Joseph Walsh

Joseph Walsh (born 1979) 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.thumb

Solo exhibitions Joseph Walsh, Paris, XXIII, Le Domus Maubourg, Paris, France, 2023 Joseph Walsh, Gestures, London 2022, Sotheby's, London, UK, 2022 RINN, Sogetsu Arts Centre, Japan, 2018 LOCUS, Tsubaki Grand Shrine, Japan, 2017 Reveal, American Irish Historical Society New York, USA, 2017 Lilium, Oliver Sears Gallery, Dublin, Ireland, 2014 ENIGNUM and other stories, Oliver Sears Gallery, Dublin, Ireland, 2011 Realisations, American Irish Historical Society, New York, USA, 2008

Select group exhibitions

Mirror Mirror: Reflections on Design at Chatsworth, Chatsworth House, Chatsworth, UK, 2023 Living With Art We Love, Chatsworth House, Chatsworth, UK, 2022 Mimèsis. Un design vivant , Centre Pompidou-Metz, Metz, France, 2022 Centre Pompidou x West Bund, Shanghai, China, 2020 Earth, Wind and Fire: Made in Cork Contemporary, Crawford Art Gallery, Cork, Ireland, 2018 Making|Breaking: New Arrivals, Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, New York, USA, 2017 Narratives in Making, PORTFOLIO: Critical Selection, National Design & Craft Gallery, Kilkenny, Ireland, 2017 Master Works, LongHouse Reserve, East Hampton, New York, USA, 2016 Crafted: Objects in Flux, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, USA Side by Side, PORTFOLIO: Critical Selection, National Design & Craft Gallery, Kilkenny, Ireland; Centre Culturel Irlandais, Paris, France; ID2015 Design Hub, Coach House, Dublin, Ireland, 2015 Design Show: Joseph Walsh, Daniel Naude and Johannes Nagel, Artist House, The Roche Court Educational Trust, New Art Centre, UK, 2014 Against the Grain: Wood in Contemporary Art and Craft, Museum of Arts and Design, New York, USA, 2013 Against the Grain: Wood in Contemporary Art and Craft, Mint Museum Uptown, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA, 2012 Dubh / Dialogues In Black, American Irish Historical Society, New York, USA, 2011 MATERIALpoetry, American Irish Historical Society, New York, USA, 2010 Irish 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 Carolina, 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, "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