Auction to help bring sculpture to life
AN AUCTION of art to raise money for a 93-year-old sculptor to create a 12-foot-high standing stone will get under way this evening.
Imogen Stuart has designed the granite sculpture, to be placed on a grassy hill in Otranto Park near Sandycove Harbour in Dublin.
The piece will weigh up to eight tonnes, with figurative carving on the two sides looking out to sea, depicting King Laoghaire and St Patrick, and ancient Irish text carved on the third.
Imogen has designed the work as a gift to the community, from her studio in Sandycove, where she has lived and worked for 60 years. As owners of the park, Dún Laoghaire- Rathdown County Council has agreed to contribute to the erection of the sculpture and to maintain it once completed. However, such a large piece may cost over €50,000 to quarry, carve, transport and install.
Whyte’s Auctioneers said that to help raise this significant sum, a fundraising committee consisting of Imogen’s friends, neighbours and admirers, was formed.
They arranged an auction of works donated by leading Irish artists to help the project.
Bidding on the online auction started last week, and from 6pm this evening each lot will be sold to the highest bidder.
Whyte’s, of Molesworth Street, Dublin, is not charging any fee.
German by birth, Imogen is one of just six distinguished members of Irish arts society Aosdána who hold the title of Saoí – the wise one. Her body of work, ranging from large to small pieces, appears in churches, universities, parks and civic settings nationwide.
At the age of 93 she is still designing. Pat McGloughlin, of the Imogen Stuart Standing Stone Committee, said the artist had created a small maquette of her standing stone design, and had produced life-size drawings for it. These will be given to another sculptor to complete the finished stone.
Ms McGloughlin said: ‘She is an amazing lady, charming and wonderful. She is a real national treasure.’ The auction can be seen at www.whytes.ie.