Important Irish Artists
Famous Painters & Sculptors of Ireland: (c.1600-present).

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BEST PAINTERS IN IRELAND
For a list of the top living Irish painters,
see: Best Irish Artists: Painters.

WHO's WHO in Irish Art

See below for an alphabetical list of important Irish artists associated with the 32 counties of Ireland.

Its main focus is painting and sculpture (figurative, representational, abstract works), although it also includes top individuals involved in photographic, video, installation and public art.

Among the list of artists below are the six individuals whose work has been sold at public auction for more than £1 million: they are: Francis Bacon (1909-92), William Orpen RA RI HRHA (1878-1931), Jack B Yeats RHA (1871-1957), John Lavery RA RHA (1856-1941), Louis le Brocquy HRHA (1916-2012), and William Scott OBE RA (1913-89).
A
Armstrong, Arthur (1924-96)
Landscape and Still Life Painter.
Ashford, William PRHA (1746-1824)
Topographical Landscapes.
Atkinson, George Mounsey (1806-84)
Marine Artist.
B
Bacon, Francis (1909-92)
Figurative Painter. Holds the record for the
most expensive Irish painting ($86.3 million).
Ballagh, Robert (b.1943)
Pop-Art pictures, Graphic Designer.
Ballard, Brian (b.1943)
Colourist, Genre Painter, Landscapes.
Barret, George Junior (1767-1842)
Watercolour Landscape Painter.
Barret, George Senior RA (1732-84)
Romantic Landscape Painter.
Barry, James RA (1741-1806)
Neo-Classical History Painter.
Barry, William Gerard (1864-1941)
Portraits, Landscapes, Genre Scenes.
Bartlett, William Henry (1858-1932)
Landscapes.
Barton, Rose Maynard RWS (1856-1929)
Townscape Painter.
Beaufort, William Louis (1771-1849)
Landscape Artist.
Beechey, Richard Brydges (1808-95)
Marine Painter.
Bewick, Pauline RHA (b.1935)
Contemporary Watercolour Artist.
Blackshaw, Basil (b.1932)
Portraitist, Figure, Genre Painter.
Bourke, Brian (b.1936)
Landscapes, Self-Portraiture.
Brady, Charles (1926-97)
Landscape and Still Life works.
Brenan, James RHA MBIA (1837-1907)
Genre Painter.
Bridle, Kathleen ARUA (1897-1989)
Portrais, Landscapes, Co Fermanagh teacher.
Brocas, Samuel (1792-1847)
Noted for his views of Dublin.
Burke, Augustus Nicholas (1838-91)
Landscape, Rural Plein-Air Painting.
Burton, Frederick William (1816-1900)
Watercolour Portraits, Chalk Drawings.
Butler, Mildred Anne (1858-1941)
Landscape Art.
Butts, John (1728-65)
River & Woodland Scenes.
C
Campbell, George RHA (1917-79)
Still Life and Landscape Paintings.
Campbell, John Henry (1757-1828)
Landscape Painter.
Caracciolo, Niccolo D'Ardia RHA (1941-89)
Classical Landscapes, Portraiture.
Carr, Tom (1909-99)
Landscape and Figurative works.
Carver, Robert (1730-91)
Theatre Scenery-Painter, Landscapes.
Clarke, Harry (1889-1931)
Stained Glass Art.
Clarke, Margaret (1888-1961)
Portraitist, Landscapes, Figures.
Coleman, James (b.1941)
Installation and Video Art.
Collins, Patrick (1910-94)
Landscape and Figure Painter.
Collis, Peter RHA (b.1929)
Landscape & Still-life Paintings.
Connor, Jerome (1876-1943)
Kerry-born Sculptor.
Conor, William RHA PRUA (1881-1968)
Working Class Scenes.
Cooke, Barrie (b.1931)
Abstract Expressionist Painter.
Coulter, William (1849-1936)
Noted for his maritime paintings & draughtsmanship..
Craig, James Humbert RHA RUA (1878-1944)
Landscape Painter.
Cross, Dorothy (b.1956)
Contemporary Sculptor.
Crozier, William (1930-2011)
Still Life and Landscape Artist.
Curling, Peter (b.1955)
Equestrian Artist.
D
D'Arcy, Paul (b. 1967)
Landscape and Portrait Symbolism.
Darragh, Ian (1959-2008)
Classical figurative painter.
Danby, Francis RWS RHA (1793-1861)
Landscape Painter, Watercolourist.
Davidson, Colin (b.1968)
Landscape and Portrait Artist.
Davidson, Lilian Lucy (1893-1954)
Landscape, Portrait & Genres.
Delaney, Edward (1930-2009)
Bronze Sculptor, Minimalist/Expressionist.
Dillon, Gerard (1916-71)
Landscape Artist and Figure Painter.
Dixon, James (1887-1970)
Tory Island Landscape Artist.
Doherty, John (b.1949)
Photo-Realist Painter & Landscapes.
E
Egan, Felim (b.1952)
Contemporary Abstract Painter.
English, James (b.1946)
Still Life, Landscape art.
F
Fagan, Robert (1761-1816)
Portraitist.
Fallon, Conor (1939-2007)
Contemporary Steel Sculptor.
Farrell, Micheal (1940-2000)
Noted for Contemporary Political paintings.
Faulkner, John RHA (1835-94)
Atmospheric Watercolourist.
Flanagan, T P RHA PRUA (b.1929)
Landscapes in Watercolours.
