Image: National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin
The National Gallery of Ireland has opened the second rotation of photographs in ‘Visual Poetry: The Photography of John Minihan’, an exhibition tracing more than six decades of work by the Irish photographer. The presentation is on view in the Sir Hugh Lane Room in Dublin until 11 October 2026, with free admission.
Running from 14 March to 11 October, the exhibition examines John Minihan’s development from a teenage press photographer into an artist increasingly focused on personal projects. According to the Gallery, Minihan began working as a press photographer for the Daily Mail at the age of 16. That career led to his introduction to the Irish writer and artist Samuel Beckett, while later work saw him move away from media assignments.
The exhibition is structured around Minihan’s sustained interest in overlooked moments. From the beginning of his career, he pursued what he described as “what might have gone unnoticed,” alongside a desire to draw out the poetry of everyday life. The Gallery presents this approach as the central thread connecting his press work and more personal photographic practice.
The exhibition’s featured image is ‘Whispering Gallery, St. Paul’s Cathedral, 1962’, photographed by Minihan. The work is identified by the National Gallery of Ireland as being under the copyright of University College Cork. The available exhibition information does not provide a complete list of works in the current rotation, but confirms that the second group of photographs has now replaced the first presentation.
‘Visual Poetry’ is curated by Sarah McAuliffe, curator of Irish Art Post 1900 at the National Gallery of Ireland. The show forms part of the Gallery’s 2026 exhibition programme, which also includes ‘Rembrandt to Matisse – A Celebration of European Works on Paper’, running in the Print Gallery from 18 July to 6 December, and the archive exhibition ‘Créatúir na Cartlainne | Tails from the Archive’, on view in Room 11 from June 2025 through spring 2027.
The National Gallery of Ireland is located on Merrion Square West in Dublin. ‘Visual Poetry: The Photography of John Minihan’ remains open in the Sir Hugh Lane Room through 11 October 2026, and admission is free.
