RTÉ News reports on the death of one of Ireland's best-known and most renowned sculptors, Imogen Stuart. With a career spanning seven decades, Stuart's sculptures can be found in churches and public spaces around Ireland, and her expressive work and unique and instantly recognizable style revolutionized Irish ecclesiastical statuary in the 1950's, creating pieces for both Roman Catholic and Church of Ireland churches.
Born as Imogen Werner in Berlin, Germany, Stuart came to Ireland at 22 years of age and two years later married Ian Stuart, son of celebrated writer Francis Stuart, whom she had met in 1948 while both were students at an arts school in Germany. They separated in 1970, and Ian later moved to County Sligo, where he died in 2013 at the age of 86.
In 2023, Stuart's life was the subject of an acclaimed RTÉ documentary entitled "Imogen from the Heart", directed by her grandson Emile Dinneen, while a major exhibition at Dublin Castle celebrated her work.
R.I.P. Imogen Stuart (1927-2024)
