Congratulations to Cecilia Danell who was announced as the winner of the 2024 Merrion Plinth Award on the evening of June 27th 2024.
The title of Cecilia’s work ‘The Farthest Shore’, can be viewed just outside The Garden Room Restaurant. Danell is the third successful artist of this biennial contemporary art prize which was established in 2019 to celebrate the 21st anniversary of the Merrion Hotel.
The award-winning oil on canvas painting ‘The Farthest Shore’ captures an entire landscape devoid of trees but brimming with life. The smooth rock formations below the tide line and the loose rocks softened by the rolling waves beside the Plassey shipwreck resonated through the accidental juxtaposition of man and nature. The judges were particularly impressed with Danell’s accomplished use of colour to portray an atmosphere evocative of the west while managing to accentuate particular forms to near abstraction.
