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RENOWNED IRISH ABSTRACT artist Richard Gorman has died aged 79.
The Arts Council confirmed Gorman’s death this morning, paying tribute to him as a “pioneering figure of Irish contemporary art” whose work and influence will continue to inspire future generations.
Born in Dublin in 1946, Gorman studied at Trinity College Dublin and the Dún Laoghaire School of Art, graduating in Fine Art in 1980.
He moved to Paris in 1984 to study lithography and etching at the Atelier Champfleur, before going on to become one of Ireland’s most distinctive and internationally recognised abstract painters.
Gorman’s work is best known for its bold geometric forms and striking use of colour, shaped by decades of travel and periods living in Milan and Japan.
His frequent visits to Japan, where he produced handmade kozo washi paper for more than 30 years, had a lasting influence on both his materials and working methods.
His work is held in major public and private collections, including those of the Irish Museum of Modern Art, the Ulster Museum, the Office of Public Works, AIB Bank and the New York Library.
From the 1980s onwards, he exhibited extensively across Europe and Asia.
Gorman received numerous awards over the course of his career, including the Palette d’Or at the 1986 Festival International de Peinture in Cagnes-sur-Mer, France, and the Pollock-Krasner Award in 1996.
He was elected to Aosdána in 1997 and became a member of the Royal Hibernian Academy in 2005.
In a statement, Arts Council chair Maura McGrath said Gorman’s international outlook gave his work a “unique character”.
“A talented colourist, his explorations of hue and form will continue to act as an inspiration for generations of artists to come,” McGrath said.
Kerlin Gallery, which represented Gorman for more than three decades, described him as “an artist of integrity, intelligence and grace” and a generous presence within the Irish art world.
“His paintings, sculpture and printmaking reveal a profound sensitivity to colour, structure and balance,” the gallery said, adding that his influence extended well beyond his own work through teaching, mentorship and friendship.
Fellow artist Nick Miller also paid tribute, describing Gorman as “a painter through and through” and recalling his kindness and encouragement in the early years of Miller’s career in Dublin.
Richard Gorman’s funeral service will take place on 10 February at St Patrick’s Church on Harbour Road in Dalkey, Co Dublin.
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