The arts at RCSI
Hanging from walls and standing atop pedestals, our art collections reflect the long and storied history of RCSI. Dating back to the earliest days of the College, these artworks are a visual depiction of progress, discovery, and achievement in the field of medicine and surgery over the last 240 years.
Art in RCSI has undergone a radical transformation in recent years. While our art collections once served only to commemorate the past, they have since also become an important means of representing the present and shaping the future of RCSI.
A new era
Since its establishment in 2018, the Arts Committee has taken on the care and development of RCSI’s art collections and arts programming in a way that speaks to the contemporary mission and values of RCSI. Our commitment to developing the arts was further strengthened in 2022 with the appointment of Una Sealy RHA as RCSI’s first Professor of Art.
About Una Sealy
Una is an award-winning painter and a Member of the Royal Hibernian Academy of Arts (RHA). She was the first person to undertake an MSc in Anatomy for Artists at RCSI in 2020, and is an active member of the RCSI Arts Committee. Sealy sits on An Post’s Stamp Design Advisory Committee, and is a former member of the Board of Governors and Guardians of the National Gallery of Ireland. She is a tutor in drawing and painting at the RHA School, where she has developed a teaching module on Anatomy for Artists in association with RCSI. Her work is held in the collections of RCSI, DCU, NUI Galway, Fingal County Council, and Waterford County Council. She was a judge on both series of RTE’s 'Painting the Nation' in 2016 and 2017. Photography: Kate Bowe O’Brien
Developed and led by Professor of Art, Una Sealy and Professor of Anatomy, Clive Lee, a new elective module, ‘Ways of Seeing: Art and Anatomy’, was added to the curriculum in 2023/24 that introduces elements of visual arts training relevant to the study and practice of medicine.
Using a mix of classroom based learning and off-campus visits to the National Gallery of Ireland and the Royal Hibernian Academy Gallery and School, students learn observational and descriptive skills that support physical examination and diagnosis, and explore the basic visual language of drawing as a tool for communication by creating artworks of their own.
Nurturing and leadership
The launch of the RCSI Arts Strategy in 2023 brought with it a newly articulated vision for the arts in RCSI. A dynamic and ambitious programme is now underway within the Arts Committee, weaving together various areas of activity to cultivate a more profound connection between RCSI, the arts, and our communities.
Partnerships such as the annual RCSI Art Award allow us to explore the relationship between arts and health from the perspective of both patients and practitioners. New artwork commissions complement this and are integral to the development of inclusive contemporary collections that represent the diversity of the RCSI community.
RCSI Arts Strategy 2023-2025
The Arts Strategy supports RCSI’s institutional mission ‘to educate, nurture, and discover for the benefit of human health’ by enriching the learning environment in RCSI, enhancing the culture and connectivity of our communities, and evolving our understanding of the intersection between arts and health.Download the strategy
Contact us
Email: arts@rcsi.com