Foley, John Henry (1818-74)
Sculptor of Anglo-Irish School.
Forbes, Stanhope Alexander (1857-1947)
Rural Life Plein-Air Artist. Newlyn School.
French, Percy (William) (1854-1920)
Watercolourist, Illustrator.
Frye, Thomas (c.1710-62)
Portraitist.
G
Gale, Martin RHA (b.1949)
Figurative and Landscape Painter.
Garstin, Norman (1847-1926)
Plein-Air Landscapes, Newlyn School of Art.
Gillespie Rowan (b.1953)
Figurative site-specific Sculptor. Arguably the
greatest exponent of realistic Irish Sculpture.
Grogan, Nathaniel, (1740-1807)
Townscapes, Landscapes.
H
Hamilton, Hugh Douglas (1724-1808)
Portraitist.
Hamilton, Ken (b.1956)
Classical-Style Painter.
Hamilton, Letitia (1878-1964)
Landscape Artist.
Harrison, Sarah Cecilia HRUA (1863-1941)
Realist portrait painter.
Haverty, Joseph Patrick RHA (1794-1864)
Illustrator, Portraits, Genre-works.
Hayes, Edwin RHA (1820-1904)
Watercolourist and Marine Painter.
Hennessy, Patrick RHA (1915-80)
Still Life, Landscape, Trompe l'oeil.
Hennessy, William (1839-1917)
Landscapes, Genre-works, Illustrator.
Henry, Paul RHA RUA (1876-1958)
One of the great Irish Landscape Artists.
Noted for his West of Ireland views.
Hickey, Thomas (1741-1824)
Portraiture.
Hickey, Patrick (1927-98)
Etcher, Lithographer, Landscapes.
Higgins, Joseph (1885-1925)
Short-lived Cork Sculptor.
Hill, Nathaniel RHA (1861-1934)
Breton Genre-paintings, Portraits.
Hogan, John (1800-58)
Neo-Classical Sculpture.
Hone, David RHA (b.1929)
Still Life and Portraits.
Hone, Evie (1894-1955)
Cubist, Stained Glass Artist.
Hone, Horace (1756-1825)
Portraiture, Miniaturist.
Hone, Nathaniel The Elder RA (1718-84)
Portraits & Miniatures.
Hone, Nathaniel The Younger (1831-1917)
Landscapes.
Hussey, Philip (1713-83)
Portraitist, Interiors/Genre Scenes.
I
Iten, Hans (1874-1930)
Landscape and Flower Painter.
J
Jellett, Mainie (1897-1944)
Abstract Painting.
Jervas, Charles (1675-1739)
Portraiture.
Joynt, Rachel RHA (b.1966)
Public Art.
K
Kavanagh, Joseph Malachy RHA (1856-1918)
"Antwerp School." Landscapes, genre works.
Keating, Sean RHA (1889-1977)
Romantic Realist. One of the great
Traditionalists of Irish Painting.
Kelly, Gerald Festus RA (1879-1972)
Noted for Academic Portrait Painting.
Kelly, Oisin (1915-81)
Leading mid-century Sculptor.
Kelly, Paul (b.1968)
Impressionist Plein-Air Landscapes.
Kernoff, Harry RHA (1900-74)
Portraits, Cityscapes, Decorative Art.		 K (...cont)
Kiely, Bernadette (b.1958)
Semi-abstract landscape artist.
Kingerlee, John (b.1936)
Abstract Landscape Paintings.
Kingston, Richard (1922-2003)
Landscape, Still Life, Flowers.
Klitz, Anthony (1917-2000)
Urban Cityscape Views.
Knuttel, Graham (b.1954)
Figurative Painter and Sculptor.
L
Lamb, Charles (1893-1964)
Landscapes, Portraiture, Figurative works.
Lane, Hugh Percy SIR (1875-1915)
Art dealer, founder of The Hugh Lane Gallery.
Latham, James (c.1696-1747)
Portraitist.
Lavery, John, (1856-1941)
The only Impressionist Plein Air Artist of Ireland to have sold a painting for more than £1 million.
Le Brocquy, Louis HRHA (1916-2012)
Ireland's only painter to have sold a painting for more than £1 million during his lifetime. Saoi of Aosdána.
Leech, William John RHA (1881-1968)
Plein Air Landscapes.
Leonard, Patrick HRHA (1918-2005)
Realist Genre Scenes.
Luke, John (1906-75)
Fantasy Landscape and Figurative Compositions.
M
MacCabe, Gladys RUA (b.1918)
Watercolourist and Art Critic.
MacDonald, Daniel (1821-53)
Portraitist, Draughtsman, Sketcher.
MacDowell, Patrick (1799-1870)
Belfast Sculptor.
MacGonigal, Maurice PPRHA (1900-79)
Representational Landscape and Portrait Artist.
Maclise, Daniel RA RHA (1806-70)
Portraiture, History Paintings.
Madden, Anne (b.1932)
Abstract Painter.
Maderson, Arthur (b.1942)
Contemporary Streetscapes, Figurative works.
Madigan, Carmel (b.1961)
Expressionist landscapes, seascapes.
Maguire, Brian ANCAD (b.1951)
Expressionist Painter.
Maguire, Cecil RHA RUA (b.1930)
Traditional Landscape and Harbour Views.
Maher, Alice (b.1956)
Expressionist Painter, Sculptor, Mixed-media.
Mahoney, James (1810-79)
Watercolourist and Illustrator.
Malton, James (c.1760-1803)
Architectural Draughtsman, Printmaker.
McDonnell, Hector (b.1947)
Painter, Etcher, Printmaker.
McGrane, Henry (b.1969)
Plein-air Landscapes, Still Lifes.
McGuinness, Nora HRHA (1901-80)
Landscape Painter, Graphic Design/Illustrator.
A pivotal figure in the Irish Exhibition of Living Art.
McGuire, Edward RHA (1932-86)
Portraitist, Still Life, Bird Painter.
