24.07.2018, 13:00 P.M.

From the early Georgian period, Dublin was a thriving city, and foreign painters came in significant numbers, often making major contributions to the cultural and commercial life of the city. This talk will examine the work of visiting artists who came to the city for a variety of reasons. Better known artists such as the Dutch landscape painter William Van der Hagen, the American portrait painter Gilbert Stuart, and the Italian decorative painter Vincent Waldré will be discussed. Lesser known foreign figures will also be considered such as Francesco Geminiani, who was involved in wider commercial activities such as the developing art market in Dublin

Dr Nicola Figgis is currently Head of the School of Art History and Cultural Policy at University College Dublin. Dr Figgis is principal author and editor of Art and Architecture of Ireland: Painting 1600-1900, volume 2, published by the Royal Irish Academy and Yale University Press, Dublin in 2014.

Image: 'A Meeting of the Volunteers on College Green', Francis Wheatley (1747-1801). National Gallery of Ireland.