Over the course of three decades at the Crawford Art Gallery, firstly as curator and latterly as Director, Peter Murray has led the Crawford from being a municipal art gallery to becoming a National Cultural Institution. Trained as an art historian, but also a practising artist, Murray received a BA from UCD, followed by a post-graduate M. Litt at Trinity College.
As curator at the Crawford, Murray edited the first ever catalogue raisonne of the Gallery collection, detailing the paintings, sculptures and prints acquired since the early nineteenth century. Since the publication of that catalogue in 1991, the collection has more than doubled in size, and now encompasses some four thousand works. Highlights among these new acquisitions are the Great Southern Art collection, the Fr. John McGrath bequest, the Seamus Murphy studio, the Watson stained glass studio, and the AIB collection.
Murray says of his time at the Crawford “We’ve come a long way over the past quarter of a century, and much has been achieved, but none of this would have been possible without the support of remarkable people, notably Dick Langford of the City of Cork VEC, and John Bowen, chair of the Gallery over the past decade. The new chair, Rose McHugh, and the new board, have inherited a fine institution, one that can be led to new heights in coming years.” Murray also paid tribute to the Gallery team, led by Norma Cuddihy, that has underpinned the achievements of the Crawford and its growth in national and international status.
The recruitment process for a new director will commence shortly through the Public Appointments service, and in the intervening time Norma Cuddihy Head of Operations, will take over as Interim Director.
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