Jim Fitzpatrick (artist) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jim Fitzpatrick
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Fitzpatrick in front of his work Elroy for Equality at the exhibition Making Out in GalleryX 2015
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| Born | 29 December 1944 |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Known for | Stylised Celtic artwork |
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Notable work
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Portrait of Che Guevara (1968) |
Jim Fitzpatrick (born in 1944) is a famous Irish artist. He is well-known for his detailed artwork inspired by ancient Irish Celtic art. His most famous piece is a two-color picture of Che Guevara, which he created in 1968. This picture was based on a photo taken by Alberto Korda.
Contents
Jim Fitzpatrick's Early Life
Jim Fitzpatrick was born in December 1944 in Ireland. When he was a child, he became sick with a lung illness. During this time, he spent a lot of time reading and drawing in bed. His mother and great-aunt also told him many stories about old Irish legends, like the Tuatha Dé Danann, Cú Chulainn, and Fionn MacCumhaill. These stories likely inspired his later artwork. He went to school at the Franciscan College near Dublin. Jim's father was a photo-journalist, which means he took pictures for news stories. His grandfather, Thomas Fitzpatrick, was also an artist who drew cartoons about politics.
Jim Fitzpatrick's Art Career
Jim Fitzpatrick's first well-known artwork was the picture of Che Guevara. He based it on a famous photograph called "Guerrillero Heroico," taken in 1960. Fitzpatrick had actually met Che Guevara five years earlier in a town called Kilkee, when Guevara was visiting Ireland to learn about his Irish family history.
At first, Fitzpatrick tried to share the poster himself. But then, he decided to remove the copyright from the image. This meant that anyone could use it for free, especially groups who supported social change. He wanted the image to spread everywhere, saying he "literally wanted it to breed like rabbits."
Books and Irish Myths
In 1978, Jim Fitzpatrick wrote and illustrated a book called The Book of Conquests. This book retold old Irish myths from a collection of stories called the Lebor Gabála Érenn. It tells the legends of how the Tuatha dé Dannan came to Ireland and fought against another group called the Fir Bolg. The pictures in the book are full of detailed Celtic designs, like swirling patterns and knotwork, which Jim Fitzpatrick is now famous for. He also created a second book, The Silver Arm, which is about the adventures of Nuada of the Silver Arm and Lugh as they fought against the Formor.
Artwork for Music and More
Fitzpatrick has also created artwork for many famous music bands. He designed portraits for Thin Lizzy's album Vagabonds of the Western World. He also created the logo for their 1975 album Fighting, which was often shown on stage. He also designed the cover for their 1976 album Jailbreak.
Other artists he has worked with include Sinéad O'Connor for her 2000 album Faith and Courage, and The Darkness for their 2003 song "Christmas Time (Don't Let the Bells End)". He also designed the cover for the Norwegian band Darkthrone's 2013 album The Underground Resistance. In 2020, he took the photo for the cover of Louise Patricia Crane's album Deep Blue. In 2007, an airline called CityJet asked him to create images that showed Ireland's culture, old stories, history, and beautiful landscapes.
Copyright and Recent Work
In 2011, Fitzpatrick announced that he planned to copyright his famous red and black Che Guevara image. He said he was doing this because the image was being used too much for simple buying and selling, which he didn't like. He planned to give the copyright and all rights to Che Guevara's family in Cuba forever. However, the image can still be used for free for non-commercial purposes (not for selling things) through Fitzpatrick's website. In 2017, the Irish postal service, An Post, even released a stamp featuring Fitzpatrick's image of Guevara to celebrate 50 years since it was first made.
In June 2023, Jim Fitzpatrick released a new collection of his art called Ancient Ireland, Land of Legend. This was his first new collection in 40 years.
Meeting Che Guevara in Ireland
Jim Fitzpatrick says that in 1963, when he was a teenager, he had a summer job at a hotel pub in Kilkee, his mother's hometown. One morning, Che Guevara walked in with two other Cubans. Fitzpatrick immediately recognized him because he was interested in the Cuban Revolution. Knowing that many Irish people had moved to Argentina, Fitzpatrick asked Che about his family roots. Che told him that his grandmother was Irish and that his great-grandmother was from Galway. Other family members were from Cork. Che's father also had an Irish family name, "Lynch."
Fitzpatrick said that Che was very "curious" about Ireland, especially from a revolutionary point of view. Che told Fitzpatrick that he greatly admired Ireland because he believed it was the first country to become free from the British Empire. It seems Che was stuck in Ireland because his flight from Moscow to Cuba had to land at Shannon Airport due to thick fog. Since he couldn't leave, Che and his friends decided to take an "unofficial" visit for the day. Fitzpatrick says this meeting made him want to follow Che's future actions, including his difficult mission to Bolivia.
In December 2008, Jim Fitzpatrick, along with a local historian and a development group, announced plans to remember Che Guevara's visit to Ireland, especially his time in Limerick. They planned an exhibition about his visit at the City Museum. They also wanted to create a "permanent mark" to remember his time at a pub in Shannonside. Fitzpatrick explained that they wanted to remember that Che Guevara spent some very important hours of his life there, saying it was "probably Che's last hurrah."
Personal Life
Jim Fitzpatrick was married to Deirdre for over twenty years, but they later divorced. He has lived in Sutton on the Howth peninsula since the 1970s. He has three children, and two of them work with him in his art business. His younger son, Redmond, sells prints of Fitzpatrick's artwork from California. His daughter has created a line of scarves called Lile, named after Jim's grandmother, which feature his artwork.
Selected Works
Books
- The Book of Conquests (1978)
- The Silver Arm (1981)
- The Children of Lir (with Michael Scott) (1992)
- Erinsaga. The Mythological Paintings of Jim FitzPatrick
Design Projects
Art Collections
- Celtia
- The Book of Conquests (1984)
- Ancient Ireland, Land of Legend (2023)
See also
- Irish art