McKelvey, Frank RHA RUA (1895-1974)
Landscapes and Portraits.
McSweeney, Sean (b.1935)
Landscape Scenes, esp. Bog-Pools.
McWilliam, FE (1909-92)
Surrealist/Political Sculptor.
Middleton, Colin RHA (1910-83)
Landscape, Figurative Painter and Surrealist.
Miles, T J (b.1965)
Landscapes and Surrealistic Figures.
Mooney, Martin (b.1960)
Academic Artist, Still Life, Landscape.
Morphy, Garret (1655-1715)
Portraiture.
Morris, John (b.1958)
Plein-air Waterscapes Landscapes.
Moynan, Richard Thomas (1856-1906)
One of the most noted Irish Genre Painters.
Murphy, Seamus (1907-75)
Traditional Realist Sculpture.
Mullins, George (fl.1763-75)
Classical Landscapes.
Mulready, William (1786-1863)
Subject Painter, Nudes.
N
Nicholl, Andrew RHA (1804-86)
Watercolourist and Sketcher.
Nicol, Erskine (1825-1904)
Irish-Scots Figurative Painter.
Nolan, David (b.1966)
Impressionist-style Portraiture.
O
O'Brien, Dermod (1865-1945)
Portraits, Landscape, Figures.
O'Connor, Andrew (1874-1941)
Realist Sculptor.
O'Connor, James Arthur (1792-1841)
Landscape Artist, Illustrator.
O'Conor, Roderic (1860-1940)
Plein-Air Impressionist-style, Colourist.
O'Doherty, Eamonn
Leading Public Art Sculptor from Derry.
O'Donoghue, Hughie (b.1953)
Noted for his contemporary Abstract Expressionism.
O'Kelly, Aloysius (1853-1941)
Landscapes, Figurative works, Orientalist.
O'Malley, Tony (1913-2003)
Abstract Landscape Painter.
O'Meara, Frank (1853-88)
Dreamy Plein-Air Landscapes, Female Figures.
O'Neill, Dan (1920-74)
Romantic Landscape Art.
O'Neill, Mark (b.1963)
Classical Artist, Still Lifes, Interiors, Illustrator.
Orpen, William, (1878-1931)
One of the greatest Irish Portrait Artists and the only one to have sold a work for more than £1 million.
Osborne, Walter Frederick (1859-1903)
Irish Impressionist.
O'Sullivan, Sean (1906-64)
Portraiture.
P
Petrie, George (1790-1866)
Sketcher, Watercolourist, Antiquarian.
Power, Albert (1881-1945)
Academic Realist Sculptor.
Praeger, Rosamund HRHA MBE (1867-1954)
Leading Small-scale Sculptor from County Down.
Purser, Sarah (1848-1943)
Portraitist, Stained Glass Artist.
R
Rakoczi, Basil Ivan (1908-79)
Landscape, Still Life, Figure Painter.
Rasher (Mark Kavanagh) (b.1977)
Contemporary Figurative works and Still Lifes.
Reid, Nano (1905-81)
Landscape, Figure and Portrait Painter.
Roberts, Thomas (1748-78)
Landscapes.
Roberts, Thomas Sautelle (1760-1826)
Romantic Landscape Artist.
Robinson, Markey (1918-99)
Naive Figure/Landscape Painter, Sculptor.
Russell, George "AE" (1867-1935)
Landscape, Portraiture, Murals.
S
Sadler, William II (1782-1839)
Landscape Artist and Illustrator.
Scott, William OBE RA (1913-89)
Still Life, Landscape, Abstract Painter. One of a handful of Irish visual artists to have sold a painting for more than £1 million.
Scully, Sean (b.1945)
Irish-American Noted for Large-scale Abstract works.
Shannon, James, Jebusa, RA (1862-1923)
Academic Portraiture.
Shee, Martin Archer, (1769-1850)
Eminent Portraitist, President RA.
Sheppard, Oliver (1864-1941)
Nationalist Sculptor.
Shinnors, John (b.1950)
Abstract Landscapes.
Sleator, James Sinton (1889-1950)
Portraitist and Still Life Painter.
Sloan, Victor (b.1945)
One of N. Ireland's greatest photographers.
Smith, John Noel (b.1952)
Abstract Painting.
Souter, Camille HRHA (b.1929)
Modernist Landscapes.
Swanzy, Mary HRHA (1882-1978)
One of Ireland's earliest Abstract Artists.
T
Tansey, Francis (b.1959)
Contemporary Abstract Art, Acrylics.
Teeling, Norman (b.1944)
Impressionist Plein-Air Oil Painter. One of the great exemplars of Representational Painting in Ireland.
Teskey, Donald RHA (b.1956)
Contemporary Impressionist-Style Landscapes.
Thaddeus, Henry Jones (1859-1929)
Portraits, Landscapes, Genre Works.
Tuohy, Patrick RHA (1894-1930)
Academic Portrait Painter.
UVW
Van Kampen, Marja (b.1949)
Expressionist/colourist, painter, silkscreen prints..
Walton, Conor (b.1970)
Classical Realist. Portraiture, Still Life, Mythological works.
Webb, Kenneth RWA RUA (b.1927)
Landscapes.
Wejchert, Alexandra (b.1921)
Abstract Sculpture.
Whelan, Leo (1892-1956)
Traditional Portraits and Genre Paintings.
Wilks, Maurice Canning RUA ARHA (1910-84)
Traditional Landscape Artist.
XYZ
Yeats, Anne Butler (1919-2001)
Painter and Theatre Designer.
Yeats, Jack Butler RHA (1871-1957)
Expressionist Painter. One of only six Irishmen to have sold a painting for more than £1 million.
Yeats, John Butler RHA (1839-1922)
Portraiture.

