International Blue Chip Art in Dublin’s New Space

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There’s nothing that pleases us more than a brand-new gallery opening up in Dublin. Good news is always welcome these days, and that’s just what’s offered with an exciting new announcement from Gormley’s Fine Art.

With their recent announcement of their brand-new space – Gormley’s Contemporary – we spoke with James Gormley, Director of Gormley’s, to talk more about this new project!

Located just minutes away from Grafton Street, Gormley’s Fine Art represents a wealth of contemporary painters and sculptors, including many established Irish artists. There’s Patrick O’Reilly, the artist behind the iconic giant teddy bears, and Sandra Bell, whose elegant figures are installed as public art in several Dublin parks, as well as many more.

However, there’s another side to Gormley’s: their commitment to international blue-chip art.  To add to their impressive selection, they also exhibit sculptural work from Salvador Dalí, authentic Banksy prints, and creations from other huge figures in contemporary art.

James Gormley, Director of the gallery, tells us that the Gormley’s Contemporary will be a new, second gallery specializing in International blue chip and contemporary art. “The new gallery space will showcase works by Warhol, Banksy, Keith Haring, Robert Indiana, Salvador Dalí, Francis Bacon, Harland Miller, Damien Hirst, Julian Opie plus many other leading international artists on a permanent basis.”

James also shared his long-term goals for this exciting new space, hoping to establish Gormley’s Contemporary as a “well-regarded International gallery that attends the world’s major art fairs while bringing the best modern and contemporary art to Ireland.”

It’s a noble endeavor for a commercial gallery. Blue chip art is notoriously expensive to insure. The National Gallery of Ireland occasionally exhibits retrospectives of this calibre, and IMMA borrows the occasional Hirst or Kusama, but these are treats rather than regularities.

James and his team are confident that they can continue to provide quality art of this standard for Dublin audiences, specifying that their “biggest challenge is sourcing quality works at a fair price.” They see the role of blue-chip art as an essential part of growing Dublin’s art scene. “Dublin is now a truly international city, has a strong tourism industry (which I’m sure will return in 2022), and has most of the world’s leading tech companies based here. There’s no reason why Ireland/ Dublin shouldn’t be hosting major exhibitions and retrospectives from leading artists.”

We hugely commend the ambition of him and his team to improve and advance the Dublin art scene. We also see this as an amazing opportunity to enhance the global visibility of Irish artists. While Gormley’s already represents many contemporary Irish artists, how do they deal with international interest in their clients?

James said: “We deal with international clients in the same way we deal with our Irish clients- ensuring we sell quality artworks that offer good value. International collectors can see the quality of the Irish artists we represent and artists like Patrick O’Reilly, Peter Monaghan, Ian Pollock, Gordon Harris, and Stephen Johnston have a strong International following with around 40% of their works going to International collectors.” 

“Once you have built the initial relationship and gained their trust, clients have no problem buying works without physically seeing them. Selling the works of blue-chip artists does also allow us to connect with a different type of collector who in turn buy works from our Irish artists which is a huge benefit.” he added.

Aside from having accumulated an excellent international client base, James also mentions that the gallery’s online presence helps enable them to connect and sell to international buyers. They invested in an online presence, and it’s been a major part of their business strategy. This has been crucial for staying in business during the unprecedented strain of the pandemic.

And while we are relieved to hear of a new space opening up in Dublin, as sadly a few galleries have had to shutter their doors in the last year. We couldn’t help think whether the ongoing crisis influenced Gormley’s decision-making around the future.

James said this project was always part of Gormley’s long-term plans. He also mentions that the crisis confirmed the importance of a more diversified offering, strong online sales, and an international client base. “The main thing the crisis has reaffirmed is the importance of working to your core values and building long term relationships with both artists and customers. Our artists and customers have supported us through the crisis and for that we are very grateful. “In relation to more established and blue-chip artists what the crisis has once again shown is the stability of the art market. While a lot of international markets have taken a hit, the higher-end art market has performed well. More people are investing in blue-chip art and many of our clients have seen strong returns.”

So, with this exciting venture, we were curious about what the Gormley’s team envision for Dublin’s art scene. Alongside the promising commitments regarding international artists, this gallery will continue to develop and support Irish talent.

“On a local level, I would like to see a lot more collaboration between artists and galleries to share ideas, put on exciting exhibitions, and give artists a bigger platform to showcase their work. This in turn will benefit everyone. Dublin also has a lot of great street artists, it would be great if they were supported more, even championed. Overall going to galleries & exhibitions should be a normal, everyday thing to do so we need to encourage people from all walks of life to visit galleries and feel comfortable asking questions to understand and learn about art, we have always encouraged this at Gormleys. You don’t need to be an art buyer, to be an art lover!”

Gormley’s Contemporary represents a hopeful step not just for the business, but for the bigger picture of the Irish arts. We cannot wait to see it. Dublin has a vibrant art scene, but James Gormley believes it has the potential to become even greater. Such a hopeful outlook is uplifting, and we hope both Gormley’s Fine Art and Gormley’s Contemporary continue to benefit and advance the art and exhibitions of our nation.

Gormley’s Contemporary will be situated above Gormley’s Fine Art gallery on 27 Frederick St. Dublin 2. Visit www.gormleyscontemporary.com and www.gormleys.ie for more information.

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