Joseph Walsh (designer)
Joseph Walsh is a self-taught Irish furniture maker and designer. He was born in County Cork, where he established his studio and workshop in 1999. From the outset, he pursued innovation in making through traditional techniques, often from other craft forms, which enabled new making methods and forms. This led to significant early commissions including various ecclesiastical clients, the Embassy of Japan and the National Museum of Ireland.
From these early years of experimentation and development, Joseph Walsh began to break the traditional rules of making in order to create the truly bold and expressive forms for which he is known today, realised in an ever-widening range of materials, including wood, resin, marble and bronze. His achievements in design have been recognised by an honorary doctorate from University College Cork, a major commission for the National Gallery of Ireland and the acquisition of works for many major international collections, including most recently the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris.
Solo exhibitions
Joseph Walsh, Paris, XXIII, Le Domus Maubourg, Paris, France, 2023Joseph Walsh, Gestures, London 2022, Sotheby's, London, UK, 2022RINN, Sogetsu Arts Centre, Japan, 2018LOCUS, Tsubaki Grand Shrine, Japan, 2017Reveal, American Irish Historical Society New York, USA, 2017Lilium, Oliver Sears Gallery, Dublin, Ireland, 2014 ENIGNUM and other stories, Oliver Sears Gallery, Dublin, Ireland, 2011 Realisations, American Irish Historical Society, New York, USA, 2008Select group exhibitions
Mirror Mirror: Reflections on Design at Chatsworth, Chatsworth House, Chatsworth, UK, 2023Living With Art We Love, Chatsworth House, Chatsworth, UK, 2022Mimèsis. Un design vivant'','' Centre Pompidou-Metz, Metz, France, 2022- Centre Pompidou x West Bund, Shanghai, China, 2020Earth, Wind and Fire: Made in Cork Contemporary, Crawford Art Gallery, Cork, Ireland, 2018Making|Breaking: New Arrivals, Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, New York, USA, 2017Narratives in Making, PORTFOLIO: Critical Selection, National Design & Craft Gallery, Kilkenny, Ireland, 2017Master Works, LongHouse Reserve, East Hampton, New York, USA, 2016Crafted: Objects in Flux, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, USASide by Side, PORTFOLIO: Critical Selection, National Design & Craft Gallery, Kilkenny, Ireland; Centre Culturel Irlandais, Paris, France; ID2015 Design Hub, Coach House, Dublin, Ireland, 2015Design Show: Joseph Walsh, Daniel Naude and Johannes Nagel, Artist House, The Roche Court Educational Trust, New Art Centre, UK, 2014Against the Grain: Wood in Contemporary Art and Craft, Museum of Arts and Design, New York, USA, 2013Against the Grain: Wood in Contemporary Art and Craft, Mint Museum Uptown, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA, 2012Dubh / Dialogues In Black, American Irish Historical Society, New York, USA, 2011MATERIALpoetry, American Irish Historical Society, New York, USA, 2010Irish Craft Portfolio 2010, National Design & Craft Gallery, Kilkenny, Ireland, 2010
Permanent collections
- Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, France
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA
- National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, Ireland
- Tsubaki Grand Shrine, Japan
- Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, New York, USA
- Centre Pompidou, Paris, France
- Museum of Arts and Design, New York, USA
- The Mint Museum of Craft & Design, Charlotte, North Caroline, USA
- The National Museum of Ireland - Decorative Arts & History, Dublin, Ireland
- Devonshire Collection, Chatsworth House, Chatsworth, UK
- Ulster Museum, Ireland
- Embassy of Japan, Dublin, Ireland
- Private collection, Mumbai, India
- Sacred Heart Church, Minane Bridge, Ireland
Critical reception
Ayesha Sohail Shehmir Shaikh, "Design Miami/Basel 2019: Highlights From The Collectible Design Fair", June 11, 2019"Elemental Design", Aesthetica, 23 May 2019
Mozez Singh, "This incredible cottage perched on Mumbai’s Juhu Beach speaks volumes with its design", Architectural Digest, January 14, 2019
Mitchell Owens, "HOT SEATS", Architectural Digest, March 2018
Mitchell Owens, "Joseph Walsh Gives Derbyshire Palace A Modern Update", Architecture + Design, February 27, 2018
Raul Barrenche, "The Magical World of Joseph Walsh’s Wood Furnishings", Galerie, Winter 2017 Mirror Mirror: Reflections on Design at Chatsworth House, 2023