Norah McGuinness
Encyclopedia
Norah McGuinness was an Irish
painter
and illustrator
.
Norah McGuinness trained at the Dublin Metropolitan School of Art and at Chelsea Polytechnic in London
before spending the 1920s working in Dublin as a book illustrator and stage designer. She married the editor Geoffrey Phibbs
, but they divorced in 1929. The same year she followed the advice of Mainie Jellett
and travelled to Paris
to work at the studio of André Lhote
. From there she moved to London
where she was a member Lucy Wertheim
's 'Twenties Group' and of the avant-garde London Group
, from 1937-39 she lived in New York
. After New York, she returned to Ireland, settled in Dublin and concentrated on painting.
Although her work remained figurative, she painted vivid, highly coloured landscapes, her work shows the cubist influence of Lhote and she was associated with the modern movement in Ireland. She helped found the Irish Exhibition of Living Art in 1943 and became its president in 1944 after the death of Mainie Jellett
.
With Nano Reid
she represented Ireland in the 1950 Venice Biennale
, she was elected an honorary member of the Royal Hibernian Academy
in 1957, but later resigned.
There was a retrospective of her work in the Douglas Hyde Gallery
, Trinity College Dublin in 1968 and in 1973 the College awarded her an honorary doctorate.
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
and illustrator
Illustrator
An Illustrator is a narrative artist who specializes in enhancing writing by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text...
.
Norah McGuinness trained at the Dublin Metropolitan School of Art and at Chelsea Polytechnic in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
before spending the 1920s working in Dublin as a book illustrator and stage designer. She married the editor Geoffrey Phibbs
Geoffrey Phibbs
Geoffrey Phibbs was an Irish poet; he took his mother's name and called himself Geoffrey Taylor, after about 1930. He was brought up in Sligo, and educated at Haileybury.In 1924 he married the artist Norah McGuinness....
, but they divorced in 1929. The same year she followed the advice of Mainie Jellett
Mainie Jellett
Mary Harriet Jellett, known as Mainie Jellett was an Irish painter whose Decoration was among the first abstract painting shown in Ireland when it was exhibited at the Society of Dublin Painters Group Show in 1923.Mainie Jellett studied at the Metropolitan School of Art in Dublin and under Walter...
and travelled to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
to work at the studio of André Lhote
André Lhote
André Lhote was a French sculptor and painter of figure subjects, portraits, landscapes and still life. He was also very active and influential as a teacher and writer on art....
. From there she moved to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
where she was a member Lucy Wertheim
Lucy Wertheim
Lucy Carrington Wertheim was a British Gallery owner who founded the Twenties Group of "English artists in their twenties" in 1930 and was Christopher Wood's main patron before his death....
's 'Twenties Group' and of the avant-garde London Group
London Group
The London Group is an artists' exhibiting society based in London, England, founded in 1913, when the Camden Town Group came together with the English Vorticists and other independent artists to challenge the domination of the Royal Academy, which had become unadventurous and conservative....
, from 1937-39 she lived in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. After New York, she returned to Ireland, settled in Dublin and concentrated on painting.
Although her work remained figurative, she painted vivid, highly coloured landscapes, her work shows the cubist influence of Lhote and she was associated with the modern movement in Ireland. She helped found the Irish Exhibition of Living Art in 1943 and became its president in 1944 after the death of Mainie Jellett
Mainie Jellett
Mary Harriet Jellett, known as Mainie Jellett was an Irish painter whose Decoration was among the first abstract painting shown in Ireland when it was exhibited at the Society of Dublin Painters Group Show in 1923.Mainie Jellett studied at the Metropolitan School of Art in Dublin and under Walter...
.
With Nano Reid
Nano Reid
Nano Reid was an Irish painter. - Biography :The Irish landscape artist, figure painter and portraitist Nano Reid was born in Drogheda, County Louth in 1905. In 1920, she won a scholarship to study fine art painting and drawing at the Dublin Metropolitan School of Art - now the National College of...
she represented Ireland in the 1950 Venice Biennale
Venice Biennale
The Venice Biennale is a major contemporary art exhibition that takes place once every two years in Venice, Italy. The Venice Film Festival is part of it. So too is the Venice Biennale of Architecture, which is held in even years...
, she was elected an honorary member of the Royal Hibernian Academy
Royal Hibernian Academy
The Royal Hibernian Academy is an artist-based and artist-oriented institution in Ireland, founded in Dublin in 1823.-History:The RHA was founded as the result of 30 Irish artists petitioning the government for a charter of incorporation...
in 1957, but later resigned.
There was a retrospective of her work in the Douglas Hyde Gallery
Douglas Hyde Gallery
The Douglas Hyde Gallery is a publicly-funded contemporary art gallery situated within the historical setting of Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland.When the Gallery opened in 1978, it was for a number of years Ireland's only public gallery of contemporary art...
, Trinity College Dublin in 1968 and in 1973 the College awarded her an honorary doctorate.
Work in Collections
- The Crawford Art Gallery, Cork
- The Irish Museum of Modern Art
- The National Gallery of Ireland
- The Hugh Lane Municipal Gallery
- The Victoria and Albert MuseumVictoria and Albert MuseumThe Victoria and Albert Museum , set in the Brompton district of The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England, is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 4.5 million objects...
London - The Arts Council of IrelandArts Council of IrelandThe Arts Council of Ireland was founded in 1951 by the Government of Ireland to encourage interest in Irish art and channel to funding from the state to Irish artists and arts organisations...
- The Arts Council of Northern Ireland, including
- Meath County Council, including
- The National Library of IrelandNational Library of IrelandThe National Library of Ireland is Ireland's national library located in Dublin, in a building designed by Thomas Newenham Deane. The Minister for Arts, Sport & Tourism is the member of the Irish Government responsible for the library....
External links and references
- S.B. Kennedy (2002), McGuinness, Norah in Brian Lalor (Ed.), The Encyclopedia of Ireland. Dublin: Gill and Macmillian. ISBN 0-7171-3000-2
- David Scott (1989), The Modern Art Collection, Trinity College Dublin. Dublin: Trinity College Dublin Press, Dublin. ISBN 1-871408-01-6.
- Princess Grace library biographical note
- Meath County Council biographical note
- http://www.tristramshandyweb.it/sezioni/arts/ar_studies/img_galleries/sentimental/1926/index.htmNorah McGuinness illustations for a 1926 edition of Laurence SterneLaurence SterneLaurence Sterne was an Irish novelist and an Anglican clergyman. He is best known for his novels The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman, and A Sentimental Journey Through France and Italy; but he also published many sermons, wrote memoirs, and was involved in local politics...
's Tristram Shandy]