Major show of celebrated photographer John Minihan at The National Gallery
This spring, the National Gallery of Ireland presents Visual Poetry: The Photography of John Minihan. A new exhibition that will give visitors an insight into the extensive career of the Irish photographer John Minihan, which spans over sixty years. The works on display will explore Minihan’s experience of working as press photographer for the Daily Mail from the age of 16, leading to his introduction to Samuel Beckett, a relationship that blossomed in the mid-1980s, to his eventual relinquishment of media assignments in favour of more personal projects.
Poet John Montague
Early success came to Minihan during his time as an apprentice photographer with the Daily Mail in the early 1960s. Within just a few months of being appointed to the newspaper’s darkroom, he was awarded best photograph in the Evening Standard’s photography competition for his photograph of the Whispering Gallery in St. Paul’s Cathedral. This was the first of his pictures to be published, instilling in the young artist an ambition to create images worthy of distribution. He began his press career by photographing major bands and musicians of the time including The Rolling Stones, The Who and Rory Gallagher, and would eventually seek out significant personalities in the public eye throughout the 1970s and 1980s such as Francis Bacon, Andy Warhol, and perhaps most importantly for Minihan, Samuel Beckett.
When possible, Minihan would persuade his managers to let him travel to Ireland to document momentous events, such as the visits of Pope John Paul II in 1979 and President Ronald Reagan in 1984. Whether in Ireland on assignment or voluntarily, Minihan made a point to return to his hometown of Athy to photograph the people and places he remembered so well. As a result, he has created a broad and unrivalled visual record of Athy that he continues to develop today.
Visual Poetry: The Photography of John Minihan features works from key moments in Minihan’s career combined with work the artist has made in recent years, such as his depictions of Skellig Michael and the environs of West Cork, where he has lived for nearly three decades. This balance between Minihan’s early, perhaps best-known work, and more recent personal projects, will work to trace the evolution of his diverse career.
One of many portraits John Minihan took of Edna O’Brien in the seventies and beyond
A thread that unites each of the works, and indeed the artist’s varied practice, is Minihan’s commitment to analogue photography, which he believes conveys the unique impression of the artist. Through the inclusion of contact sheets and test prints, viewers will see Minihan’s process and distinct vision. Minihan’s ambition to capture seemingly unremarkable moments in the lives of the people of his hometown or the luminaries he encounters is constant throughout his practice.
Visual Poetry: The Photography of John Minihan will have two rotations during the exhibition run, with each rotation made up of approximately 30 wall-based works and about 5 – 10 objects presented in display cases.
Sarah McAuliffe, Curator of Irish Art Post 1900 at the National Gallery of Ireland said: “It has been an honour to work with John Minihan, one of Ireland’s most significant photographers, and to curate this snapshot of his prolific career. For me, what is perhaps most striking about Minihan’s work is his ability to put his sitter at ease and to capture something of their soul on film. Minihan’s photographs are simultaneously poignant and joyous, prompting viewers to consider the world around them and reflect on their own lives in new ways. I am excited to be able to give visitors the opportunity to discover the lesser-known aspects of Minihan’s career, as well as his iconic representations of luminaries like Samuel Beckett and Francis Bacon.”
John Minihan with his daughter Siobhan and his son Bosco
Dr Caroline Campbell, Director of the National Gallery of Ireland, said: “’Visual Poetry: The Photography of John Minihan’ is a thoughtful and intimate exhibition that reveals the enduring power of one of Ireland’s strongest photographic voices. Through two rotations of his work, visitors will trace Minihan’s varied career, a career that has helped to shape a vision of society in Ireland and abroad over the last sixty years and that continues to impact those working with the medium of photography today. We are delighted to share this first retrospective of the artist’s work ever held in Dublin to all who visit the National Gallery of Ireland.”
The Gallery would like to thank the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport for its ongoing support.
Exhibition details:
Visual Poetry: The Photography of John Minihan
Sir Hugh Lane Room (Room 31), National Gallery of Ireland
14 March – 11 October 2026
Free admission
