Homecoming: Walter Osborne’s Portraits of Dublin 1880–1900
August 19–December 7, 2025
July 16, 2025
South Bend, IN. Long favored as one of Ireland’s modern artists, Walter Osborne (1859–1903) is the focus of a new exhibition this fall at the Raclin Murphy Museum of Art at the University of Notre Dame.
Homecoming: Walter Osborne’s Portraits of Dublin 1880–1900—the first one of its kind in this country—brings together Osborne’s masterpieces from public and private collections in Ireland and the United States to examine the trajectory of his tragically short career. From his student work in Dublin and Antwerp to his sparkling portraits of Dublin’s elite that earned him international acclaim, Osborne was an astute witness to the dramatic changes unfolding in his native city in the late 1800s.
His painting At the Breakfast Table (1894), acquired by the Raclin Murphy Museum in 2019, is regarded by scholars as signaling a pivotal point in his career and is the springboard for this presentation. The canvas marks his return to Ireland following the death of his sister, Violet, to help raise her infant daughter who was sent to be raised by the artist’s aging parents in the family home in Rathmines. Osborne himself noted that it was one of his best paintings and showed it in key exhibitions soon after he completed it.
“Hibernophiles and art lovers alike will find Osborne’s observations of modern life in Dublin and its environs intriguing,” said Cheryl Snay, curator of European and American art before 1900. At the time, very few Irish professional artists were making a living there due to limited patronage, art markets, and opportunity. Osborne’s return to Dublin after studying in Antwerp and traveling the French and English countrysides painting landscapes offers a unique vision of urban Ireland. Snay continued, “The close analysis of his subjects and pictorial strategies reveals the history of a city bracing for imminent political, social, and economic change.”
With loans of important paintings and drawings from the National Gallery of Ireland, Hugh Lane Gallery, Limerick City Gallery of Art, the Crawford Art Gallery in Cork, and private collectors in Ireland and the United States, this exhibition introduces to American audiences a beloved Irish artist whose embrace of a luminous palette and fluid brushwork rivals that of J.A.M. Whistler and John Singer Sargent.
“A deeply engaging exhibition for all audiences, it is a landmark opportunity for important research in the field and the Museum’s exhibitions and collections program,” stated Joseph Antenucci Becherer, director of the Raclin Murphy Museum of Art. “Representing years of dedicated curatorial effort in Ireland, England, and across the United States, the exhibition freshly illuminates an exceptional artist and the city and people of Dublin itself,” Becherer said.
A fully illustrated catalogue co-published with Giles, Ltd., accompanies the exhibition and contributes to the scholarship of Irish studies. Essays written by Dr. Judith Stapleton, research fellow at the Keough-Naughton Institute for Irish Studies; Curators Brendan Rooney and Logan Sisley at the National Gallery of Ireland and the Hugh Lane Gallery, respectively, and Irish art scholar Kathryn Milligan provide new insights into Walter Osborne’s Dublin.
Osborn Exhibition special programs
- Lecture: Kathryn Milligan, independent Scholar and Assistant Librarian at the Edward Murphy Library at the National College of Art and Design, Dublin: “At Home: Walter Osborne’s Paintings of Family Life,” Wednesday, September 3, 5:30 p.m.
- Lecture: Brendan Rooney, Head Curator, National Gallery of Ireland: “ ‘All the Reality of Life’: Osborn, People, and Portraiture,” Wednesday, November 5, 5:30 p.m.
- Lecture: Logan Sisley, Head of Collections, The Hugh Lane Gallery, Dublin: “‘One of Our Few Geniuses’: Walter Osborne and Hugh Lane’s Gallery of Modern Art.” Wednesday, November 12, 5:30 p.m
Admission to the museum is free for all guests. For more information on hours of operation, exhibits and special events, visit raclinmurphymuseum.nd.edu.
About the Raclin Murphy Museum of Art
With origins dating to 1875, the Raclin Murphy Museum of Art (formerly Snite Museum of Art) is one of the oldest and most highly regarded university art museums in America. Founded on the principle that art is essential to understanding individual, shared and diverse human experiences and beliefs, the Museum encourages close looking and critical thinking. Experiences with significant, original works of art are intended to stimulate inquiry, dialogue and wonder for audiences across the academy, the community and around the world—all in support of the University of Notre Dame’s Catholic mission. The renowned permanent collection contains more than 31,000 works that represent many cultures and periods of world art history. For more information, visit raclinmurphymuseum.nd.edu.
Media contact:
Gina Costa
Communications Program Director
Raclin Murphy Museum of Art
574-631-4720
gcosta@nd.edu