THIS summer will see the first exhibition in 70 years of the works of West Belfast artist Dan O’Neill.
Taking place at the Farmleigh Gallery in Dublin, the exhibition is curated by art historian Karen Reihill who published a monograph on the artist to mark the centenary of his birth in 2020. The majority of the paintings are being borrowed from private collections, many of which have been unseen by the public in over 50 years. As well as paintings from the collections of IMMA, University of Limerick and the Ulster Museum.
This exhibition will be Dan O’Neill’s first retrospective since his exhibition at the Belfast Museum and Art Gallery (Ulster Museum) in 1952 which then recorded a record attendance for the time. It is hoped that this exhibition will be an opportunity for the public to re-examine the life and work of this artist, who was highly regarded by the critics in the post war and whose works were in popular demand until his death in 1974.
Speaking to the Andersonstown News, Karen Reihill said that fellow local artist Gerard Dillon drew her towards Dan O’Neill over 12 years ago.
“I knew his work but knew little about his life," she said. "Then in 2015 I met his daughter Patricia who asked me to delve into his life. Once I began to research his background I was hooked. He, like Gerard Dillon, fascinated me.
“He got under my skin. His evocative images of women – they are beautiful and yet I saw something there – beneath the surface. There was a story of sadness and I suppose it related to a part of my own life.
“My mother was young and incredibly beautiful, she died aged 36 from cancer. The images of stoic beautiful women reminded me of my mother and I think his truth resonates with most of us.”
The exhibition will contain 70 artworks in total including 44 works by Dan O’Neill from the 1940s right up to his last oil paintings from the 1970s.
When asked to identify her favourite painting, Karen said: “I adore all of them for different reasons. I would have liked to include more but had to restrain myself. Each picture tells its own narrative on his life. The book I wrote will help any visitor to understand his career. I wanted to showcase the best and I hope I have done that.
“I’ve designed the room in a particular way to achieve the 'wow’ factor. Those that don’t know him might be surprised and those that do know his work will tell others about the show after they see the exhibition.”
To put Dan O’Neill’s work in the context, the exhibition will also feature paintings from his friends and fellow artists Gerard Dillon, Colin Middleton and George Campbell amongst others.
Highly regarded by critics in his lifetime, it is hoped the exhibition will lead to a reassessment of Dan O’Neill’s place in the history of Irish art by a new audience and generation of critics, students and enthusiasts.
It is hoped that following the exhibition in Dublin, that some of the artworks will be brought to Belfast where they will be put on display.
‘Daniel O’Neill: Romanticism and Friendships’ runs from 13 March to 6 June at The Farmleigh Gallery, Dublin. Admission is free.