Limerick-raised artist displays his work in free exhibition in native city

IT IS TIME for an award-winning artist to showcase his work where he grew up - in Limerick.

Limerick Museum is presenting Within the Hour of the Slowest Clock, an exhibition of recent paintings by Maurice Quillinan.

Maurice grew up in Limerick and studied at the Limerick School of Art and Design (LSAD) and the University of Limerick (UL), as well as abroad at the Royal College of Art, London (RCA) and the Ecole Nationale Superieur des Beaux-Arts, Paris.

He has been a recipient of many awards, including the Limerick City Vocational Educational Scholarships (VEC) awards, The Henry Moore Foundation Scholarship, a number of Arts Council awards, Culture Ireland awards and Limerick City and County Council awards and bursaries. His works are held in public and private collections in 34 countries.

The Within the Hour of the Slowest Clock exhibition is free and will be on display in Limerick Museum until Saturday, November 30. 

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Councillor Maria Donoghue, who represented Mayor John Moran at the official opening, said: “As a visual artist, Maurice Quillinan’s natural response to a subject that interests him is to draw it in and attempt to understand it. 

“His belief that true understanding comes from obsessive, rigorous drawing is evident in these paintings, which mark specific moments in history. Our city’s cultural heritage and artistic community are important to our identity and future. By investing in the arts, we are making our city a better place to live, work, and visit.”

Additionally, Dr Matthew Potter, curator of Limerick Museum said: “Maurice Quillinan is a long-standing friend of Limerick Museum. 

“The eight large format oil on linen paintings in this exhibition began life two years ago when he and the Limerick poet Paul Sweeney met to discuss embarking on a collaborative project to see what would come out of a dialogue between poetry and painting, using the waterways around Limerick City as the main inspiration. We are delighted and honoured to host Maurice’s work in this ground-breaking exhibition.”

The launch also featured an address by Dr Anca Minescu, associate professor in the Department of Psychology at UL, which was read by her colleague Leticia Scheidt, and a poetry reading by Paul Sweeney.

Limerick Museum is situated in the Old Franciscan Friary on Henry Street, next door to Dunnes Stores.