Niccolo D'Ardia Caracciola RHA (1941-1989)

A highly talented landscape artist and portrait painter, Niccolo D'Ardia Caracciola was born in Dublin and grew up in a County Waterford medieval castle - the seat of his mother’s family, the Fitzgeralds. The Italian title derived from his father's family in Naples.

The Ha' Penny Bridge, Dublin.

After being educated at The Oratory School, in Reading, England, Niccolo went to study fine art painting in Florence at the suggestion of Pietro Annigoni who believed the teenager had talent which ought to be developed.

In Florence, Niccolo studied under the artist Signorina Nera Simi, whose emphasis on drawing, especially figure drawing, can be clearly seen in her pupil's artwork.

Self-Portrait. 1984

After his art studies, Niccolo D'Ardia Caracciola divided his time between Ireland and Italy. In 1964, Caracciola was one of the painters selected to replicate the paintings in the Sistine Chapel for the Renaissance film "The Agony and the Ectasy" which portrayed the life of Michelangelo.

As well as this High Renaissance painting, Caracciola continued with his Irish landscape painting and city scenes, and developed his skills in figure painting.

He also became a noted portrait artist, executing a variety of portrait commissions including such subjects as: Anthony Bygraves, Sir Marc Cochrane, the writer J.P. Donleavy, and Lord Iveagh. He also completed several self portraits.

Femme Fatale

He exhibited at the Hugh Lane Gallery and Solomon Gallery in Dublin, as well as the Royal Hibernian Academy (RHA). His paintings also showed in the Royal Portrait Society and the Royal Academy in London.

He was elected an Associate Member of the Royal Hibernian Academy in 1984, and a full member in 1984.

Tragically, he died in a car crash in Italy, in 1989, and was buried in Ireland.

More Information About Visual Arts in Ireland

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

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