight into Achill’s social and cultural life during the period, as seen through the work of an artist who returned to the island repeatedly.

Sharkey will draw on paintings and primary sources from major collections, including the National Gallery of Ireland, Ulster Museum, the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University and The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Her research has also been informed by a 2023 curatorial internship at the Robert Henri Museum and Art Gallery in Cozad, Nebraska.

Henri’s influential book, The Art Spirit, published in 1923, inspired generations of artists and creatives, including Walt Disney and David Lynch.

For those interested in exploring Henri’s ideas through their own creativity, Jessica Sharkey will also lead a one-day workshop at Mulranny Arts Centre on Friday, October 9.

Further information is available on the Mulranny Arts Centre website.