Hughie O'Donoghue (b.1953)

The contemporary Irish-based but British-born artist Hughie O'Donoghue grew up in Manchester. He studied drawing and fine art painting at Goldsmiths' College, University of London, and since then has been exhibiting his work in a variety of international solo and group exhibitions, gaining a reputation as one of the leading painters of his generation. His pictures, are represented in a number of important public art collections, including the National Gallery, London; the Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester; and the Arts Council of England.

Duel. 2007

In 1995, Hughie O'Donoghue moved to County Kilkenny, Ireland, where he currently lives and works. He was resident on the Artist’s Work Programme at the Irish Museum of Modern Art in 1996, where he painted and took public master classes in drawing. O'Donoghue's works - frequently of considerable size - have appeared in many solo shows including: the Rubicon Gallery, Dublin (1997); Cartwright Hall, Bradford (1997); Pfefferle Galley, Munich (1997); the Purdy Hicks Gallery, London, and at the Galerie Helmut Pabst, Frankfurt (1997); the Purdy Hicks Gallery, London (1998).

Scent

For the last 12 years, O'Donoghue has been working on a series of paintings entitled "Via Crucis" - a contemporary version of the Passion. In 1997, he showed a selection of these paintings at the Haus der Kunst, Munich. In 1999, further selections of the Via Crucis - which were donated to the Office of Public Works was shown at the Royal Hibernian Academy's Gallagher Gallery. The two most recent Irish exhibitions of Hughie O'Donoghue's works were "Naming the Fields" (2001) and "Parable of the Prodigal Son" (Fenton Gallery) (2005). Not unlike the religious painters of the Renaissance, Hughie O'Donoghue often paints on a monumental scale, although his own work verges on abstraction. For example, one of his recent works, "Crossing the Rapido" is a 7-metre-long charcoal and graphite drawing.

More Information About Visual Arts in Ireland

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

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