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, Irish, 1894-1930
Title
Woman in an Interior Wearing a Blue Apron
MediumWatercolour and gouache on paper, laid down on card
Dimensions
41.7 x 18.4 cm
Signedlower centre: TUOHY
Credit LinePurchased, 2018
Object numberNGI.2018.28
DescriptionCollection of ten works on paper by Hilda Geralda van Stockum, plus drawings by Sean O'Sullivan, Patrick Tuohy and Brigid Ganly. A collection of 8 works on paper by Hilda van Stockum was also bequeathed by the Artist's daughter in 2018. These two collections of works on paper relate to Hilda van Stockum's student days in Dublin. Portraits of Hilda Geralda van Stockum by art college friends Sean O'Sullivan and Brigid Ganly complement her portraits of family members and her wider circle of friends. The realism of the drawings and prints shows the influence of her drawing teacher at the Metropolitan School, Patrick Tuohy. A gouache study of a woman in a blue apron by Tuohy was probably given to Hilda Geralda van Stockum as a gift.

Hilda Geralda van Stockum was a Dutch-born painter, writer and illustrator. The daughter of a Rotterdam based naval officer, she came to Ireland in her teens to study at the Dublin Metropolitan School of Art. Patrick Tuohy was one of her teachers and her early work reflects his influence. Her art is traditional, featuring figurative portraits and still-life, with sensitivity to light being one of her work’s strongest characteristics. Her reputation outside Ireland rests more on her literary work. Her illustrated books for children (including 'The Mitchells', 'Kersti and Saint Nicholas', and 'A Day on Skates') are characterised by their vivid depictions of family life. Published accounts of her art student days give a valuable insight into the Irish art world of the late 1920s. Her contemporaries included Sean O’Sullivan, Nano Reid and Stella Steyn. Her marriage to Erwin Marlin, a diplomat, led her to live in a number of different countries including Switzerland, Canada and the US. Following her retirement to the UK, she renewed her ties with Ireland and was honoured by a retrospective exhibition at the RHA Gallagher Gallery in 1990. She died in Hertfordshire in 2006.