Harry Aaron Kernoff

Acquired directly from the artist, and thence by descent to the present owners

Dublin, The Hugh Lane Municipal Gallery of Modern Art, The Harry Kernoff Memorial Exhibition, 14 December 1976 - 30 January 1977, no. 57

The present work is a significantly historical piece - a rare record of a past Dublin portrayed by Harry Kernoff with his typical eye for character, sense of colour and design. It depicts the remains of the Second Theatre Royal, which closed its doors in 1934, and was demolished shortly thereafter. The first Theatre Royal was built 1821 and was destroyed in a fire in 1880. In 1897, the actor-manager Frederick Mouillot and a group of Dublin businessmen set about rebuilding the historic site, which was eventually redesigned by Frank Matcham.  The theatre was noted for its opera and musical comedy, and in later years it was converted into a cinema. To compete in Dublin's thriving theatrical market, Mouillot worked tirelessly to draw in big name stars and companies to perform. This gained the venue some acclaim, and in the early 1900s the Theatre attracted Edward VII, who attended a state performance, and Charlie Chaplin, who performed as part of a musical act. A Third Theatre Royal was built in 1935, and was a lively feature of the Dublin nightlife well into the 1960s.

The remains of theatre would have been poignantly relevant to Kernoff, who was extremely involved in the theatrical community and who, like his contemporary Lilian Lucy Davidson, produced theatre designs throughout his career. In Kernoff's portrayal, the theatre retains a certain a sense of its former glory, towering above the street like a Medieval Cathedral.