Owen Walsh (1933–2002) was an Irish painter and graphic designer.

Life

Walsh was born in Wesport, County Mayo in 1933, and grew up on Altamont Street. His parents were William and Delia Walsh. He attended

Blackrock College Blackrock College ( ga, Coláiste na Carraige Duibhe) is a voluntary secondary school, voluntary day school, day and boarding school, boarding Catholicism, Catholic secondary school for boys aged 13–18, in Williamstown, Blackrock, Dublin, Bl ...

, Dublin from 1946. At this time, Walsh was diagnosed with

epilepsy Epilepsy is a group of non-communicable neurological disorders characterized by recurrent epileptic seizures. Epileptic seizures can vary from brief and nearly undetectable periods to long periods of vigorous shaking due to abnormal electrical ...

. He married Beryl in 1954, with whom he had two children, Sharon and Ronan. They separated in the early 1960s. He later met Eileen O'Mara, who is the granddaughter of the tenor

Joseph O'Mara Joseph O'Mara (16 July 1864 – 5 August 1927) was an Irish opera singer of the Victorian and Edwardian eras. After studying opera in Milan, Italy, he made his London stage debut in 1891 in the tenor title role of the opera '' Ivanhoe'' by A ...

. As divorce was not available in Ireland, Walsh and O'Mara did not marry nor did they live together. The lived in Paris for the early part of their relationship. Their son, Eoghan O'Mara Walsh, born in 1975. Walsh lived in Dublin for most of his life but later in life returned to County Mayo with Eileen, where he died in 2002 in

Louisburgh Louisburgh () is a small town on the southwest corner of Clew Bay in County Mayo, Ireland. It is home to Sancta Maria College and the Gráinne O'Malley Interpretive Centre. Transport Road access Louisburgh is located on the R335 regional ro ...

from

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissue (biology), tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from tran ...

. His son, Ronan, is also an artist.

Career

He studied at the National College of Art (now the

National College of Art and Design The National College of Art and Design (NCAD) is Ireland's oldest art institution, offering the largest range of art and design degrees at undergraduate and postgraduate level in the country. Originating as a drawing school in 1746, many of th ...

) in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

from 1950, where he received major awards for

painting Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ...

and

composition Composition or Compositions may refer to: Arts and literature *Composition (dance), practice and teaching of choreography *Composition (language), in literature and rhetoric, producing a work in spoken tradition and written discourse, to include v ...

, studying under

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 ...

Maurice MacGonigal Maurice MacGonigal (22 January 1900 – 31 January 1979) was an Irish landscape and portrait painter and influential teacher. Life Maurice MacGonigal was born in Ranelagh, Dublin on 22 January 1900. His parents were Francis and Caroline M ...

and

Laurence Campbell Laurence Campbell is a British comics artist best known for his work in '' 2000 AD'', but he has also recently received attention from his work for Marvel. Biography Campbell started evening courses at the London Cartoon Centre and then studie ...

. While still a student, Walsh had a solo exhibition in 1953 at the Dublin Painter's Gallery opened by the

Earl of Wicklow Earl of Wicklow was a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1793 for Alice Howard, Dowager Viscountess Wicklow. Born Alice Forward, she was the daughter of William Forward, Member of the Irish House of Commons for the County Donegal ...

. In 1954 he won the first

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 ...

Scholarship in Art, the MacAuley Fellowship, after he graduated. He then travelled, taught and studied in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, and

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. He taught composition at the Belles Arts in Madrid. Walsh worked as a graphic designer in the 1950s, working for the Irish departments store Switzer's magazine ''Creation'' and McConnells Advertising. He produced advertisements for

ESSO Esso () is a trading name for ExxonMobil. Originally, the name was primarily used by its predecessor Standard Oil of New Jersey after the breakup of the original Standard Oil company in 1911. The company adopted the name "Esso" (the phonetic p ...

and BP. In December 1959, he founded The Independent Artists' Group (IAG) in opposition to the Living Art Group and the RHA with James McKenna, Elizabeth Rivers, Noel Sheridan, Patrick Pye and Charles Brady. The Group's first exhibition took place in June 1960, and was opened by Dr

Noel Browne Noel or Noël may refer to: Christmas * , French for Christmas * Noel is another name for a Christmas carol Places * Noel, Missouri, United States, a city *Noel, Nova Scotia, Canada, a community * 1563 Noël, an asteroid *Mount Noel, Britis ...

TD. Walsh continued to show with the IAG throughout the 1960s. He refused the offer of associate

academician An academician is a full member of an artistic, literary, engineering, or scientific academy. In many countries, it is an honorific title used to denote a full member of an academy that has a strong influence on national scientific life. In syst ...

at the RHA around this time. After he separated from his wife in the early 1960s, Walsh moved to 108 Lower Baggot Street. At this time, he worked as an assistant to artist Sean O'Sullivan. In 1962 he held his second solo show at the Brown Thomas Little Theatre. Walsh was part of a group known as "Baggatonia" alongside

Brendan Behan Brendan Francis Aidan Behan (christened Francis Behan) ( ; ga, Breandán Ó Beacháin; 9 February 1923 – 20 March 1964) was an Irish poet, short story writer, novelist, playwright, and Irish Republican activist who wrote in both English an ...

and

Patrick Kavanagh Patrick Kavanagh (21 October 1904 – 30 November 1967) was an Irish poet and novelist. His best-known works include the novel '' Tarry Flynn'', and the poems "On Raglan Road" and "The Great Hunger". He is known for his accounts of Irish life t ...

. He was also a close friend of

Liam O'Flaherty Liam O'Flaherty ( ; 28 August 1896 – 7 September 1984) was an Irish novelist and short-story writer, and one of the foremost socialist writers in the first part of the 20th century, writing about the common people's experience and from their ...

, with whom he would debate in fluent

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

. Having moved to Paris with Eileen, he won the Medaille d’Or at the International Salon of Art at Juvisy 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 ...

. After living in

from 1967 to 1970, he returned to Ireland where he continued to work until his death. Walsh split with the IAG in 1978, removing his work from their exhibition having been asked to remove some of his other paintings. His application to the

Aosdána Aosdána ( , ; from , 'people of the arts') is an Irish association of artists. It was created in 1981 on the initiative of a group of writers with support from the country's Arts Council. Membership, which is by invitation from current member ...

, which was supported by

Noel Sheridan Cecil Noel Sheridan (12 December 1936 – 12 July 2006) was an Irish painter, performance artist, installation artist and actor. He was a member of Aosdána, an elite Irish association of artists. Early life Sheridan was born in Dublin in 1936. ...

, was rejected. His work is characterised by strong colour and post-impressionistic style, which was likened to

Henri Matisse Henri Émile Benoît Matisse (; 31 December 1869 – 3 November 1954) was a French visual artist, known for both his use of colour and his fluid and original draughtsmanship. He was a draughtsman, printmaker, and sculptor, but is known prima ...

. Two retrospectives of his work have been held, in 2012 and 2019. A mural by Walsh from the 1960s was uncovered in 2022 during renovations of Thomas Rody Maher pub.

References

1933 births 2002 deaths People from Westport, County Mayo 20th-century Irish painters Irish male painters Alumni of the National College of Art and Design 20th-century Irish male artists Artists from County Mayo {{authority control