More About Painters and Sculptors of Ireland

• For classification according to date of birth, see:
- 18th Century Irish Artists (Born before 1800)
- 19th Century Irish Artists (Born 1800-1899)
- 20th Century Irish Artists (Born 1900 onwards)
- Contemporary Irish Artists

• For classification according to city, see:
- Dublin Artists
- Cork Artists
- Visual Arts in Ireland (Leinster, Munster, Connacht, Ulster)

• For a list of the world's top painters/sculptors, see: Visual Artists: Greatest.

References and Notes

All information is researched from online sources and encyclopedia data in the public domain. In addition, we have consulted a number of hard-copy reference works, of which the following have been most prominent. (1) Dictionary of Irish Artists, Vols I and II, Walter Strickland (Dublin & London, 1913). (2) Dictionary of Irish Artists: 20th Century, Theo Snoddy (Dublin, 2006). (3) Ireland's Painters: 1600-1940, Anne Crookshank and the Knight of Glin (Yale University 2002). We would like to take this opportunity of acknowledging the valuable data and scholarship of these outstanding works, without which no serious historical study of Irish fine art is feasible.

Even so, compiling any list of individuals involved in painting and sculpture - let alone photography, video, animation, stained glass, ceramics, and other contemporary forms such as conceptual art, installation, performance and diverse types of environmental art - is no easy task. We would like to emphasise therefore, that the above list is merely an initial sample which will be substantially augmented over the coming months.

• For more about painting and sculpture in Ireland, see: Visual Arts Encyclopedia.

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