McKenna, James

James McKenna (b. Dublin, Ireland, 1933 and d. 2000) studied at the National College of Art and Design, Dublin.

He was a founding member of both the Independent Artists Group and the Sculptors’ Society of Ireland and exhibited with the Irish Exhibitions of Living Art. Irish Museum of Modern Art, IMMA, Dublin, held major retrospective of the work during 2007.  Previously a retrospective of his work took place at the Riverbank Arts Centre, Newbridge, Co Kildare (2002) and now its principal gallery is named after him – the McKenna Gallery. He is well known for several of his public and private commissions including his large limestone monument Resurgence at the University of Limerick; Female Figure andTree, 1979, at the Central Bank in Sandyford, Co Dublin, and the Gerard Manley Hopkins monument in Monasterevin, Co Kildare.

 His work is among the collection of The Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon.