Brian O'Doherty facts for kids

Brian O'Doherty (born May 4, 1928 – died November 7, 2022) was an Irish-American art critic, writer, and artist. He lived in New York City for over 50 years. He wrote about art for The New York Times and NBC. He was also an editor for Art in America magazine. Brian O'Doherty sometimes used other names for his art, like Patrick Ireland.

Early Life and Learning

Brian O'Doherty was born in Ballaghaderreen, County Roscommon, Ireland, in 1928. He grew up in Dublin. He first studied medicine at University College Dublin.

In 1957, he decided to focus on art instead of medicine.

His Work and Art

In the 1960s, Brian O'Doherty became an important art critic for the New York Times. He also worked as an editor for Art in America. You might have even seen him talking about art on NBC television.

Later in his career, O'Doherty started signing his artwork as "Patrick Ireland." He did this in 1972 after a sad event in Derry, Ireland, called Bloody Sunday. It was his way of reacting to the conflict happening in his home country.

For many years, O'Doherty worked for the National Endowment for the Arts. This is a group that helps support art in the United States. He helped create popular TV shows like American Masters and Great Performances.

He wrote many books about art. One famous book is Inside the White Cube: The Ideology of the Gallery Space. In this book, he talked about how art galleries are designed. He even came up with the term "white cube" to describe modern art spaces.

In 1975, O'Doherty and his wife bought a vacation home in Todi, Italy. They painted the inside walls of the house with bright, colorful designs. This house is now called the Casa Dipinta of Todi (Painted House of Todi) and people can visit it.

On May 20, 2008, something special happened. Because there was more peace in Ireland, Brian O'Doherty held a ceremony. He "buried" his "Patrick Ireland" name at the Irish Museum of Modern Art in Dublin. From then on, he went back to being known as Brian O'Doherty.

In 2018, when he was 90 years old, three art shows celebrated his work in Ireland. One show brought back a large art piece he made in 1995-96 called "One Here Now."

Family and Later Life

Brian O'Doherty was married to Barbara Novak for over 30 years. She is an art historian and taught at Barnard College. He lived and worked in the United States for most of his life.

Brian O'Doherty passed away at his home in New York on November 7, 2022. He was 94 years old.