About IMMA
Irish Museum of Modern Art   Building and Grounds
How IMMA was established
Legal Status/Funding
Profile of Director, Enrique Juncosa
Board Members
The Museum’s mission is to foster within society an awareness, understanding and involvement in the visual arts through policies and programmes which are excellent, innovative and inclusive. The Irish Museum of Modern Art is Ireland's leading national institution for the collection and presentation of modern and contemporary art. The Museum presents a wide variety of art in a dynamic programme of exhibitions, which regularly includes bodies of work from its own Collection and its award-winning Education and Community Department. It also creates more widespread access to art and artists through its Studio and National programmes. Building and Grounds  The Irish Museum of Modern Art is housed in the Royal Hospital Kilmainham, the finest 17th-century building in Ireland. The Royal Hospital was founded in 1684 by James Butler, Duke of Ormonde and Viceroy to Charles II, as a home for retired soldiers and continued in that use for almost 250 years. The style is based on Les Invalides in Paris with a formal facade and a large elegant courtyard. The Royal Hospital in Chelsea was completed two years later and also contains many similarities in style. The Royal Hospital Kilmainham was restored by the Government in 1984 and opened as the Irish Museum of Modern Art in May 1991. For further information on the heritage of the Royal Hospital Kilmainham please follow the link to the  Heritage Programme How IMMA was established  The Irish Museum of Modern Art was established by the Government of Ireland in 1990 as Ireland’s first national institution for the presentation and collection of modern and contemporary art. The Museum was officially opened on 25 May 1991 by the, then Taoiseach Charles J Haughey. Since its opening the Museum has rapidly established itself as a significant and dynamic presence in the Irish and international arts arena. It is widely admired by its peers throughout the world for the range and relevance of its exhibitions, for its innovative use of its growing Collection, for its award-winning education and community programme and for its visitor-centred ethos and facilities. IMMA has proved to be a valuable and popular addition to the country’s cultural infrastructure, attracting more than 400,000 Irish and overseas visitors from diverse social backgrounds each year, both to the Museum itself and to events organised throughout Ireland by our National Programme. Legal Status/Funding The Museum is a company limited by guarantee and not having a share capital. The company is funded by grant-in-aid through the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism and by sponsorship, franchise and own resource income. Profile of Director, Enrique Juncosa  Born in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, in 1961, Enrique Juncosa was Deputy Director of the prestigious Reina Sofia National Museum of Modern Art (MNCARS) in Madrid from 2000 until taking up the post of Director of IMMA in February 2003. Prior to his time at MNCARS, Mr Juncosa was Deputy Director of the highly-regarded Institute of Modern Art in Valencia (IVAM). From 1992 to 1998 he was visual art critic for El País, Spain’s most prestigious and largest-circulation daily newspaper. During this time he also worked as a freelance curator for shows by artists such as Barry Flanagan, Malcolm Morley and Miquel Barceló - in Spain and France and also in Germany, the UK and Norway. Mr Juncosa is also a noted poet, having had five books of poetry published in Spain. Board Members  The Board consists of 14 members and a Chairperson appointed by the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism for a period of not more than five years. At the discretion of the Minister, individual members may be asked to serve a second or subsequent term. The members of the Board and the Chairperson are artists and other people with an active interest and/or expertise in modern and contemporary art. They are appointed in their capacity as individuals. The following is a list of IMMA’s current board member: - Eoin Mc Gonigal, (Chairperson), Senior Counsel
- Rosemary Ashe, Chairwoman, Business Spouses’ Association and member of Irish Youth Foundation Committee
- Conor Bowman, Barrister and Author of Wasting by Degrees ( a novel) and Life and Death in Between (short stories)
- Frank X. Buckley, Member of the Contemporary Irish Art Society and Patron of the Arts
- Valerie Connor, Lecturer, Member International Association of Art Critics (Paris)
- Michael Dwyer, Journalist and Broadcaster
- Brendan Flynn, Teacher and Director Clifden Arts Festival
- Chris Flynn, Principal Officer, Dept of Arts, Sport and Tourism
- Gerard Mannix Flynn, writer, actor, artist and Aosdána member
- Kevin Kelly, Honorary President Business2Arts
- Anne O'Donoghue, Associate Director, Anglo Irish Bank Private Banking. Board member of the Irish Heritage Trust and a supporter and patron of the Arts in Dublin and London
- Áine O'Driscoll, Artist and Gallery proprietor
- Emer O'Kelly, Writer and critic
- Brian Ranalow, Artist, Member of Contemporary Irish Art Society and Collector of 20th Century Irish Art
- Patricia Tsouros, Founding member IMMA Foundation, Collector and Patron of the Arts
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