Second Sight: The David Kronn Collection
Seán Kissane

Second Sight is drawn from the exceptional collection of photography amassed by Dr David Kronn for the past twenty years, and which is a promised gift to The Irish Museum of Modern Art. Texts from Christina Kennedy, Seán Kissane, David Kronn and Virginia Heckert explore themes in the collection such as representations of Ireland from the 60s to the present day, portraits and the double portrait, and contemporary photography from Africa, Japan and Latin America. This book functions also as a catalogue for the exhibition Second Sight at The Irish Museum of Modern Art which took place from the 2nd of August to the 9th of November 2014. ¹

Seán Kissane is Curator of Exhibitions at the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA), Dublin. He describes his practice as ‘curating the edges’, producing deeply researched exhibitions focussed on the work of female and queer artists whose work has been critically neglected. These projects have included major touring exhibitions such as the retrospectives for Derek Jarman, Leonora Carrington, and Mary Swanzy.  In 2016 he presented the critically acclaimed ‘Patrick Hennessy: De Profundis’, the first queer reading of Irish modernism. ²

Dr. David Kronn is an Irish born American photography collector. He is also a paediatrician with a specialisation in medical genetics, a fact which underlies the many images of children in the collection. David Kronn made a promised gift of his collection to IMMA, which began with the immediate donation of a portrait of the celebrated French-born artist Louise Bourgeois by Annie Leibovitz, and will continue as an annual bequest of works each year, until his entire collection is housed in IMMA. ³

IMMA is Ireland’s National Cultural Institution for Modern and Contemporary Art. Their programme comprises exhibitions, commissions and projects by leading Irish and international artists, as well as a rich engagement and learning programme which together provides audiences of all ages the opportunity to connect with contemporary art and unlock their creativity.

IMMA is home to the National Collection of Modern and Contemporary Art, started in 1990 and now numbering over 3,500 artworks by Irish and international artists. They make this national resource available through exhibitions at IMMA and other venues nationally and internationally, engagement and learning programmes and digital resources.

They are situated at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham. ⁴

Online Talk | Photographs from the David Kronn Collection with Seán Kissane

https://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/arid-20283358.html