Hughie O'Donoghue
Encyclopedia
Hughie O'Donoghue is a British painter born in Manchester
..
in northern England. His father, Daniel O'Donoghue, was also born in Manchester, to Irish parents, and was a railway company clerk in the city. Daniel O'Donoghue encouraged his son to study history and literature and spend time in Manchester City Art Gallery. This was to prove a key element in the formation of O'Donoghue's desire to make art.
Equally significant was O'Donoghue mother, who had been born in Ireland, in the Gaeltacht
of County Mayo
. O'Donoghue spent much of his childhood here, learning traditional stories and experiencing the landscape around his mother's family home.
O'Donoghue gained an MA in Fine Art from Goldsmiths College
, University of London
in 1982 and was appointed to be artist-in-residence at the Drax power station near Selby
in Yorkshire
in 1983. This was followed in 1984 by a two year residency at the National Gallery
in London, and by another art residency in 2000 at St. John's College, Oxford.
His first solo exhibition was in 1984 at AIR Gallery, London. He then showed in 1987 at the Galleria Carini and Donatini, Florence
, Italy, followed by the solo show Fires at the Fabian Carlsson Gallery, London in 1989.
In 1997 he held a solo show at the Haus der Kunst, Munich. In 1998 he staged an exhibition of his paintings and drawings of the human body, made between 1984 and 1998, at the Irish Museum of Modern Art
, Dublin and the Whitworth Art Gallery
, Manchester. In 1999 he had further solo shows in Dublin and Munich. In 2000 he took part in the group show Geschichte und Erinnerung in der Kunst der Gegenwart (History and Memory in Contemporary Art) at the Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt
, and then had further solo shows at the Purdy Hicks Gallery, London, in 1998, 2002, 2004, 2005 and 2006. In 2003 O'Donoghue exhibited at the Imperial War Museum North
in Salford a series of works called Painting Caserta Red charting his father's experiences in the Second World War. Also in 2003 he held a solo show at the Gas Hall Gallery, Birmingham, then at the Butler Gallery, Kilkenny, Ireland, in 2004, the Fenton Gallery, Cork, in 2005, the City and Áras Éanna Arts Centre, Inis Oírr, Ireland, and Fairgreen Gallery, Galway, Ireland, in 2006 and Galerie Michael Janssen, Berlin, in 2007.
In 2008 his series of paintings Lost Histories; Imagined Realities, was shown at the Gemeentemuseum in The Hague, Netherlands, and The Geometry of Paths, at the James Hyman Gallery, London. Another series, called The Journey was shown at Leeds Art Gallery
in Britain
in 2009, and Spirit of the Figure, was shown at the Sidney Cooper Gallery, Canterbury, Kent also in 2009. In 2010 he showed at the Oliver Sears Gallery, Dublin, and in 2011 at the Galway Arts Festival, Galway Ireland, and at Trinity Hall, University of Cambridge
.
In 2005 he received an Honorary Doctorate from the National University of Ireland
. He has work in public collections including: Arts Council of England, the Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, the Ashmolean Museum
, Oxford, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, the British Museum
, Ferens Art Gallery, Hull, Fitzwilliam Museum
, Cambridge, Gemeentemuseum, The Hague, Netherlands, the Hugh Lane Gallery, Dublin, the Imperial War Museum, London, the Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin, the National Gallery
, London, Victoria Art Gallery, Bath, and the Yale Center for British Art
, New Haven, USA, amongst others.
Hughie O'Donoghue is married to Clare, and is represented by Marlborough Fine Art, London.
O'Donoghue's application of paint can be thick and heavy, reminiscent of American Abstract Expressionism
, as in the 'Geometry of Paths' series of paintings. This series was made partly in homage to O'Donoghue's father's service in the RAF in the Second World War, and can be seen as a development from an earlier series along similar lines made for the Imperial War Museum
in 2003 called 'Painting Caserta Red'. The name The Geometry of Paths came from the title an old manual for wartime fighter pilots O'Donoghue found in a secondhand bookshop.
In this series O'Donoghue also demonstrated a characteristic trait in his work of juxtaposing seemingly unrelated ideas, in this case combining his father's wartime experience and the RAF training manual on one side with the destruction during the Second World War of a painting by Vincent van Gogh
called The Painter on the Road to Tarascon. O'Donoghue will also incorporate photographs into the paint, often painting over these again, so the paintings appear as a series of layered images.
As this indicates, O'Donoghue uses specific narratives as motivations to make his work, and this allows him to explore 'ideas of place and identity in relation to historical and personal meaning'. However O'Donoghue has stated himself that he does not believe 'that artists wholly control the meaning of their work'. This results in a situation where art becomes a conveyor of incomplete and subjective truths about events such as the Second World War. However in O'Donoghue's own view the academic study of history is like this anyway. This means O'Donoghue's paintings are not simply reminiscent of historic History painting
in terms of their scale and subject matter, but in the way O'Donoghue conceives of them as a kind of historical exegesis.
