Brian Bourke RHA (b.1936)

Renowned for his landscapes and his draughtsmanship as well as his series of humorous self-portraits comparing himself to Don Quixote, Brian Bourke was born in Dublin in 1936.

He studied at the National College of Art and Design in Dublin, and at St. Martin's School of Art in London. In 1964, he held his first solo exhibition in Dublin.

In 1965, he was chosen to represent Ireland in both the Biennale de Paris and the Lugano Exhibition of Graphics.

Deserted Building

In the same year he won the Arts Council prize for portraiture and then, in 1967, won first prize in the Irish Exhibition of Living Art competition.

A regular exhibitor at the Dawson and Taylor Galleries in Dublin, and at art galleries in Switzerland, England and America, his paintings were included in the Delighted Eye, the Hibernian landscape and the Cork Rosc exhibitions in 1980.

In 1985, the Sunday Independent newspaper named him Artist of the Year, and in 1993 he received the O'Malley Award from the Irish-American Cultural Institute.

Portrait of a Girl With a Beret

In 1991, he was appointed artist-in-residence at the Beckett Festival in the Gate Theatre, Dublin, while his accompanying works appeared at the Douglas Hyde Gallery.

In 2001, a large exhibition of his portraits of women, centred around portraits of his son's adopted daughter, appeared at the Dyehouse Gallery in Waterford. He lives in County Galway. Brian Bourke's paintings appear in many important collections throughout Ireland and worldwide. He is an elected member of Aosdana.

More Information About Visual Arts in Ireland

• For details of other expressionist painters, see: Irish Artists: Paintings and Biographies.
• For more about painting in Ireland, see: Irish Art Guide.

• NOTE: To update Brian Bourke's biography, click Here.

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