Dates of creation: 1932-2001
This collection of 490 items consists of books, catalogues, exhibition and theatre ephemera all based on the subjects of art and design. Several of the items are signed by Anne Yeats.
Anne Butler Yeats (1919-2001) was an Irish artist, theatre designer and book illustrator. Born in Dublin, she studied at the Royal Hibernian Academy School, the School of Theatrical Design in Paris and later the Dublin Metropolitan School of Art.
She worked as a costume and set designer in various Irish theatres including the Peacock Theatre, Abbey Theatre, The Gaiety, Olympia and Cork Opera House. She was set designer with the Abbey Theatre from 1936 -1941, becoming chief designer from 1939-1941, after which she concentrated more on her painting. Her style was expressionistic mostly using oils.
She was a long serving member of the Irish Exhibition of Living Art and a founder member of the Graphic Studio https://graphicstudiodublin.com/, Dublin for fine art print, and Aosdána https://aosdana.artscouncil.ie/.
Anne was from the talented Yeats family, her father was the poet and playwright W.B.Yeats, her uncle the artist Jack B Yeats and her aunts Susan (Lilly) and Elizabeth (Lollie) were also established artists and leaders in the Irish Arts and Crafts movement. Anne worked with her brother Michael to revive the Cuala Press in 1969-1986.
Sources:
Dictionary of Irish Biography https://www.dib.ie/biography/yeats-anne-butler-a9154
Aosdána https://aosdana.artscouncil.ie/members/yeats/
National Gallery of Ireland : http://sourcenationalgallery.ie
This collection of items from Anne’s private book collection was donated by her brother, Michael Yeats, on behalf of the Yeats Family to the Insitute of Technology Sligo following her death in 2001. The donated items were to benefit students of Fine Art and Industrial Design and future research. The collection is now incorprateed in the ATU Library Special Collections.