OCCASION OF THE ROYAL HIBERNIAN ACADEMY OF ARTS ANNUAL EXHIBITION
SPEAKING NOTES FOR THE PRESIDENT, MARY ROBINSON, ON FRIDAY, 15TH OCTOBER, 1993
Ladies and Gentlemen,
- It is a great pleasure to be here today at your annual banquet exhibition.
- I know this gallery well and have spent many happy hours at its various exhibitions over the years. It is a magnificent modern facility, located in the heart of the city and close to its sister cultural institutions such as the National Gallery and the National Museum. Given its central location it has always been accessible to the ordinary people of Dublin, providing opportunities for reflection and stimulation, to say nothing of occasional bemusement and outrage.
- I believe that this ready access to the arts is very important both to the artist and to the public. The view of the artist's role in society can change from generation to generation but I think that the basic impulse of any artist is a desire to communicate. Artists may adopt a critical stance, they may be provocative, they may choose to reflect society or try to change it. But they must first be seen. Galleries such as this play a vital role in bringing the artist and his public together. This is indeed a great service since the artist can be viewed as the conscience of his society and must reach as broad a constituency as possible. I am aware that this is indeed an enormous obligation to put on anyone - today's conscience can be tomorrow's scapegoat. However, I know that the members of the RHA and their friends have broad shoulders and stout hearts and that they carry their burdens with panache. The exciting exhibition which they have brought together today is a testament to their proud traditions and their continuing creativity. Like many who have marvelled at the creative process I have often wondered "Is it as easy for artists as they make it look?". Perhaps the best answer was that given by the celebrated artist, Salvador Dali, who when asked if he found painting easy, replied: "It's either easy or impossible". Long may we, your public, continue to enjoy the fruits of your "easy" access to your creative powers.
- Of course one cannot enter this fine Gallery without thinking of its benefactors, the Gallagher Family. Their generous vision has provided a magnificent forum for artists and a relaxed gallery for the public. This tradition of generous endowment has a long pedigree in this country ranging from the early Irish chieftains to the great industrialists of later centuries. Looking around today I am pleased to see foregathered the representatives of our business community who are maintaining this tradition of art patronage. I believe that such investment brings enormous benefits not just to individual artists but to whole communities. Like mercy the relationship between patron and art is twice blessed. The artist and the community reap the obvious rewards while the patron reaps a subtler harvest of goodwill and a role in the development of his community.
- From my travels around the country I have been struck by the flowering that is taking place in the cultural life of this island. In every field, from classical to rock music, from theatre to literature and from painting to film making, new generations have been finding their own voice and defining their own relationship with the continuum that is world civilisation. This gallery, and you members and friends of the RHA, have always played a dynamic part in the cultivation and celebration of art and culture in this country. I salute your efforts in the past, your current enriching exhibition and your future success.