The Collection

In summary the Library collects:

• Material relating to Irish art in its various forms, from the 20th century onwards.
• Material relating to non-Irish artists resident in Ireland or who have lived here for a period.
• Records of the National College of Art & Design, the parent institution.

The term “visual arts” is used in its broadest sense and encompasses all art forms from painting and sculpture to design, craft and fashion.

The Library acquires documentation generated by or about artists, designers and others engaged in some way with art and design including collectors, writers, critics, commercial dealers and galleries, societies, artists’ groups and studios, and institutions that contribute to the visual culture of Ireland.

Documentation in all formats is acquired. Correspondence, diaries, manuscripts, notebooks, artists’ records of their own work, administrative records of art galleries and institutions, audio-visual material, photographs, slides and general ephemera are all of interest. The Library does not collect actual works of art (paintings, drawings, etc.) although an artist’s notebook containing sketches would be included.

Material is acquired by bequest, donation, by long-term or short-term loan (deposit) or by purchase.

Special Collections

The NIVAL Special Collections are groupings of material that form discrete collections, archival material which originated from one source and is of more use to the researcher when kept together in a logical sequence. Each separate collection is assessed and processed and basic conservation of the documents is undertaken.

Further details on Special Collection material are available from the Library.

	TITLE
1877	National College of Art & Design records Register books from 1877 – 1970; files, in complete correspondence, etc from 1907.
1980’s	Evie Hone Collection books and some ephemera
1997	Posters collection of 1950’s posters by Gus Melai, Jan de Fouw including Aer Lingus posters; NCAD print studio posters; various exhibition posters
1997	Artists’ Books collection of books created mainly by Irish artists
1997	Anne Crookshank donation early 20th Century Irish art catalogues, mainly photocopies
1998	Cultural Relations Committee records, 1949 - 1952
1998	Jan de Fouw Collection examples of graphic design work including Aer Lingus posters
1998	Daniel Egan Collection ledgers and scrapbooks of material documenting the Egan Gallery, 1920’s – 1930’s
1999	Sybil Connolly Collection some collection of ephemera, mostly press clippings, acquired from the designer
1999	Irish Trade Board Fashion forecasts, mood boards, reports, 1993 – onwards
1999	Patrick Scott collection of catalogues and books donated by the artist
2000	Mia Cranwill Collection photographs and press cuttings on this metalworker (1880 – 1972)
2001	Archives of the Friends of the National Collections (see information under “Databases”)
2001	Kilkenny Design Centre records press clippings, assorted ephemera and 10,000’s of slides
2001	Anne Yeats / Irish Exhibition of Living Art Archive extensive documentary material including 2 complete volumes of press clippings, exhibition catalogues, visitors books, minutes, etc. from 1947 – 1971
2002	Earley Company records Designs and company records of these ecclesiastical furnishers with offices in Dublin from 1852 to 1974
2003	“Artsource” records (Jobst Graeve donation) documentary material relating to the activities of this independent curatorial organization from the mid 1990’s.
2003	Oliver Sheppard Collection Artist’s sketchbooks, photographs, correspondence, some drawings and small sculptures documenting the work of this sculptor (1865 – 1941)
2004	Dorothy Walker Collection A significant collection of critical writings, correspondence and other documentation on Irish and International art of the 1970’s – 1990’s bequeathed to NIVAL by the late critic and art historian (1929-2002)
2005	Sculptors’ Society of Ireland Membership Records a collection of 900+ membership files of the SSI, precursor to Visual Arts Ireland, comprised of artist’s CV’s, images in various formats and proposals for sculpture projects.
2005-2008	Rosc ’71 Collection A unique collection of correspondence and other documentary materials donated by the Estate of James Johnson Sweeney.
2007	Mainie Jellett Collection extensive documentary material on the life and work of the artist (1897 – 1944) including correspondence, sketchbooks and personal items.
2007	Pieter Sluis Collection examples of graphic design work cards, posters and advertising materials.
2007-2008	Society of Designers Ireland Records an extensive collection of administrative records of the Society of Designers Ireland (precursor to the Institute of Designers Ireland) including documentation on ‘Design Week’.
2008	Kevin Kavanagh Gallery Records administrative diaries and visitors’ books from the past twenty years donated by the gallery.
2008	Temple Bar Gallery and Studios Archive the complete records of the exhibition and studios programme of one of Ireland’s leading contemporary art venues, from its establishment in 1983 until 2000.
2008	Cor Klassen Collection examples of graphic design work including a folio of prints exhibited in the retrospective exhibition in the National Print Museum in 2005.