Anne Madden (artist) facts for kids

Anne Madden (born in 1932, died on 21 December 2025) was a talented artist. She was born in England but became a well-known Irish painter. Anne spent her time living and working in both Ireland and France after she married fellow artist Louis le Brocquy in 1958.

Anne Madden's Early Life and Artistic Beginnings

Anne M. Madden was born in London in 1932. Her father was Irish, and her mother had both English and Chilean roots. Anne spent her first years in Chile, where her family had a farm. When she was ten, her family moved to Corrofin, Ireland. Later, she moved back to London to study art at the Chelsea School of Arts and Crafts.

Anne faced several personal challenges during her teenage years and early adulthood. These included the loss of close family members and a serious riding accident. These difficult experiences caused her to pause her artistic work for a few years in the 1950s. During this time, she met the painter Louis le Brocquy, who was working in London. They married in Chartres Cathedral in 1958. They then created a home and studio in Carros, a village in the south of France, where they lived until 2000.

Discovering Abstract Art

Anne Madden began showing her paintings in London when she was eighteen. One of her first exhibitions was with the New English Art Club. Her early paintings were often inspired by wild, lonely places, especially The Burren in Ireland.

In 1956, Anne visited an important exhibition called Modern Art in the United States at the Tate Gallery. This show introduced her to American art, especially abstract expressionism. This style of painting uses colors and shapes to express feelings rather than showing realistic images. Anne was greatly influenced by this new way of creating art. In the late 1950s, she also admired the works of artists like Sam Francis and Jean-Paul Riopelle. She later met these artists in Paris, along with Joan Mitchell, and they exchanged artworks. Anne started using techniques like palette knives and flowing paint. She also began using multiple canvases to create interesting visual effects.

From 1954, Anne regularly showed her art at the Irish Exhibition of Living Art. In 1964, she won a painting prize of £150 for her work titled Promontory.

Gaining Fame in the 1960s

In 1960, Anne Madden had a very successful solo exhibition at the Dawson Gallery in Dublin. An art critic from The Irish Times newspaper praised her work. They said Anne had a remarkable ability to show the "bones" or basic structure of the landscape. This meant her paintings revealed the simple, powerful beauty of nature, like mountains in winter or land shaped by strong winds.

In the mid-1960s, Anne and Louis's quiet life in Carros changed. The Fondation Maeght opened nearby in Saint-Paul-de-Vence. This art center allowed them to meet many other painters, sculptors, writers, and musicians. They formed friendships that continued in Paris and other places. Anne received the Carroll Prize in 1964. She also had another solo exhibition in Belfast in the autumn of 1964.

In 1965, Anne Madden represented Ireland at the Paris Biennale, a major international art event. After this, she regularly exhibited her work in Paris. During the 1960s, she began a series of abstract landscape paintings. These were inspired by her childhood memories of western Ireland, especially near the Burren. In 1966, Anne was one of four artists invited to show her work at the 9th annual exhibition of the Ulster Society of Women Artists in Belfast.

Art Reflecting Ireland's Story in the 1970s

Between 1970 and 1979, Anne Madden created a large series of vertical paintings. Their size was often as tall as she could reach. These artworks were inspired by ancient stone monuments, like megaliths. They explored deep ideas about life and death. These paintings often had strong lines and dark colors.

Anne explained that these dark, powerful works reflected the serious and sad events happening in Northern Ireland at the time. She used her art to express feelings of grief and to search for light and hope amidst difficult times. Her art became a way to explore both personal feelings and the wider story of Ireland.

Anne showed her work at the Oireachtas Exhibition in 1971. She had three solo exhibitions in 1974: at the Ulster Museum in Belfast, the New Art Centre in London, and the Dawson Gallery in Dublin. She held another solo show at the Arts Council of Northern Ireland Gallery in 1979.

Later Works and Global Recognition

In the 1980s, Anne Madden took a break from painting on canvas. She focused on drawing instead. This led to a series of large drawings called Openings, made with graphite and oil paint on paper. These works were a main part of an exhibition at the Fondation Maeght in 1983. Three of these drawings were also shown at ROSC '84, where Anne was one of nine Irish artists invited to participate.

In 1987, a self-portrait by Anne was added to the National Self Portrait Collection of Ireland. She also had a solo show of new works at the Taylor Gallery in Dublin that year. In 1990, Anne held a solo exhibition at the Kerlin Gallery in Dublin. She returned there in 1992 with a show called Drawings of Masters. Anne then went back to painting on canvas. She continued to create many new artworks, which were featured in a major exhibition by the Arts Council of Ireland in 1991 at the Royal Hibernian Academy in Dublin.

In 1994, Anne received a special request from architect Ronald Tallon. He asked her to paint one of ten large artworks for the O'Reilly Hall at University College Dublin. In 1999, the French village of Carros asked Anne to paint a huge vaulted ceiling for its medieval castle. This castle was becoming an international contemporary art center. Anne created the 54-square-meter painting, titled Empyrius, in her nearby studio. It was then installed permanently in the castle. The venue also has a room dedicated to Anne Madden's work.

In 2000, Anne returned to live and work in Dublin. She moved into a property that was once the studio of another famous artist, Sarah Purser. Anne, who loved nature, had grown vines and olive trees in France. This inspired her collection called The Garden of Love, which she showed at the Taylor Galleries in 2002. In 2017, Anne had another exhibition at the Hugh Lane Gallery called Colours of the Wind. This series of new works referenced Ariadne's golden thread from Greek mythology, which helped Theseus find his way through the Minotaur's labyrinth.

Anne Madden was a member of Aosdána, an Irish organization that honors artists, from 1986 until her death. In 1994, she wrote a book about her husband called Louis le Brocquy: Seeing His Way. Anne and Louis had two sons, Pierre and Alexis, born in 1961 and 1963. In 2004, University College Dublin gave her an honorary degree. The French Government also recognized her contributions to art, making her an Officier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters) in the same year.

Her husband, Louis, died on 25 April 2012. Anne Madden passed away on 21 December 2025, at the age of 93.

Where to See Anne Madden's Art

Anne Madden's artworks are held in many public and private collections around the world. You can find her paintings in places like the Ulster Museum in Northern Ireland, the Arts Council of Ireland collection, and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland. Her work is also in the Arts Council of England collection.

Internationally, her art is displayed at the Centre National d'art Contemporain Georges Pompidou in Paris, the Museu Picasso in Barcelona, and the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris. The Musée du Louvre also holds some of her pieces. In Ireland, her art can be seen at the Hugh Lane Municipal Gallery, Trinity College, Dublin, and the National Self-Portrait Collection of Ireland.