A Monument in Rouen (2003)

Hughie O’Donoghue is a British painter whose subjects are based on history, memory and myth. At the heart of his work is the re-imagining of individual lives such as the hardship of itinerant Irish laborers or the experience of his father in the Second World War.

Monument in Rouen is one of a series of works made using prepared books as a base. Using a photograph from the Imperial War Museum’s archives, O’Donoghue has subtly painted and layered the image onto the open book, highlighting the narrative nature of the work. The photograph was taken in 1940 by Captain Keating of an abandoned motorcycle dump at Monce. O’ Donoghue’s father was a motorcycle reconnaissance rider in this part of France at that time and Monument in Rouen reconstructs his experiences as part of the retreating British Expeditionary Force. O’Donoghue is eager to make us aware of the reconstructed nature of these memories, while highlighting the acts of remembering and forgetting. For the Imperial War Museum this is particularly pertinent as we reflect on the shadows cast over today’s world by personal and shared memories of conflict.

The Imperial War Museum’s collection covers all aspects of 20th and 21st century conflict involving Britain, the Commonwealth and other former empire countries in a wide range of material including film, oral history, personal letters, diaries and works of art. Since the collection began it has focused on collecting work created by artists responding to events as they unfold. One significant strand within the contemporary art collection is a growing body of work which reflects how we remember historical conflicts, their repercussions and resonances today.

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