Brigid Ganly HRHA (29 January 1909 – 25 March 2002), was an Irish painter and sculptor

Early life and education

Brigid Ganly was born Rosaleen Brigid O'Brien on the 29 January 1909 in Dublin to

Dermod O'Brien William Dermod O'Brien PRHA DL Hon RA (10 June 1865 – 3 October 1945), commonly known as Dermod O'Brien, was an Irish painter, chiefly of landscapes and portraits. His work was part of the painting event in the art competition at the ...

and his wife Mabel Smiley. She was one of five children. Her father was a painter. His grandfather was the Irish Republican

William Smith O'Brien William Smith O'Brien ( ga, Liam Mac Gabhann Ó Briain; 17 October 1803 – 18 June 1864) was an Irish nationalist Member of Parliament (MP) and a leader of the Young Ireland movement. He also encouraged the use of the Irish language. He ...

. Ganly grew up in Country Limerick at a farm in Cahirmoyle until the family moved to Fitzwilliam square in Dublin. Ganly went on to attend the Metropolitan School of Art where she had the opportunity to study under

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Seán Keating Seán Keating (born John Keating, 28 September 1889 – 21 December 1977) was an Irish romantic-realist painter who painted some iconic images of the Irish War of Independence and of the early industrialization of Ireland. He spent two week ...

and

Oliver Sheppard Oliver Sheppard (10 April 1865 – 14 September 1941) was an Irish sculptor, most famous for his 1911 bronze statue of the mythical Cuchullain dying in battle. His work was also part of the art competitions at the 1924 Summer Olympics and the ...

. Ganly was a talented sculptor and won several awards, including the Taylor scholarship in 1929, for her allegorical male nude, ''Pity''. Ganly spent time in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

in 1951 where she trained with

André Lhote André Lhote (5 July 1885 – 24 January 1962) was a French Cubist painter of figure subjects, portraits, landscapes and still life. He was also active and influential as a teacher and writer on art. Early life and education Lhote was born ...

. Ganly traveled to Greece where Lhote continued to influence her work.

Royal Hibernian Academy

She also studied painting in the

Royal Hibernian Academy The Royal Hibernian Academy (RHA) is an artist-based and artist-oriented institution in Ireland, founded in Dublin in 1823. Like many other Irish institutions, such as the RIA, the academy retained the word "Royal" after most of Ireland became in ...

School where she had Margaret Clarke and Seán O'Sullivan as teachers. She was made an associate of the Royal Hibernian Academy in 1928 and Ganly became a member in 1935 though in 1969 she resigned her membership in protest at the lack of young artists being given the opportunity to exhibit. In 1972 she was made an honorary member and returned.

Career

Ganly was a representational artist and while known as a portrait artist, she also painted landscapes, interiors and may be best known for her still lifes. Some of her best works are portraits of her husband, her sister Ethel, her father, and her friend Sheila Pym. She illustrated the book-jackets of Sheila Pym's works. She had many exhibitions, with the RHA and the Water Colour Society of Ireland. There was a retrospective of her life in 1998 in

Hugh Lane Municipal Gallery The Hugh Lane Gallery, officially Dublin City Gallery The Hugh Lane and originally the Municipal Gallery of Modern Art, is an art museum operated by Dublin City Council and its subsidiary, the Hugh Lane Gallery Trust. It is in Charlemont House ...

and her works are in the collections there. She is also in the collections of the Waterford Municipal Gallery,

Crawford Art Gallery The Crawford Art Gallery ( ga, Áiléar Crawford) is a public art gallery and museum in the city of Cork, Ireland. Known informally as the Crawford, it was designated a 'National Cultural Institution' in 2006. It is "dedicated to the visual arts ...

, Cork and in the National Self-Portrait Collection. Ganly was part of the 2014 exhibition 'Irish Women Artists: 1870-1970'

Personal life

Her sister in law was Kitty Wilmer O'Brien with whom she often exhibited. Ganly married Andrew Ganly a dental surgeon and writer in 1936. He died in 1982. They had two children, Eoghan and Phillida.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ganly, Brigid 1909 births 2002 deaths 20th-century Irish women artists 20th-century Irish sculptors Artists from Dublin (city) Members of the Royal Hibernian Academy