Belonging, the largest ever exhibition of the EIB Art Collection featuring 82 artworks and curated by the Delphine Munro, Head of Arts & Culture at the EIB Institute and The Hunt Museum, officially opened on Thursday February 10th 2022 in Limerick (Ireland) until 24th April.
Belonging features artworks by renowned European artists, from all 27 countries of the EU, plus the UK such as; Paula Rego, Sean Scully, Isobel Nolan, Tony Cragg, Anish Kapoor, and Jannis Kounellis. It will be displayed across eight locations spread throughout Limerick City. Artists of note with a strong European connection such as Andy Warhol and Marlene Dumas are included in the exhibition, along with artists from the UK such as Fiona Rae and Callum Innes. Click here for the exhibition catalogue
Belonging explores what it means to belong to your city, your country and to Europe and is a pivot for the European Expo in Limerick, a series of exhibitions, seminars, events, and celebrations over the course of 2022 that communicates national and European culture and cooperation in art and creativity, education, environment, and economics at the time of the 50th anniversary year of Ireland’s accession to the European Union.
”We are delighted to debut this collection in Ireland, especially in the wonderful city of Limerick”, EIB President Werner Hoyer said in his opening speech. “Better understanding ‘Belonging’ through art can only strengthen us as individuals and citizens sharing a European culture, society and economy. The EIB’s Art Collection is a quintessentially European body of work offering a wide spectrum of artistic creation. Its focus reflects the EIB’s role at the forefront of promoting economic and social development in Europe and naturally interacts with the evolving scope of the bank’s activities, particularly its geographic expansion in line with that of the EU.”
The feeling of belonging resonates on multiple levels in Limerick. With about 100.000 inhabitants and more than 30 different nationalities, it has a very ethnically diverse population, enriched in particular by large Polish and Lithuanian communities.
It is the first exhibition of works from the EIB Art Collection in Ireland and the fifth after Athens, Lisbon, Luxembourg and Brussels which attracted thousands of visitors.
The exhibition is supported by Limerick City and County Council, the Dept of Culture, the University of Limerick, Technology University of the Shannon: Midlands Midwest, Shannon Foynes Port Authority and embassies of EU Member States.
It is hosted by the Hunt Museum, Limerick City Gallery of Art, Mary Immaculate College, Sailors Home, People’s Museum, St Mary’s Cathedral, and the University of Limerick’s Plassey House, Bourn Vincent Gallery and East Room. Click here for the opening ceremony video
