A permanent exhibition of the work of the late Sybil Connolly is to go on display in the Hunt Museum in Limerick early next year. The museum's director, Mr Ciaran MacGonigal, says an archive and exhibition of Connolly's work is intended to strengthen the design focus of the museum.
The Hunt Museum opened in the refurbished Custom House less than two years ago. Art exhibitions, lectures and a steady stream of local and foreign visitors lend a vibrant air to the 18th century riverside building, which houses more than 2,000 works of art and antiquity handed over to the State by John and Gertrude Hunt.
The late Mr and Mrs Hunt collected an extraordinary range of objects from around the world, dating from the Stone Age to the 20th century, using design, craftsmanship and artistic merit as their selection criteria.
Connolly, who died earlier this year, was a close friend of Gertrude Hunt, so the new project is an organic step for the museum, where care is being taken to build on and celebrate the taste and spirit of the original benefactors.
For more than three decades, Connolly designed dresses for international figures, including Jacqueline Kennedy. She also designed china, pottery and crystal for Tiffany's in New York and lectured on gardening.
Ireland has no dedicated fashion museum; it is hoped the new Limerick exhibition and archive will go some way towards filling the gap. An exquisitely stitched black lace evening dress, about 12 inches high - an elaborate miniature toile by Sybil Connolly - is a striking example of what to expect in the new exhibition.
The Hunt Museum has already become a magnet for art and fashion enthusiasts, especially students - including some from the Limerick School of Art and Design. Undaunted by the failure of their paintings and designs to make it into a college exhibition titled "Hunt" at the museum, some students set up an alternative display called "Hunted" at a nearby cafe. "It looked rather good," says Mr Peter McNamara, general manager of the museum. "Fair play to them for being innovative."
Innovation is a concept close to Mr McNamara's heart - it will be key to the future of a museum that must cover more than 50 per cent of its running costs, with grants taking care of the rest.
Signs are encouraging. Visitor numbers increased by over 20 per cent this year to more than 30,000, putting it in the top third of museums nationally, says Mr McNamara.