Brian Whelan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Brian Whelan
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Brian Whelan, 2009
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| Born | 3 May 1957 Ealing, London
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Brian Whelan (born 3 May 1957) is an Irish painter, author, and playwright. He is known for his colorful and meaningful artworks.
Brian Whelan's Early Life
Brian Whelan was born in Ealing, West London, UK. He spent his childhood in both London and Ireland. He lived in places like Kilkenny, Waterford, and Dublin.
After studying art at Kingston Polytechnic College and the Royal Academy of Arts, he lived and worked in England for 30 years. During these years, he focused on painting, organizing art events, and making films.
Brian Whelan's Art Career
Brian Whelan first became well-known in 2000. He had an exhibition called "The Church Pub" with artist Andrew Smith. This show was part of the Aldeburgh Festival. Whelan's part of the exhibition later moved to the Irish Cultural Centre in London.
Over the next two years, his art was shown at several other places in London. These included St Benedict's Abbey and the Irish Club. A religious group, the Montfort Brothers of St. Gabriel, asked Whelan to paint a portrait. He painted their founder, Louis de Montfort. This painting is now in Czestochowa, Poland.
Later, Brian Whelan showed his art in many places. He exhibited in England, including St Edmundsbury Cathedral and Norwich Cathedral. His art was also shown internationally in Spain, China, and the United States. He also started writing books.
From 2013 to 2019, Brian and his wife, Wendy Roseberry, lived in Waterford, Virginia, US. They turned an old building into an art studio. Since 2020, they have lived in Connecticut, US. Their studio there is in a former horse stable.
Exhibitions and Artworks
In 2024 and 2025, Brian Whelan's large painting called 'Holy City' is on tour in the US. It is being shown at Trinity Church Wall Street in New York City. He is also one of three artists in an international tour called 'Noah, a Future Hope'.
In June 2023, Whelan's paintings about John Roberts were first shown. These 13 paintings were made for the Episcopal Church of Wyoming. They are now on an international tour.
In 2021, his art was shown at several galleries. These included the Silvermine Art Center in Connecticut and the Pauly Friedman Art Gallery in Pennsylvania. In 2019, Whelan joined other artists from the Royal Academy of Art in an exhibition called 'Legacy' in England.
In 2018, a theater company in London performed Whelan's play "A Tragic Carmody." This play was based on his experiences with another artist, Daniel Carmody. Also in 2018, an art collector named John Kohan wrote about Whelan's religious artworks that he had bought.
Washington National Cathedral invited Whelan to show his art again in 2016. He displayed nine paintings about 'Holy City'. These paintings celebrated three major faiths: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The art was placed in the cathedral to mark 15 years since the 9/11 attacks.
Norwich Cathedral in England asked Whelan to paint 14 panels in 2014. These paintings showed the life and death of International Red Cross nurse Edith Cavell. The panels were first shown at Washington National Cathedral in the US. This marked 100 years since the start of World War I.
The paintings later traveled to Brussels Roman Catholic Cathedral. They then continued to Norwich Cathedral for a permanent display. This happened in October 2015, marking 100 years since Edith Cavell's execution.
Brian Whelan's painting The Martyrdom of St. Edmund is permanently displayed. It hangs in the Lady Chapel of St. Edmundsbury Cathedral in England. His painting "Holy City with Herald" is at the Hostal dos Reis Catolicos in Santiago de Compostella.
His images have also been used on music albums. They appeared on the cover of The Popes' 2009 CD Outlaw Heaven and their 2012 CD New Church. His art has also been featured on five albums by London Irish musician Anto Morra since 2013.
In 2009, Whelan helped organize The Quiet Men – London Irish Painters. This was a big international art tour. It showed contemporary London Irish art in the UK, Spain, and the US. At the PM Gallery in London, Whelan showed his large painting Transmetropolitan. This painting shows an immigrant's journey across London. The tour also included art by other London Irish painters. A book with the same name was launched in 2010.
