Homan Potterton (9 May 1946 – 8 December 2020)''Who Do I Think I Am? A Memoir'' (2017) was an art historian and writer who was director of the

National Gallery of Ireland The National Gallery of Ireland ( ga, Gailearaí Náisiúnta na hÉireann) houses the national collection of Irish and European art. It is located in the centre of Dublin with one entrance on Merrion Square, beside Leinster House, and another on ...

, 1980-88. At 33, he was the youngest ever director of the gallery."The art of looking backwards"
''Irish Independent'', 4 December 2017. He was previously (1974–80) an assistant keeper, curator, at the

National Gallery, London The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current Director o ...

. He was editor of ''Irish Arts Review'', 1993-2002. He wrote several art books and catalogues: ''Andrew O'Connor, Sculptor'' (1974); ''Irish Church Monuments, 1570-1880'' (1975); ''A Guide to the National Gallery'' (1976); ''The National Gallery, London'' (1976); ''Reynolds & Gainsborough: Themes & Painters in the National Gallery'' (1976); ''Pageant and Panorama: the Elegant World of Canaletto'' (1978); (jointly) ''Irish Art and Architecture'' (1978);''Venetian Seventeenth Century Painting'' (1979); ''Dutch 17th and 18th Century Paintings in the National Gallery of Ireland: a Complete Catalogue'' (1986). His memoir of growing up in Ireland in the 1950s is ''Rathcormick: a Childhood Recalled'' (2001). A second, ''Who Do I Think I Am? A Memoir'' (2017), brings the story up to his retirement at the age of 42. The title derives from a poem, ''The National Gallery Restaurant'' by

Paul Durcan Paul Durcan (born 16 October 1944) is a contemporary Irish poet. Early life Durcan was born and grew up in Dublin and in Turlough, County Mayo. His father, John, was a barrister and circuit court judge; father and son had a difficult and forma ...

the last line of which is "Who does Homan Potterton think he is-Homan Potterton?" His novel, ''Knockfane'', was published in 2019. In his time in the National Gallery of Ireland he oversaw the production of the first ever catalogues of the Gallery's collections. He was also responsible for persuading Sir Alfred and Lady Beit to leave seventeen paintings, the cream of the Beit Collection, to the Gallery. He was an honorary member of 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 ...

.Royal Hibernian Academy: Members
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References and sources

;Notes ;Sources * ''Who's Who'' (A & C Black, London); Peter Somerville Large, ''1854-2004: the Story of the National Gallery of Ireland'' (2004), pp. 398–421; Vera Ryan, ''Movers and Shapers: Irish Visual Art, 1940-2006'' (2006), pp. 173–201. {{DEFAULTSORT:Potterton, Homan 1946 births 2020 deaths Irish art historians Museum people from Dublin (city)