‘Markievicz: Portraits & Propaganda’ aims to broaden understanding of a familiar yet mysterious figure in a new exhibition, that opens Saturday 27th October 2018 at the National Gallery of Ireland.
In the year of the woman, the National Art Gallery of Ireland pays tribute to Constance Markievicz, an Artist, an aristocrat, prisoner and parliamentarian, suffragette and soldier. These are just some of the sides to Constance Markievicz, née Gore-Booth, explored in the National Gallery of Ireland’s new exhibition.
The exhibition will offer a more nuanced picture of Markievicz through photography, painting and illustration, encompassing events such as, the parliamentary vote for women in Ireland and the first Dáil, of which Markievicz was an elected member. Pieces are juxtaposed to demonstrate the breadth of Markievicz’s representation over time and their different media.
Spanning a wide time period, the exhibition includes an early portrait of Markievicz – a double portrait of her and her sister, Eva Gore-Booth, at their family home in Lissadell, Co Sligo, by Sarah Purser – as well as a painting of Markievicz on her deathbed by her husband, Casimir Dunin Markievicz.
The objet d’art on display are drawn from the Gallery’s own collections, the National Museum of Ireland, National Library of Ireland and Dublin City Gallery The Hugh Lane.
Other pieces include a photo of Markievicz dressed as Joan of Arc, taken from a series of tableaus of powerful women from history, and one in which she appears in Celtic Revivalist costume.
Born in 1868 in London, Constance Georgine Gore-Booth was the elder daughter of the Arctic explorer and adventurer Sir Henry Gore-Booth, who was a landlord in Ireland. Constance inherited a real empathy for the working people and the poor from her father. She would go on to play a pivotal role in the Easter Rising, the war of independence and civil war.
Countess Markievicz in the uniform of the Irish Citizen Army. Image Courtesy of National Library of Ireland. From the exhibition, Markievicz: Portraits & Propaganda. 27 October 2018 – 10 February 2019. National Gallery of Ireland. 
Countess Markievicz in the uniform of the Irish Citizen Army. Image Courtesy of National Library of Ireland. From the exhibition, Markievicz: Portraits & Propaganda. 27 October 2018 – 10 February 2019. National Gallery of Ireland.
The exhibition’s curator Donal Maguire spoke of the exhibition:
“For many, Constance Markievicz is at once a familiar and mysterious figure. She is of undeniable and widely recognised cultural and political significance, given her role in the history of modern Ireland but retains an air of intrigue to this day”.
“In curating this exhibition, my objective was to expand people’s understanding of Markievicz by showing the diversity of her image over time, an image that she endeavoured to manage” he explained.
Constance studied at the Slade School of Art in London.
“[She] was aware of the power of the visual medium. Despite facing challenges on the basis of her class and gender, she understood the power of self-presentation and sought to reshape how she was viewed, empowering herself through the moulding of her own public image” explains Donal.
“Visitors to the exhibition will discover an individual who sought to control her public image and actively shape how she was viewed by different audiences. People will leave with a more rounded sense of Markievicz, one that includes but ultimately transcends her role as a revolutionary leader.”
Markievicz – Portraits & Propaganda. 27 October 2018 – 10 February 2019. National Gallery of Ireland. 
Markievicz – Portraits & Propaganda. 27 October 2018 – 10 February 2019. National Gallery of Ireland. 
Countess Constance Markievicz wearing cloak and hat, seated, studio three-quarter length portrait. Image Courtesy of National Library of Ireland. From the exhibition. Markievicz: Portraits & Propaganda. 27 October 2018 – 10 February 2019. National Gallery of Ireland.
Markievicz: Portraits & Propaganda opens at the National Gallery of Ireland on Saturday, 27th October 2018 and runs until Sunday, 10thFebruary 2019. Admission is free.
A programme of events will complement the exhibition, including a series of performances by eminent Irish artist, Amanda Coogan. See www.nationalgallery.ie for more information.
