A renowned Irish artist has revealed how his newest set of work was created to feature at Ireland’s largest art and sculpture event.
Art and Soul, featuring €8 million worth of works, is hosted by Gormleys at The K Club’s luxury hotel until September 8, showcasing works by the biggest names in international and Irish art.
Landscape artist Martin Mooney, who unveiled ten new works at the event, says that the classic ambiance of The K Club heavily inspired his work, from creation to curation.
“The ten new works unveiled at The K Club were a reflection of the beautiful landscape around Kildare,” said Mooney.
“The knowledge of the elegant ambiance of The K Club hotel was a consideration as I chose the pieces for this collection – and the final works in the series were created with that location firmly in mind.”
Regarded as one of Ireland’s most accomplished fine art painters, Martin Mooney is renowned for outstanding technical ability, together with his keenness to look to the past for inspiration.
“The luxurious rooms are great for the collection, with rolling pastoral lands, trees reflected in lakes, and bucolic scenes finding an easy home in the space,” he said.
“What is interesting is while the pieces lean towards the classic, on close observation they have a textured, painterly nuance, which was fun to work with, and brings a focus on the painting as an object as much as a representation.”
It is the final opportunity to visit this free event which has attracted over 15,000 visitors and finishes on 8th September.
Art and Soul includes 150 life-size sculptures set throughout the magnificent grounds of the luxury estate.
With over 300 works on display, Art and Soul is the largest showcase of sculpture in Ireland to date, featuring international artists alongside leading Irish sculptors Patrick O’Reilly, Ian Pollock, Eamonn Ceannt and Bob Quinn.
The hotel’s breathtaking interior is further embellished with a display of over 100 artworks by some of the world’s best-known artists, including Damien Hirst, Giacinto Bosco, Patrick Rubinstein, Banksy, Keith Haring, and Julian Opie.
The K Club is offering special rates for the duration of the Art and Soul event, starting from €235 per room/night B&B for those who quote Art and Soul when booking.
During the event, there will be a programme of artists’ talks and daily guided tours.
Art and Soul is open to the public daily from 11am–7pm.
More information and accommodation offers can be found on gormleys.ie and kclub.ie.
