Tony O'Malley
Encyclopedia
Tony O'Malley was a self-taught Irish
painter
. He was born in Callan, County Kilkenny
, Ireland
and, while he drew and painted for private pleasure from childhood, he worked as a bank officìal until a long battle with tuberculosis
in the 1940s knocked him off the normal course of his life. He began painting in earnest while convalescing and, though he did at first return to bank work, he continued to paint and in 1951 he began exhibiting his work.
In 1955 he holidayed in St. Ives
in Cornwall
, then an important center of abstract art and home to Peter Lanyon
, Patrick Heron
, and Bryan Wynter
, who Tony O'Malley met and worked with on his trip. He returned again in 1957 and in 1958 retired from the bank to paint full time. Prompted by a mixture of frustration at the indifference shown in Ireland to his work, an attraction to the sense of freedom he felt among the artists in Cornwall, and an engagement with the attempt to represent natural forms current in their abstraction, he settled in St Ives in 1960. While he was strongly influenced by the St Ives artistic community, his relationship was one of engagement rather than direct participation. His painting never completely assimilated the rigour and formality of the British abstract painters; it retained a muscular extravagance which is central to his artistic identity. Speaking to John O'Regan in an interview reproduced in Works 14: Tony O'Malley he explained:
Tony O'Malley's adopted a sombre palette in the second half of the 1960s and many of his paintings are dedicated to the memory of his friend and mentor Peter Lanyan who was killed when the glider he was piloting crashed in 1964.
In 1973 Tony O'Malley married and through the mid 70s he and his wife, Jane (Harris) O'Malley, spent time in the Bahamas and in O'Malley's native Callan. During this period, his paintings became less sombre and the Bahamas paintings are extremely colourful and vibrant. In 1990 he and his wife moved back to Ireland and in 1993 he was elected a Saoi
of Aosdána
. When he died in 2003 he was regarded as one of Ireland's leading painters. The Irish Museum of Modern Art
displayed a major retrospective of his work in 2005.
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...
. He was born in Callan, County Kilkenny
County Kilkenny
County Kilkenny is a county in Ireland. It is part of the South-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the city of Kilkenny. The territory of the county was the core part of the ancient Irish Kingdom of Osraige which in turn was the core of the Diocese of...
, Ireland
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...
and, while he drew and painted for private pleasure from childhood, he worked as a bank officìal until a long battle with tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
in the 1940s knocked him off the normal course of his life. He began painting in earnest while convalescing and, though he did at first return to bank work, he continued to paint and in 1951 he began exhibiting his work.
In 1955 he holidayed in St. Ives
St Ives, Cornwall
St Ives is a seaside town, civil parish and port in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The town lies north of Penzance and west of Camborne on the coast of the Celtic Sea. In former times it was commercially dependent on fishing. The decline in fishing, however, caused a shift in commercial...
in Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, then an important center of abstract art and home to Peter Lanyon
Peter Lanyon
Peter Lanyon was a Cornish painter of landscapes leaning heavily towards abstraction. He also made constructions, pottery and collage....
, Patrick Heron
Patrick Heron
Patrick Heron , was an English painter, writer and designer, based in St. Ives, Cornwall.- Early life :...
, and Bryan Wynter
Bryan Wynter
Bryan Wynter was one of the St. Ives group of British painters. His work was mainly abstract, drawing upon nature for inspiration....
, who Tony O'Malley met and worked with on his trip. He returned again in 1957 and in 1958 retired from the bank to paint full time. Prompted by a mixture of frustration at the indifference shown in Ireland to his work, an attraction to the sense of freedom he felt among the artists in Cornwall, and an engagement with the attempt to represent natural forms current in their abstraction, he settled in St Ives in 1960. While he was strongly influenced by the St Ives artistic community, his relationship was one of engagement rather than direct participation. His painting never completely assimilated the rigour and formality of the British abstract painters; it retained a muscular extravagance which is central to his artistic identity. Speaking to John O'Regan in an interview reproduced in Works 14: Tony O'Malley he explained:
- "Not so much abstract as essence. I could not paint for the sake of the pigment of whatever, but I like abstract form in the painting which instills it with meaning and power. Abstraction does enable you to get under the surface, to get beyond appearance, and to express the mind. But abstraction for its own sake does not interest me."
Tony O'Malley's adopted a sombre palette in the second half of the 1960s and many of his paintings are dedicated to the memory of his friend and mentor Peter Lanyan who was killed when the glider he was piloting crashed in 1964.
In 1973 Tony O'Malley married and through the mid 70s he and his wife, Jane (Harris) O'Malley, spent time in the Bahamas and in O'Malley's native Callan. During this period, his paintings became less sombre and the Bahamas paintings are extremely colourful and vibrant. In 1990 he and his wife moved back to Ireland and in 1993 he was elected a Saoi
Saoi
Saoi , is the highest honour that members of Aosdána, an association of people in Ireland who have achieved distinction in the arts, can bestow upon a fellow member...
of Aosdána
Aosdána
Aosdána is an Irish association of Artists. It was created in 1981 on the initiative of a group of writers and with support from the Arts Council of Ireland. Membership, which is by invitation from current members, is limited to 250 individuals; before 2005 it was limited to 200...
. When he died in 2003 he was regarded as one of Ireland's leading painters. 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...
displayed a major retrospective of his work in 2005.
External links
- Ireland Arts Council - Aosdana - Member - Tony O'Malley
- Irish Museum of Modern Art - Search Results for Tony O'Malley. This site has many references and articles on Tony O'Malley (in English).
- The Independent: Obituaries: Tony O'Malley - St Ives painter with a Celtic dimension who returned to his native Ireland - 23 January, 2003
- Buckley and Associates Fine Arts - Tony O'Malley
- Graphics Studio Dublin: Tony O'Malley
- Irish Art Encyclopedia - Irish Abstract Landscape Artist - Tony O'Malley
- Butler Gallery Awards Programme - Tony O'Malley Travel Award For Painters
- CIRCA Art Magazine #103
- Tony O'Malley exhibition at Tate Saint Ives, UK, Summer 2006
- Crawford Art Gallery - An Irish Vision - Tony O'Malley