FineArtAcademy-Antwerp DermodOBrien 1890 UlsterMuseum-Belfast 20220531 0

William Dermod O'Brien PRHA DL Hon RA (10 June 1865 – 3 October 1945), commonly known as Dermod O'Brien, was an Irish

painter Painting is a Visual arts, visual art, which is characterized by the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called "matrix" or "Support (art), support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with ...

, chiefly of landscapes and portraits. His work was part of the painting event in the art competition at the

1928 Summer Olympics The 1928 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the IX Olympiad (), was an international multi-sport event that was celebrated from 28 July to 12 August 1928 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The city of Amsterdam had previously bid for ...

Early life and family

O'Brien was the son of Edward William O'Brien and Hon. Mary Spring Rice, granddaughter of Lord Monteagle of Brandon. He was born at Mount Trenchard House near

Foynes Foynes (; ) is a town and major port in County Limerick in the midwest of Ireland, located at the edge of hilly land on the southern bank of the Shannon Estuary. The population of the town was 512 as of the 2022 census. Foynes's role as sea ...

County Limerick County Limerick () is a western Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Reg ...

. For a time after his mother's death, he was raised by his aunt Charlotte Grace O'Brien, along with his sisters,

Nelly Cornell Iral Haynes Jr. (born November 2, 1974), better known by his stage name Nelly, is an American rapper, singer, and actor. He grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, and embarked on his musical career in 1993 as a member of the Midwest hip hop g ...

and

Lucy Lucy is an English language, English feminine given name derived from the Latin masculine given name Lucius with the meaning ''as of light'' (''born at dawn or daylight'', maybe also ''shiny'', or ''of light complexion''). Alternative spellings ar ...

. His father subsequently remarried in 1880. He was educated at

Harrow School Harrow School () is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English boarding school for boys) in Harrow on the Hill, Greater London, England. The school was founded in 1572 by John Lyon (school founder), John Lyon, a local landowner an ...

and

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any ...

. O'Brien married Mabel Emmeline Smyly, daughter of Sir Philip Crampton Smyly, on 8 March 1902. Together they had five children. His son Brendan, a surgeon in Dublin, married artist Kitty Wilmer O'Brien. His daughter Rosaleen Brigid became an artist, also known as

Brigid Ganly Brigid Ganly Royal Hibernian Academy, 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 and his ...

after her marriage to Andrew Ganly. Another artistic relative was Geraldine O'Brien.

Career

Unlike many of his Irish contemporaries, after graduating from Cambridge O'Brien did not study art in Dublin, opting instead to travel to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, where he studied the paintings at the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is a national art museum in Paris, France, and one of the most famous museums in the world. It is located on the Rive Droite, Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st arrondissement of Paris, 1st arron ...

. In 1887, O'Brien visited galleries in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

and then enrolled at the

Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House in Piccadilly London, England. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its ...

Antwerp Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...

. At the Academy he was a fellow student of

Walter Osborne Walter Frederick Osborne (17 June 1859 – 24 April 1903) was an Irish impressionist and Post-Impressionism landscape and portrait painter, best known for his documentary depictions of late 19th century working class life. Most of his paint ...

. O'Brien left Antwerp in 1891 and returned to Paris, where he studied at

Académie Julian The () was a private art school for painting and sculpture founded in Paris, France, in 1867 by French painter and teacher Rodolphe Julian (1839–1907). The school was active from 1868 through 1968. It remained famous for the number and qual ...

. He relocated to

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

in 1893 and shared a studio with the British artist

Henry Tonks Henry Tonks, Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons, FRCS (9 April 1862 – 8 January 1937) was a British surgeon and later draughtsman and painter of figure subjects, chiefly interiors, and a Caricature, caricaturist. He became an influentia ...

then moved to Dublin in 1901. O'Brien was designated an associate of the

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

in 1906, a member in 1907, and was later president between 1910 and 1945. He was made an honorary member of the

, London in 1912.Letter from Dermod O'Brien, Hon. R.A.
12 March 1912. (Royal Academy Collection catalogue entry) He held the office of

High Sheriff of County Limerick The High Sheriff of Limerick was the British Crown's judicial representative in County Limerick, Ireland from the 13th century until 1922, when the office was abolished in the new Free State and replaced by the office of Limerick County Sheriff. ...

in 1916 and served as Deputy Lieutenant of County Limerick. O'Brien served in the

Artists' Rifles The 21 Special Air Service Regiment (Artists) (Reserve), historically known as The Artists Rifles, is a regiment of the British Army Reserve. Its name is abbreviated to 21 SAS(R). Raised in London in 1859 as a volunteer light infantry unit, ...

during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

References

External links

Dermod O'Brien at Irish Art
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Obrien, Dermod 1865 births 1945 deaths 19th-century Irish painters 20th-century Irish painters Irish male painters Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge 20th-century Anglo-Irish people Artists' Rifles soldiers Deputy lieutenants of Limerick High sheriffs of County Limerick People educated at Harrow School Artists from County Limerick Royal Academy of Fine Arts (Antwerp) alumni Honorary members of the Royal Academy Art competitors at the 1928 Summer Olympics British Army personnel of World War I 19th-century Irish male artists 20th-century Irish male artists