Graham Knuttel
Encyclopedia
Graham Knuttel is an Irish painter and sculptor, whose work has been collected by various celebrities, such as Sylvester Stallone
, Robert De Niro
, Frank Sinatra
, Eddie Jordan
and Michael Stipe
. Initially known for sculptures, he has since become a painter.
He was born in 1954, several years after his parents had moved to Ireland from England. His father was born in Germany
and Jewish who had emigrated to England with his mother after World War I
and served with the RAF
. His mother was a Unitarian
from Northampton
.
, later graduating from the Dun Laoghaire school of Art and Design
with a Diploma in Fine Art Sculpture.
In 1981 he co-founded Wicklow Fine Art Press. He received commissions to paint Sylvester Stallone, Christy Moore
, John B. Keane
and Don King.
In 2008 An Post
released two Knuttel-designed stamps to commemorate the Summer Olympics that year.
of Painters, Thomas Cooper Gotch
as well as the famous English actor Archibald Leach AKA Cary Grant
who starred in Alfred Hitchcock
’s film To Catch a Thief. Knuttel has a brother (Peter, father of artist Jonathan Knuttel) and sister both approximately ten years older than he is. The age gap left him with a sense of independence that left him to follow his own destiny. Knuttel never cared much for academia and spent little time in school, rather spending his time exploring the cafe and pub society of Dublin as well as its rocky coastline. In his time away from school he began to absorb himself in drawing and art. He enrolled in the Dun Laoghaire College of Art and Design at the age of eighteen and the bohemian lifestyle of art school suited him well. It was during his time at Dun Laoghaire that his training led him to his beloved craft of figurative representational painting. Although his style of painting did not receive the great acclaim it does now from a group of new American tutors. They appreciated a very different style of art work and therefore Knuttel had to make the transition from painting to sculpture to pass his final year of college. Although this transition was undesired, Knuttel discovered a new passion for the craft. He received his diploma for an exhibition of mechanical wooden sculptures of a bird as well as medieval themed pieces of a shield and a portcullis. (Knuttel, London ’05)
Sylvester Stallone
Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone , commonly known as Sylvester Stallone, and nicknamed Sly Stallone, is an American actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, film director and occasional painter. Stallone is known for his machismo and Hollywood action roles. Two of the notable characters he has portrayed...
, Robert De Niro
Robert De Niro
Robert De Niro, Jr. is an American actor, director and producer. His first major film roles were in Bang the Drum Slowly and Mean Streets, both in 1973...
, Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
, Eddie Jordan
Eddie Jordan
Edmund "Eddie" Jordan also known as "EJ" founded and owned Jordan Grand Prix, a Formula One constructor which operated from 1991 to 2005...
and Michael Stipe
Michael Stipe
John Michael Stipe is an American singer and lyricist. He was the lead vocalist of the alternative rock band R.E.M.Stipe is noted and occasionally parodied for the "mumbling" style of his early career as well as his social and political activism. He was in charge of R.E.M.'s visual image; often...
. Initially known for sculptures, he has since become a painter.
He was born in 1954, several years after his parents had moved to Ireland from England. His father was born in Germany
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
and Jewish who had emigrated to England with his mother after World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and served with the RAF
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
. His mother was a Unitarian
Unitarianism
Unitarianism is a Christian theological movement, named for its understanding of God as one person, in direct contrast to Trinitarianism which defines God as three persons coexisting consubstantially as one in being....
from Northampton
Northampton
Northampton is a large market town and local government district in the East Midlands region of England. Situated about north-west of London and around south-east of Birmingham, Northampton lies on the River Nene and is the county town of Northamptonshire. The demonym of Northampton is...
.
Education
He attended Sandford Park SchoolSandford Park School
Sandford Park School Ltd. is a small private, non-denominational, all-boys secondary school, located in the inner suburb of Ranelagh in Dublin, Ireland, founded in 1922.-School principals:* Alfred Le Peton 1922-25* Gordon Sylvester Bradshaw Mack 1925-34...
, later graduating from the Dun Laoghaire school of Art and Design
Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology
IADT - Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology is located at Dún Laoghaire, Ireland was established in 1997 and incorporated the former Dun Laoghaire College of Art and Design as its School of Creative Arts.-Campus:...
with a Diploma in Fine Art Sculpture.
Career
In 1976 he won the Royal Canada Trust Award for young Sculptors.In 1981 he co-founded Wicklow Fine Art Press. He received commissions to paint Sylvester Stallone, Christy Moore
Christy Moore
Christopher Andrew "Christy" Moore is a popular Irish folk singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He is well known as one of the founding members of Planxty and Moving Hearts...
, John B. Keane
John B. Keane
John Brendan Keane was an Irish playwright, novelist and essayist from Listowel, County Kerry.-Life and career:...
and Don King.
In 2008 An Post
An Post
An Post is the State-owned provider of postal services in the Republic of Ireland. An Post provides a universal postal service to all parts of the country as a member of the Universal Postal Union...
released two Knuttel-designed stamps to commemorate the Summer Olympics that year.
History and Background
Graham Knuttel was born in Dublin in 1954. His German father, who served in the R.A.F., and English mother moved from England to Ireland in 1947. Knuttel has a very eccentric family history with a grandfather involved in World War 1 and vivid memories of his sadistic grandmother trying to lock him into his father’s “huge dark wardrobe”. He admits he can still hear her cackling and feel her nails clawing the back of his neck. The family on his father’s side is clouded in secrecy and mystery but his mother’s side is said to be more normal and relates closer to the arts world. Knuttel is related to the founder of the Newlyn SchoolNewlyn School
The Newlyn School is a term used to describe an art colony of artists based in or near to Newlyn, a fishing village adjacent to Penzance, Cornwall, from the 1880s until the early 20th century. The establishment of the Newlyn School was reminiscent of the Barbizon School in France, where artists...
of Painters, Thomas Cooper Gotch
Thomas Cooper Gotch
Thomas Cooper Gotch was an English Pre-Raphaelite painter and book illustrator, and brother of John Alfred Gotch the noted architect.-Early life:...
as well as the famous English actor Archibald Leach AKA Cary Grant
Cary Grant
Archibald Alexander Leach , better known by his stage name Cary Grant, was an English actor who later took U.S. citizenship...
who starred in Alfred Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood...
’s film To Catch a Thief. Knuttel has a brother (Peter, father of artist Jonathan Knuttel) and sister both approximately ten years older than he is. The age gap left him with a sense of independence that left him to follow his own destiny. Knuttel never cared much for academia and spent little time in school, rather spending his time exploring the cafe and pub society of Dublin as well as its rocky coastline. In his time away from school he began to absorb himself in drawing and art. He enrolled in the Dun Laoghaire College of Art and Design at the age of eighteen and the bohemian lifestyle of art school suited him well. It was during his time at Dun Laoghaire that his training led him to his beloved craft of figurative representational painting. Although his style of painting did not receive the great acclaim it does now from a group of new American tutors. They appreciated a very different style of art work and therefore Knuttel had to make the transition from painting to sculpture to pass his final year of college. Although this transition was undesired, Knuttel discovered a new passion for the craft. He received his diploma for an exhibition of mechanical wooden sculptures of a bird as well as medieval themed pieces of a shield and a portcullis. (Knuttel, London ’05)