Vincent Browne (sculptor)
Vincent Browne (born 1947) is an Irish sculptor.
Biography
Browne was born in Dublin in 1947. He studied at the National College of Art and Design[1] and at the Jan Van Eyck Academy in the Netherlands. In 1987, Browne represented Ireland in Budapest at the 7th International Small Sculpture Show.[2] He created a well-loved Dublin landmark, Mr. Screen, the squat bronze usher who stood outside the Screen Cinema at the junction of Hawkins Street and Townsend Street in Dublin for many years.[3] Mr Screen was made from two immersion water heaters and was relocated to the Savoy Cinema after the closure of the Screen.[1][4] His public commissions also include Anti-War Memorial (Limerick, 1987) and the bronze Palm Tree seat in Temple Bar, Dublin.[2]
In 2005, Browne was commissioned to create a sculpture for the exterior of the Blanchardstown Civic Offices called The Tree of Lifes, which was constructed in bronze with hand-welded leaves representing a DNA double helix, symbolizing growth and the environment of the county’s civic centre.[5][6]
Legacy
Browne's public artworks, particularly Mr. Screen and the Anti-War Memorial, continue to be cited in Irish arts commentary and independent public art records as lasting contributions to Ireland’s public sculpture landscape. Mr. Screen, a caricature statue of a cinema usher, is catalogued in independent public art listings as a notable Dublin landmark. Browne’s Anti-War Memorial in Limerick, which symbolizes conflicting sides of war, continues to be featured in cultural guides to public art in Ireland.[7] Commentators have discussed the memorial’s creation and significance in the urban context of Limerick’s George’s Quay.[8]
Notable works
- Anti-War Memorial, Limerick (1987)
- Mr. Screen, Dublin (1988)
- Palm Tree, Dublin[2]
- The Tree of Life (2005)[6]
- Hiroshima/ Nagasaki Memorial Sculpture (2007)[9]
Gallery
-
Mr. Screen statue outside the Screen Cinema
-
Cinema usher statue by Vincent Browne
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Temple Bar palm tree
References
- ^ a b "Vincent Browne / Artists Stories". Vimeo. 16 January 2013. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
- ^ a b c "Vincent Browne". Aosdána. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
- ^ Mr. Screen in Google Street View. Retrieved: 2012-01-10.
- ^ "Mr Screen is alive and well and living on the Northside". The Journal. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
- ^ "Tree of Life by Vincent Browne". Retrieved 10 February 2026.
- ^ a b "Vincent Browne, Tree of Life". Fingal County Council. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
- ^ "Anti-War Memorial". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved 11 February 2026.
- ^ Comerford, Patrick. "Limerick's 'Anti-War Memorial' shows the victor and the victim". Retrieved 11 February 2026.
- ^ "Hiroshima/ Nagasaki Memorial Sculpture". Geograph Ireland. Retrieved 3 May 2024.