Ronan Halpin
Overview
Angel
Ronan Halpin initially trained as a sculptor for six years in the NCAD in Dublin, before obtaining an MFA in sculpture at the prestigious Yale School of Art in the US. He subsequently returned to his birthplace in Drogheda to establish a studio and worked as a full-time artist for almost eight years, exhibiting widely both at home and abroad. In 1990 he represented Ireland at the Sculpture Biennial in Budapest. In August 1998 Ronan moved with his wife and family to Achill Island where he had been a regular visitor since childhood. He continues to live on the island and explores his environment through his work. Ronan finds inspiration in Celtic myths and in the land and seascapes that surround him. His work is in numerous private collections, including those of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney and former Taoiseach John Bruton.
Works
Exhibitions
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WINTER GROUP SHOW
Gallery & Invited Artists 21 Nov - 23 Dec 2024Solomon Fine Art is delighted to hold its annual Winter Group Exhibition showcasing painting, sculpture and print by some of Ireland's leading artists. This extensive and varied exhibition will include...Read more -
SUMMER GROUP EXHIBITION
Painting, sculpture & print by gallery & invited artists 27 Jul - 26 Aug 2023This extensive and varied exhibition, presented in our bright city centre space represents the best of contemporary Irish art and is well worth visiting this summer. A vibrant mix of...Read more -
WINTER GROUP SHOW
GALLERY & INVITED ARTISTS 25 Nov - 23 Dec 2021PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR PRICES, AVAILABILITY AND 'VIEW ON A WALL' OPTIONS: https://www.solomonfineart.ie/viewing-room/27-winter-group-show-2021-gallery-invited-artists/ Solomon Fine Art is delighted to hold its annual Winter Group Exhibition showcasing painting, sculpture and print...Read more -
WINTER GROUP SHOW
Gallery & Invited Artists 29 Nov - 23 Dec 2019Solomon Fine Art is delighted to hold its annual Winter Group Show. The exhibition which runs right up to Christmas will showcase painting, sculpture and print by a range of...Read more
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Winter Group Show
Gallery & Invited Artists 23 Nov 2017 - 27 Jan 2018Read more -
Ronan Halpin
Of Birds and Beasts 26 May - 17 Jun 2017Solomon Fine Art is delighted to host an exhibition of new sculpture by Ronan Halpin which opens on the 26th May 2017 and runs until the 17th June 2017.Read more
The work for this exhibition ranges in size from small to medium-scale and in style from representational to purely abstract. Ronan Halpin, a master of materials, uses painted steel, brass, bronze, copper, polished concrete and the recycled parts of old machines. He also uses Corten steel which has been allowed to rust and take on the patina of its surroundings. These works were designed to inhabit the landscape and were shaped by it. Colour is very much to the fore in this body of work.
Ronan Halpin lives and works on Achill Island in Co. Mayo. He has worked as a sculptor for almost 30 years and is a graduate of the National School of Art & Design and Yale School of Art in the US where he achieved a Masters in Fine Art in 1984. His work is in numerous private collections, including those of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney and former Taoiseach John Bruton.
The title of this exhibition 'Of Birds and Beasts' makes a reference to the title of John Steinbeck's novel 'Of Mice and Men' and also to the fantastical work of Lewis Carroll. The work on show evokes the mystery and mythology of dreams with references to history, archaeology and religion.
As part of this mythology of dreams, there are animals in the form of winged horses, warrior birds and crowned bulls. These animal shapes are both abstract and representational; they merge and blend to create a more mystical reality. The Assyrian bull, 'Shedu' or horse 'Pegasus' are creatures from another world, the tree, 'Lugh' is half carcass half machine. The birds while scything through the air in full, free flight are still firmly rooted to the ground. Eoghan Nolan recently wrote in The Irish Arts Review, 'The work itself combines character and power, balancing the mythological and the vernacular in a series of arresting counterpoints".
Of Birds and Beasts has travelled from Westport Custom House where it was shown from April 20th to May 14th 2017. Ronan Halpin also showed a body of work in an outdoor space in Westport, Co Mayo in 2012 which became the Carraholly Project. This exhibition was subsequently shown in the Solomon Gallery in Dublin.
