Gottfried Helnwein: Modern Sleep

Major international artist Gottfried Helnwein will present his first Irish commercial exhibition at the Fenton Gallery this September.

Born in Austria, Helnwein now lives between Ireland and the USA and has exhibited extensively throughout Europe and the U.S. In an internationally acclaimed career, which has spanned over 30 years, Helnwein has produced work in a range of media including painting, drawing, photography, performance, large-scale public installations and film. Major exhibitions of Helnwein’s work have been recently held at the Lentos Museum of Modern Art, Linz and at The Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco.

In this exhibition, entitled Modern Sleep, Helnwein presents us with a series of paintings based on the theme of the child - a theme which has been central to his practice throughout his career. His characteristic presentation of the child with downcast closed eyes is compelling. For Helnwein the wounded child represents a betrayal of innocence, and acts not only as a commentary on the exploitation of children but also as a symbol of a society that has become emotionally detached.

Previous solo exhibitions have included shows at The State Russian Museum in St.Petersburg, The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, National Art Museum in Beijing and an exhibition of his landscape paintings at Crawford Municipal Gallery, Cork in 2004. His work is included in major collections worldwide.

The Fenton Gallery, Cork Located at Wandesford Quay, Cork, The Fenton is considered to be Cork's leading contemporary gallery. The Fenton Gallery exhibits the best in Irish painting, sculpture, prints and ceramics. Part of the stunning Wandesford Quay developement it occupies over 2000 square feet. The space opens onto a large sculpture courtyard. It is centrally located on Wandesford Quay, just off Washington Street and over Clarke's Bridge, which is opposite the courthouse.

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Gottfried Helnwein
Modern Sleep