Edward Delaney RHA (1930-2009) Anna Bronze on granite base, 117cm x 112cm (46 x 44'' including base, irregular shape) Unique Provenance: From a private collection, Co. Galway Literature:...

Edward Delaney RHA (1930-2009) Anna Bronze on granite base, 117cm x 112cm (46 x 44'' including base, irregular shape) Unique Provenance: From a private collection, Co. Galway Literature: Included in the upcoming book 'Breaking the Mould' by Eamon Delaney Exhibited: 1960 Edward Delaney Exhibition, Baggot St. Dublin, under the title 'Anna Livia' A work called 'Anna Livia' believed to be this same work was exhibited at the 1962 ILEA Exhibition, Catalogue no. 134 and again at the 1966 Edward Delaney Exhibition, Ritchie Hendriks Gallery, Catalogue no. 18 Edward Delaney spent time in Munich in the 1950s, having received an Arts Council funding to study casting in Germany. During this time Delaney witnessed the aftermath of World War II and the Holocaust first hand, something which was to have a profound influence on the subject matter and style of his work. Anna dates from this period, and a newspaper article from the time tells of how this figure was based on a particular woman Delaney would see begging on a bench in Munich, with hand outstretched it seemed to him that she was ''imploring the sky for assistance''. Originally Anna's left hand was cast empty, the bird was added at a later date, an appropriate addition given the notion of looking to the sky for hope, as well as the mystery of ''life surviving in spite of agony'', as the article's author notes. Although based on a post-war German woman, there is something universal about what Delaney has captured in bronze with Anna. Her body is stretched, asymmetrical, disproportionate, in such a way as to express a humble and serene human nature. It has been suggested that the title Anna may be a derivation of Anna Livia, connecting the piece specifically to a personification of Irish history and culture. This work was in Delaney's own collection until the 1970s when it was purchased by an old friend, whose Connemara garden was its home until now. While still owned by Delaney it appeared in the 1963 horror movie ''Dementia 13'' which was mainly filmed in Co. Wicklow. Directed by Francis Ford Coppola and produced by Roger Corman, the story centred on a family reunion at a remote castle, one of the family members being a sculptor. Anna also appeared on posters for the movie.

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