Harry Aaron Kernoff RHA (1900-1974)

The portrait, landscape and decorative painter Harry Kernoff was born in London to a Russian father and Spanish mother, but relocated to Dublin when he was 14. Kernoff studied drawing and painting during night classes at the Metropolitan School of Art. In 1923, he won the Taylor Scholarship and became a full-time art student. During his studies he met and was encouraged by fellow artists Patrick Tuohy, Sean Keating and Maurice MacGonigal.

Winetavern Street, July, Dublin

Harry Kernoff was to remain in Dublin for the rest of his life, being one of few artists to paint the city and its people, which he did with great empathy. In addition, he painted the Irish landscape, genre scenes, and portraits. He was also an accomplished illustrator, exhibiting several at the 1925 Arts and Crafts Exhibition.

In 1926 he began showing at the Royal Hibernian Academy, averaging about five paintings in each exhibition from then until 1974 - an extraordinary achievement.

Curraghs, Connemara (c.1935)

Portraits were another of his specialities, some of which he completed in one sitting. Among his many subjects were: James Connolly, Sean O'Casey, Liam O'Flaherty, Brendan Behan, Maurice MacGonigal, Jerome Connor, James Joyce and WB Yeats.

In 1935 he was elected an associate member and then full member of the Royal Hibernian Academy (RHA). In the late 1930s he exhibited in the Victor Waddington Galleries, Dublin, and at Mills' Hall. During the next few decades he continued to exhibit a wide range of artworks, including: woodcuts, oils, watercolours and pastels.

Portrait of a Man

He died in Dublin in 1974. In 1975, an exhibition of his portraits was held at the Godolphin Gallery, followed in 1976 by a memorial show at the Hugh Lane Gallery of Art.

Harry Kernoff's artworks are held in numerous collections of Irish art, including: Public Library, Athlone; Irish Embassy, Beijing; Ulster Museum, Belfast; Crawford Municipal Art Gallery, Cork; Aras an Uachtarain; Dublin Writers Museum; Hugh Lane Municipal Gallery of Modern Art; the Irish Jewish Museum; National Gallery of Ireland; Office of Public Works; City Gallery of Art, Limerick; National Self-Portrait Collection, Limerick University; and others.

More Information About Visual Arts in Ireland

• For details of other Dublin painters and sculptors, see: Irish Artists: Paintings and Biographies.
• For more about art in Ireland's capital, see: Irish Art Guide.

• NOTE: To update Harry Kernoff's biography, click Here.