The death has been announced of Imogen Stuart, one of Ireland's leading sculptors. She was 96.
In a prolific career spanning more than 7 decades, Stuart's sculptures can be found in churches and public spaces around the country.
Her expressive work and unique and instantly recognizable style revolutionized Irish ecclesiastical statuary in the 1950's, creating pieces for both Roman Catholic and Church of Ireland churches.
Born Imogen Werner in Berlin in 1927, Stuart moved to Ireland in 1949 and married Ian Stuart, the son of Francis Stuart and Iseult Gonne Stuart.
Based in Sandycove, Co. Dublin for many years, the couple had three daughters.
Greatly influenced by German expressionism and Romanesque style, her works are also representative of native Irish art, culture and beliefs.
Watch: In 2020, President Higgins hosted a reception to mark the installation of "Pangur Bán", a sculpture by Imogen Stuart, at Áras an Uachtaráin
Key works include the Angel of Peace on the exterior of St Teresa's Carmelite Church on Dublin’s Clarendon Street, the main doors of Galway Cathedral, The Fiddler Of Dooney at the Stillorgan Shopping Centre and the Flame Of Human Dignity in the courtyard of the Paris Centre Culturel Irlandais.
I'm so sorry to hear that Imogen Stuart has died. What a quiet colossus of Irish art! I spent a fortnight visiting Liam McCormick’s Donegal churches where her clear eye for the simple line - on doors, stations, crosses, mosaics - made everything harmonious and holy. @RHAGallery pic.twitter.com/dtqeND1nZC
— Bernard Dunleavy (@DunleavyBernard) March 25, 2024
A member of Aosdána, she was made a Saoi in 2015 and was elected a professor of sculpture at the Royal Hibernian Academy in 2000.
In 2023, her life was the subject of an acclaimed RTÉ One documentary, Imogen from the Heart, directed by her grandson Emile Dinneen, while a major exhibition at Dublin Castle celebrated her work.
