Municipal Collection 

Kildare County Council’s Municipal Art Collection (MAC) is an eclectic assemblage of paintings, prints and sculptures.  Many of the works date from the 1970s when Kildare County Council, under the Arts Council Joint Purchase Scheme, purchased a series of contemporary works.  The collection includes work from some of Ireland's most acclaimed visual artists including Evie Hone, Patrick Pye, Patrick Collins, Charlie Brady, Séan Mc Sweeney, Robert Ballagh, Norah McGuinness, and others. 

The Council continues to purchase work to further develop the collection.  Read the Kildare County Council Municipal Art Collection Purchasing and Donations Policy. 

In 2005, Kildare County Council embarked on a cleaning, restoration and cataloguing programme of the collection. Arising from this work, ‘A Collection Uncovered’, selected works from the collection were exhibited in Riverbank Arts Centre in 2005.  The exhibition was launched by Martin Gale, RHA (the Municipal Collection features two early Martin Gale paintings). A further 2006 exhibition entitled ‘A Collection Becoming’, featured new acquisitions in the collection, complementing the existing collection.  Flautist Brian Dunning was guest speaker at the launch.  Artist Paul McKinley curated both exhibitions. 

Section 1

Click to view notes and comparisons by artist Michael Kynaston