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
..
Biography
Hughie O'Donoghue was born in 1953 in the city of ManchesterManchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
in northern England. His father, Daniel O'Donoghue, was also born in Manchester, to Irish parents, and was a railway company clerk in the city. Daniel O'Donoghue encouraged his son to study history and literature and spend time in Manchester City Art Gallery. This was to prove a key element in the formation of O'Donoghue's desire to make art.
Equally significant was O'Donoghue mother, who had been born in Ireland, in the Gaeltacht
Gaeltacht
is the Irish language word meaning an Irish-speaking region. In Ireland, the Gaeltacht, or an Ghaeltacht, refers individually to any, or collectively to all, of the districts where the government recognises that the Irish language is the predominant language, that is, the vernacular spoken at home...
of County Mayo
County Mayo
County Mayo is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the village of Mayo, which is now generally known as Mayo Abbey. Mayo County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county is 130,552...
. O'Donoghue spent much of his childhood here, learning traditional stories and experiencing the landscape around his mother's family home.
O'Donoghue gained an MA in Fine Art from Goldsmiths College
Goldsmiths College
Goldsmiths, University of London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom which specialises in the arts, humanities and social sciences, and a constituent college of the federal University of London. It was founded in 1891 as Goldsmiths' Technical and Recreative Institute...
, University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
in 1982 and was appointed to be artist-in-residence at the Drax power station near Selby
Selby
Selby is a town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. Situated south of the city of York, along the course of the River Ouse, Selby is the largest and, with a population of 13,012, most populous settlement of the wider Selby local government district.Historically a part of the West Riding...
in Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
in 1983. This was followed in 1984 by a two year residency at the National Gallery
National gallery
The National Gallery is an art gallery on Trafalgar Square, London, United Kingdom.National Gallery may also refer to:*Armenia: National Gallery of Armenia, Yerevan*Australia:**National Gallery of Australia, Canberra...
in London, and by another art residency in 2000 at St. John's College, Oxford.
His first solo exhibition was in 1984 at AIR Gallery, London. He then showed in 1987 at the Galleria Carini and Donatini, Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
, Italy, followed by the solo show Fires at the Fabian Carlsson Gallery, London in 1989.
In 1997 he held a solo show at the Haus der Kunst, Munich. In 1998 he staged an exhibition of his paintings and drawings of the human body, made between 1984 and 1998, at the Irish Museum of Modern Art
Irish Museum of Modern Art
The Irish Museum of Modern Art also known as IMMA, is Ireland's leading national institution exhibiting and collecting modern and contemporary art. The museum opened in May 1991 and is located in Royal Hospital Kilmainham, a 17th-century building near Heuston Station to the west of Dublin's city...
, Dublin and the Whitworth Art Gallery
Whitworth Art Gallery
The Whitworth Art Gallery is an art gallery in Manchester, England, containing about 55,000 items in its collection. The museum is located south of the Manchester University campus, in Whitworth Park....
, Manchester. In 1999 he had further solo shows in Dublin and Munich. In 2000 he took part in the group show Geschichte und Erinnerung in der Kunst der Gegenwart (History and Memory in Contemporary Art) at the Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt
Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt
The Schirn Kunsthalle is Frankfurt's active exhibition space located in the heart of the old city next to the Dom , exhibiting both modern and contemporary art. Exhibitions in recent years included retrospectives of Wassily Kandinsky, Marc Chagall, Frida Kahlo, Alberto Giacometti, Bill Viola, and...
, and then had further solo shows at the Purdy Hicks Gallery, London, in 1998, 2002, 2004, 2005 and 2006. In 2003 O'Donoghue exhibited at the Imperial War Museum North
Imperial War Museum North
Imperial War Museum North is a museum in the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford in Greater Manchester, England. One of the five branches of the Imperial War Museum, the museum explores the impact of modern conflicts on people and society. It is the first branch of the Imperial War Museum to be...
in Salford a series of works called Painting Caserta Red charting his father's experiences in the Second World War. Also in 2003 he held a solo show at the Gas Hall Gallery, Birmingham, then at the Butler Gallery, Kilkenny, Ireland, in 2004, the Fenton Gallery, Cork, in 2005, the City and Áras Éanna Arts Centre, Inis Oírr, Ireland, and Fairgreen Gallery, Galway, Ireland, in 2006 and Galerie Michael Janssen, Berlin, in 2007.
