Over the last few months, RTÉ, Mike Murphy and Yellow Asylum Films have travelled the length and breadth of Ireland, visiting public galleries and public collections to get to know the many beautiful and important artworks that are on view, or held by these collections for the benefit of the people of Ireland.
The team talked to curators and other experts and asked them to nominate their favourite paintings. They also asked the Irish public, through Today with Pat Kenny on RTÉ Radio 1 and rte.ie, to nominate their favourite painting(s) in any public collection of art in the country.
The final list is made up of ten masterpieces which can be viewed online. Voting opens at midday on Tuesday 17th April 2012. Voting will close at 2pm on Monday 21st May. On Tuesday 17th April at 10:15 pm RTE One will show a programme that gives an insight into the shortlisted ten paintings. Past pupil and Director of the Chester Beatty Library, Fionnuala Croke, will discuss Vermeers work and how she first saw this painting on a school tour.
On Thursday 24th May, President Michael D. Higgins will reveal which painting has been voted Ireland’s Favourite Painting by the Irish people.
