Patrick Collins (painter) facts for kids

Patrick Collins (1911–1994) was one of Ireland's most important painters of the 20th century. He was known for his unique style, often painting landscapes and scenes that captured the spirit of Ireland. His art is displayed in many public and private collections around the world.

Collins received many honors for his work. In 1980, he became an Honorary Member of the Royal Hibernian Academy (HRHA). The next year, he joined Aosdána, a special group for Irish artists. In 1987, Aosdána gave him the highest award, Saoi, for his amazing contribution to art in Ireland. He was the first visual artist to receive this honor. In 1988, he also received an Honorary Doctorate from Trinity College, Dublin.

Life Story

Patrick Collins was born in 1910 in Dromore West, County Sligo, Ireland. He later lived in Riverstown and Sligo. He went to school at St. Vincent's C.B.S. in Glasnevin, Dublin. After school, he worked for the Irish Life Insurance Company. He also studied art briefly at the National College of Art and Design.

Collins started showing his paintings in 1950 at the Irish Exhibition of Living Art. He continued to exhibit his work there every year until 1972. His first solo art show was in 1956 at the Ritchie Hendriks Gallery in Dublin. He showed his art there often until 1973.

In 1958, he won a national award at the Guggenheim Award Exhibition. He began showing his art at the Royal Hibernian Academy in 1962. He also regularly exhibited at the Oireachtas Exhibition until 1973.

Collins moved to Paris in 1971 and then to Orne, Normandy, in 1973. In 1976, he moved to Nice and received the Irish American Cultural Institute Award. He returned to Ireland in 1977.

His career continued to flourish in the 1980s. In 1982, a large exhibition of his work, called a "retrospective," was held in Cork, Belfast, and Dublin. Another retrospective took place at Sligo Art Gallery in 1985. Patrick Collins passed away in 1994.

Art Shows

Patrick Collins's paintings were shown in many places, both by himself and with other artists.

Solo Exhibitions

He had many solo shows at the Ritchie Hendriks Gallery in Dublin during the 1950s and 1960s. He also showed his art at the Mercury Gallery in London in 1968. Later, he exhibited at the David Hendriks Gallery in Dublin and Cork. From 1971 onwards, he frequently showed his work at the Tom Caldwell Gallery in Belfast and Dublin. A special exhibition called "Last Daylight" was held at the Royal Hibernian Academy in Dublin in 2011.

Group Exhibitions

Collins also took part in many group shows with other artists. In 1950, his work was part of an exhibition of Irish painting that toured North America. His art was shown in "Irish Painting 1903–1953" at the Municipal Gallery of Modern Art in Dublin in 1953.

Some other notable group exhibitions included:

• The Guggenheim Award Exhibition in New York (1958)
• "Twelve Irish Painters" in New York (1963)
• "Modern Irish Paintings" in Belfast (1966)
• "The Irish Imagination" in Dublin (1971), which later traveled to Boston, Philadelphia, and Washington (1972)
• "Irish Art 1900–1950" in Cork (1976)
• "The Delighted Eye" in London and on an Irish tour (1980)

Where to See His Art

Many museums and collections have Patrick Collins's paintings. Here are some of them:

• Irish National Gallery
  • Liffey Quaysides, 1957-8
• Irish Arts Council:
  • Rising Swan
  • Small Holding on the Side of a Mountain
  • Children Playing [1]
  • Predator Bird
  • Atlantic Window
  • Rain on the Moon [2]
  • Oak Tree
• Arts Council of Northern Ireland [3]
• AIB Collection
  • Travelling Tinkers, 1968
  • A Place with Stones, 1979
  • Table with Exotic Fruit, 1976
• Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA) Collection
  • Landscape with Declining Sun (1984)
  • The Wood Pigeon's Nest (1974)
  • Field of Old Stones (1978)
  • Bird Against the Window (1963)
  • Headland (1980)
  • Landscape with Church (1956)
• Bank of Ireland Collection
  • Pigeon House (mouth of the Liffey), 1978
  • Trout Rising, 1978

See also

• Irish art
• List of Irish artists