In 2008 his series of paintings Lost Histories; Imagined Realities, was shown at the Gemeentemuseum in The Hague, Netherlands, and The Geometry of Paths, at the James Hyman Gallery, London. Another series, called The Journey was shown at Leeds Art Gallery
Leeds Art Gallery
Leeds Art Gallery in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England is a museum whose collection of 20th century British Art is recognised by the British government as a collection "of national importance". Its collection also includes 19th century and earlier art works. The gallery opened on 3 October 1888 as...
in Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in 2009, and Spirit of the Figure, was shown at the Sidney Cooper Gallery, Canterbury, Kent also in 2009. In 2010 he showed at the Oliver Sears Gallery, Dublin, and in 2011 at the Galway Arts Festival, Galway Ireland, and at Trinity Hall, University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
.
In 2005 he received an Honorary Doctorate from the National University of Ireland
National University of Ireland
The National University of Ireland , , is a federal university system of constituent universities, previously called constituent colleges, and recognised colleges set up under the Irish Universities Act, 1908, and significantly amended by the Universities Act, 1997.The constituent universities are...
. He has work in public collections including: Arts Council of England, the Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, the Ashmolean Museum
Ashmolean Museum
The Ashmolean Museum on Beaumont Street, Oxford, England, is the world's first university museum...
, Oxford, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
, Ferens Art Gallery, Hull, Fitzwilliam Museum
Fitzwilliam Museum
The Fitzwilliam Museum is the art and antiquities museum of the University of Cambridge, located on Trumpington Street opposite Fitzwilliam Street in central Cambridge, England. It receives around 300,000 visitors annually. Admission is free....
, Cambridge, Gemeentemuseum, The Hague, Netherlands, the Hugh Lane Gallery, Dublin, the Imperial War Museum, London, the Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin, the National Gallery
National gallery
The National Gallery is an art gallery on Trafalgar Square, London, United Kingdom.National Gallery may also refer to:*Armenia: National Gallery of Armenia, Yerevan*Australia:**National Gallery of Australia, Canberra...
, London, Victoria Art Gallery, Bath, and the Yale Center for British Art
Yale Center for British Art
The Yale Center for British Art is an art museum in New Haven, Connecticut at Yale University which houses the most comprehensive collection of British Art outside the United Kingdom...
, New Haven, USA, amongst others.
Hughie O'Donoghue is married to Clare, and is represented by Marlborough Fine Art, London.
Style and Influences
Hughie O'Donoghue's paintings are highly abstracted figure paintings, an approach that is said to demonstrate the respect he has in his own practise for the history of art. His method is derived from a knowledge and understanding of the methods of both abstract and figurative painters of the past which he attempts to synthesise in his own work. This respect for the historic methods of making art has led to O'Donoghue being praised not only for his painting skills, but also his emphasis on the importance of draughtsmanship in the making of a painting.O'Donoghue's application of paint can be thick and heavy, reminiscent of American Abstract Expressionism
Abstract expressionism
Abstract expressionism was an American post–World War II art movement. It was the first specifically American movement to achieve worldwide influence and put New York City at the center of the western art world, a role formerly filled by Paris...
, as in the 'Geometry of Paths' series of paintings. This series was made partly in homage to O'Donoghue's father's service in the RAF in the Second World War, and can be seen as a development from an earlier series along similar lines made for the Imperial War Museum
Imperial War Museum
Imperial War Museum is a British national museum organisation with branches at five locations in England, three of which are in London. The museum was founded during the First World War in 1917 and intended as a record of the war effort and sacrifice of Britain and her Empire...
in 2003 called 'Painting Caserta Red'. The name The Geometry of Paths came from the title an old manual for wartime fighter pilots O'Donoghue found in a secondhand bookshop.
In this series O'Donoghue also demonstrated a characteristic trait in his work of juxtaposing seemingly unrelated ideas, in this case combining his father's wartime experience and the RAF training manual on one side with the destruction during the Second World War of a painting by Vincent van Gogh
Vincent van Gogh
Vincent Willem van Gogh , and used Brabant dialect in his writing; it is therefore likely that he himself pronounced his name with a Brabant accent: , with a voiced V and palatalized G and gh. In France, where much of his work was produced, it is...
called The Painter on the Road to Tarascon. O'Donoghue will also incorporate photographs into the paint, often painting over these again, so the paintings appear as a series of layered images.
As this indicates, O'Donoghue uses specific narratives as motivations to make his work, and this allows him to explore 'ideas of place and identity in relation to historical and personal meaning'. However O'Donoghue has stated himself that he does not believe 'that artists wholly control the meaning of their work'. This results in a situation where art becomes a conveyor of incomplete and subjective truths about events such as the Second World War. However in O'Donoghue's own view the academic study of history is like this anyway. This means O'Donoghue's paintings are not simply reminiscent of historic History painting
History painting
History painting is a genre in painting defined by subject matter rather than an artistic style, depicting a moment in a narrative story, rather than a static subject such as a portrait...
in terms of their scale and subject matter, but in the way O'Donoghue conceives of them as a kind of historical exegesis.
Further reading
- James Hamilton, Hughie O'Donoghue: Painting, Memory, Myth (London: Merrell Publishers Ltd, 2010)