The Statue of Luke Kelly is a large marble sculpted head of Irish folk singer Luke Kelly, with metal wire for hair. The statue is located at the north end of Luke Kelly Park (formerly Linear Park), near the junction of Sheriff Street Upper and Guild Street, Dublin 1.[1][2][3]
| Statue of Luke Kelly | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Statue of Luke Kelly | |
| Artist | Vera Klute |
| Year | 2019 |
| Medium | Sculpture |
| Movement | Realism |
| Subject | Luke Kelly singing Scorn Not His Simplicity |
| Dimensions | 250 cm × 170 cm × 170 cm (98 in × 67 in × 67 in) |
| Location | Dublin, Ireland |
| 53°21′01″N 6°14′26″W / 53.35029°N 6.24050°W | |
| Owner | Dublin City Council |
Artist
editMulti-disciplinary artist Vera Klute was awarded the commission for this sculpture after a closed competition run by Dublin City Council.[4] While the artist is well known for portraiture in both painting and sculpture, her practice also involves kinetic work, video animation or ceramics.
Other sculpture busts by the artist include a bust of Garry Hynes at the National Gallery of Ireland[5] and a bust of Eileen Gray[6] at villa E-1027 and the Irish Embassy, Paris. Most recently Klute's bust of Rosalind Franklin was unveiled at the Library at Trinity College Dublin.[7]
History
editThe statue, created by Vera Klute, was unveiled along with another statue of Luke Kelly on South King Street on 30 January 2019 by President Michael D. Higgins.[8]
It was unveiled to mark the 35th anniversary of the death of Kelly on 30 January 1984, after calls to memorialise the singer in his hometown and specifically near where Luke Kelly grew-up on Sheriff Street.
Vandalism
editThe statue has been vandalised numerous times since it was commissioned.[9] In July 2020, the 7th incident of defacement[10] resulted in a 40-year-old man being charged with vandalism.[11] These repeat incidents have raised questions regarding the statue's location and accessibility, which have included suggestions to relocate it to a more public area.[12][13]
Production
edit
The statue was created by Vera Klute and is circa 250 cm x 170 cm x 170 cm excluding the stone base. The head is made from Libyan marble, while treated metal wire was used to form the hair and beard. The individually curled hairs are attached to larger perforated metal sheets that form a 'cap'. The moustache is made of individual pieces of wire which were drilled into the face of the statue.[14][15][16]
The artist first made an initial model with wire hair in smaller near life sized form. Then she sculpted a second larger model from polystyrene and wax but without hair at about half the size of the finished sculpture. This second statue was then used for 3D scanning to create the final larger sized version cut from marble via a 5-axis cnc milling machine in Italy. The sculpture was then hand finished in Ireland.[17]
The appearance is based on a distinctive pose of Luke Kelly with his eyes closed while performing and is said to be taken from a still from his performance of Scorn Not His Simplicity on a show hosted by Jim McCann in 1974 called 'McCann Man'.[18]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "'Leave Luke alone' - Dublin City Council could move statue of Dubliners' Luke Kelly after vandals strike again". independent. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
- ^ "The Irish Times view on Luke Kelly: Echo of a rare oul' voice". The Irish Times. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
- ^ "Luke Kelly". Old Dublin Town. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
- ^ "The story behind Dublin's two new Luke Kelly sculptures". The Irish Times. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
- ^ "Garry Hynes (b.1953), Theatre Director, Co-founder of Druid Theatre". onlinecollection.nationalgallery.ie. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
- ^ "Eileen Gray Celebrated at French Exhibition". Independent.ie. 21 September 2018. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
- ^ Lochlainn, Caoimhe Ni (2 February 2023). "First sculptures of women installed in Trinity's Old Library". The Library of Trinity College Dublin: News & Alerts. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
- ^ Smith, Andrea. "Two statues of folk legend Luke Kelly have been unveiled in Dublin". Lonely Planet. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
- ^ Kilraine, John (24 June 2020). "Two statues of Luke Kelly in Dublin vandalised".
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ Pollak, Sorcha. "Luke Kelly sculpture at North Wall vandalised for seventh time". The Irish Times. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
- ^ O'Connor, Rachael. "Man (40s) arrested and charged with vandalism of Luke Kelly Statue". The Irish Post. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
- ^ "Man accused of vandalising Luke Kelly statue by cycling up to it and throwing paint on it". independent. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
- ^ "Vandals Target Luke Kelly Statue For A 7th Time". Kfm Radio. 13 July 2020. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
- ^ "Copperwork Gallery - BA Steel Fabrication". www.copperwork.ie. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
- ^ Kilraine, John (24 June 2020). "Two statues of Luke Kelly in Dublin vandalised". RTÉ.ie. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
- ^ "Luke Kelly". veraklute.net. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
- ^ "Sculpture-luke kelly". Vera Klute. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
- ^ "Vera Klute and John Coll Unveil Sculptures of Luke Kelly in Dublin | Visual Artists Ireland". 30 January 2019. Retrieved 18 January 2022.