home / Portrait of Seamus Heaney b.1939 (1974)

FINE ART : PAINTINGS

Title
Portrait of Seamus Heaney b.1939 (1974)
Object Name
Painting
Maker
McGuire, Edward 1932-1986 (Primary maker)
McGuire, Edward 1932-1986 (artist)
Date Made
1974
1974
Description
Born in Dublin, McGuire studied at the Slade School in London under Lucian Freud. In 1955 he returned to Dublin and for the rest of his career, made a remarkable series of portraits of writers, musicians and friends. Seamus Heaney, born near Bellaghy, Co. Derry, is acknowledged as one of the greatest poets of the twentieth century. In 1995 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. McGuire’s portrait of Heaney was commissioned early in the poet’s career, when he was thirty-four. Other portraits followed but this remains the definitive image and there is in the pose, a sense of suppressed urgency and intent. Heaney later spoke of McGuire perceiving in him ‘a keep of tensions’ and that ‘the gathered-up, pent-up, head-on quality is what I admire’ in the portrait. McGuire often included symbolic objects in his portraits and, like Holbein, meticulously painted and difficult to decipher.
Materials
oil on canvas
Catalogue Number
BELUM.U2107
Copyright
© National Museums NI
National Museums NI holds over a million objects in the collection, as well as this we manage the records and associated images for each object through a working database. The national collection has been almost 200 years in the making, and we recognise that thinking about collecting and collections has evolved over this time and continues to evolve. As a result, some of our records may contain language and views that we now consider offensive and unacceptable, for example, reflecting racist attitudes. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to reviewing and updating our records accordingly. Working with researchers, communities and academic partners we are learning more about the stories behind objects, and we are committed to sharing these with our audiences. We welcome feedback. Please email [email protected]