Photo Museum Ireland Collection - the national contemporary photography collection

Photo Museum Ireland established the Photo Museum Ireland Collection in 2021. This collection is a cultural and heritage resource that is held in trust for the people of Ireland. We are deeply honoured that the President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins has agreed to be Patron. The establishment of the Collection builds on our ongoing work supporting, paying and promoting artists since 1978. It is marked with an inaugural exhibition in 2021 featuring specially produced prints, presented as part of our In Our Own Image year-long centenary programme celebrating photography in Ireland.

Valuing Artists - Valuing Practices
The Photo Museum Ireland Collection has been established to celebrate the work of artists across the span of their careers. It builds on Photo Museum Ireland’s deep commitment to supporting and nurturing artists in the development, production and promotion of their work. Rather than collecting key ‘pieces’ our aim is to preserve individual practices across the span of artists’ careers, establishing a creative repository that recognises the achievements of artists, offering an authoritative overview of modern and contemporary Irish photography.

Artists are selected for inclusion on the basis of their significant contribution to the practice of photography in Ireland. A panel of national and international photographic and archival specialists has been established to advise on the development of the collection. Photo Museum Ireland will continue to consult widely with artists, curators, archivists, gallerists and collectors on the remit and future growth of the collection to ensure best practice.

Paying Artists
Artists have been paid for their works, this is in line with our ongoing commitment to paying artists fairly. For the foundational phase of this collection, the acquisition costs have been supported by private philanthropic support, including a generous donation from C. K. O’Malley.

Artist-led Approach
The Photo Museum Ireland collection builds on our strong track record supporting the careers of photographic artists across the island of Ireland.

• The inaugural phase includes a series of artists’ interviews and a wider process of surveying artists to evaluate their archival needs in the conversations and to assess their specific needs,

• Our Artists Digital & Darkroom studio facilities will provide the high-specification facilities and expertise required to create professional archive records of artists’ work.

• Artists’ Continuous Professional Development programmes will include practical workshops and talks by experts in the field to share knowledge on safe storage of works, file management and digitisation protocols.

Availability and development of the collection
The Photo Museum Ireland Collection builds on Photo Museum Ireland’s existing print holdings of artworks purchased from artists over the last 20 years which also include gifts from artists’ estates. At the outset, the collection will be available for the public to view online. The work of the collection will also be featured in seminars, and publications, creating an essential educational and historical resource for the future understanding of artists’ practices in Ireland. As part of our organisational development, we are working to secure a new larger space that will provide the necessary professional archival facilities that will enable us to make the collection available to researchers, curators and the wider public.

The establishment of the Photo Museum Ireland collection is part of a wider Strategic Development Plan and is a cornerstone of our development into Ireland’s museum for contemporary photography.

The full Acquisitions Policy & Guidelines document is published here.