Joseph Walsh (designer)
Joseph Walsh (born 1979) is a self-taught Irish furniture maker, artist and designer. He was born in County Cork where he established his own 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 Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Solo exhibitions
 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

 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

References

 Flegg, Eleanor, Frances McDonald, and Luke Butler. “Design: Portfolio.” Irish Arts Review (2002-) 35, no. 4 (2018): 62–70. Design: Portfolio.
 McBrinn, Joseph. “A Quiet Renaissance: Contemporary Irish Craft and Design.” Irish Arts Review (2002-) 26, no. 2 (2009): 112–15. A quiet renaissance: contemporary Irish craft and design.
"Joseph Walsh Studio- Limited Edition", (Ireland; Cork, Joseph Walsh Studio, 2020)

External links

   The Dommus Collection by Joseph Walsh Studio features limited edition furniture pieces. 20 January 2018. Retrieved 14 February 2022

Living people
1979 births
Irish designers
Furniture makers
Artists from County Cork