Tributes have been paid to the painter, sculptor and printmaker Richard Gorman, who has died at the age of 79, after a long illness.
Born in Dublin in 1946, Gorman, of Shiosai Studio in Dalkey, was regarded as one of Ireland’s leading abstract painters.
He studied at Trinity College Dublin and Dún Laoghaire School of Art, where he graduated in fine art in 1980.
Shortly after he left college his work was selected for inclusion in the Irish Exhibition of Living Art. He moved to Paris in 1984 to study lithography and etching at Atelier Champfleury.
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He won numerous awards, including the Palette d’Or at the 1986 Festival International de Peinture, and his work was exhibited internationally at venues such as the Drawing Centre in New York, Berkeley Art Museum, in California, and Barbican Centre, in London.
Gorman lived and worked in Milan for many years and travelled regularly to Japan, which influenced his choice of materials and techniques.
He was elected a full member of the Royal Hibernian Academy in 2005 and was also a member of Aosdána.
In 2016 Gorman staged an exhibition at Castletown House in Celbridge, Co Kildare, to celebrate his 70th birthday.
The artist was closely associated with the Kerlin Gallery in Dublin, which announced his death with “great sadness”.
“It is also with a deep sense of gratitude and joy that we celebrated the time we shared together. For over three decades we have had the honour of knowing and working with Richard, an artist of integrity, intelligence and grace,” the gallery said in a statement.
The Royal Hibernian Academy said it had “with great sadness” learned of Gorman’s death. It said his works were “often graced with a subtly playful or humorous undertone, their generosity of spirit enhanced by a striking colour palette”.
A notice posted on Rip.ie said Gorman “died reluctantly, after a long illness, borne with enormous courage, supported by his wonderful carers, Jenny and Elmie”.
His family said he would be “lovingly remembered by his sisters Pamela and Sheila, the Maharry family, and his wide circle of friends and fellow artists, including all at the Kerlin Gallery”.
His funeral service will take place on Tuesday, February 10th, at St Patrick’s Church on Harbour Road in Dalkey, Co Dublin.
