Hector McDonnell facts for kids

Hector John McDonnell, born in 1947, is a talented artist from Northern Ireland. He is known for his paintings, etchings, and books. His art often focuses on buildings, landscapes, and portraits of people.

Early Life and Education

Hector McDonnell was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He grew up on his family's large estate in Glenarm, County Antrim. His father was Randal McDonnell, 8th Earl of Antrim, and his mother, Angela Sykes, was a sculptor.

He went to a famous school called Eton College and then studied modern history at Christ Church, Oxford university. Before going to Oxford, in 1965 and 1966, he also studied painting in cities like Munich and Vienna.

Artistic Career

Today, Hector McDonnell lives and works in both Northern Ireland and New York. He also has strong connections to Germany. In 1979, he won an important award called the Darmstädter Kunstpreis, which is a German art prize.

In 1981, he had a special art show called a Retrospective Exhibition in Darmstadt. This kind of show displays many of an artist's works from different times in their career. His first book, The Ould Orange Flute, came out in 1983.

Another big Retrospective Exhibition of his work was held at the Ulster Museum in Belfast from 2003 to 2004. The Belfast Telegraph newspaper has called him "one of Ireland's greatest living artists."

Family Life

Hector McDonnell has children. In 2019, he was living at the Old Rectory in Glenarm. He is also the uncle of Randal Alexander McDonnell, 10th Earl of Antrim and the artist Flora McDonnell.