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.
Contents
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
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, "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