Samuel Walsh (artist) facts for kids

Samuel Walsh is a famous Irish artist. He creates abstract art, which means his paintings and drawings use shapes, colors, and lines instead of showing real-life objects.

He is a member of Aosdána, a special group that honors artists in Ireland. Samuel Walsh also started the National Collection of Contemporary Drawing. He helped begin EVA International, a big art exhibition in Limerick.

Samuel was born in London in 1951. His parents were from Ireland. In 1968, he moved to Limerick, Ireland. He lived there until 1990. Today, he lives and works in County Clare, Ireland.

About Samuel Walsh

His Early Life

Samuel Walsh was born in Wimbledon, London on September 17, 1951. His father, Thomas Walsh, was from Ennis, Ireland. His mother, Margaret Walsh, was from Limerick, Ireland. Samuel spent his first years near Wandsworth Common. He went to Spencer Park School.

Later, his family moved back to Ireland. Samuel stayed in London to study for a while. In 1968, he joined his family in Limerick. He went to Villiers Secondary School there. He was even added to the school's Roll of Honour in 2012.

After high school, Samuel studied art. He went to Limerick School of Art and Design. He also studied at Mary Immaculate College of Education in Limerick. Finally, he attended the National College of Art and Design in Dublin.

His Family Life

Samuel Walsh married Ursula Brick in 1978. Ursula was a teacher at the Limerick School of Art & Design. They had three children together. Sadly, Ursula passed away in 2023.

His Art Career

Ver XVIII (Fouquet)
Acrylic/Oil/Canvas
50 × 50cm
Samuel Walsh, 2014

Testa I
Acrylic/Oil/Wood
40.5 × 40.5 cm
Samuel Walsh, 2006

Samuel Walsh played a key role in starting EVA International. This is a major art show in Limerick. In 1987, he created the National Collection of Contemporary Drawing. You can see this collection at the Limerick City Gallery of Art.

His art is shown by the Oliver Sears Gallery in Dublin. He had his first solo show there in 2014. Samuel's work has been shown in many group exhibitions. These shows have been across Europe, the US, and Asia.

He has shown his art every year at the Royal Hibernian Academy (RHA) in Dublin since 1982. He also showed his art at EVA International in the 1980s and 90s. In 2014, he showed his work at the Royal Academy of Arts in London for the first time.

What His Art is About

Samuel Walsh uses abstract art to explore different ideas. For example, his series 'Fourteen Points of Entry' (1991) was about the Stations of The Cross. This work is now in the Irish Museum of Modern Art. His 'Ambit' paintings (2001–2002) looked at personal space.

He also made 'Airborne Drawings' (2002) about his father's experiences in wartime. His 'Frieze' paintings and drawings (2006–2007) were inspired by ancient classical art. In 2007, he created a large series of works based on 'The Divine Comedy' by Dante Alighieri.

This 'Inferno' section of his work traveled to France in 2008. It was shown again in Cork in 2010. In 2011, he showed new paintings called 'The Coercion of Substance'. These paintings traveled to Drogheda and Letterkenny. In 2016, his art was part of 'From Edge to Edge' in Ennis.

International Art Trips

Samuel Walsh has been invited to work in other countries. These are called artist residencies. He went to Switzerland in 1990. He also visited France in 1995 and 2002. In 2009, he went to the US. He spent time in Berlin, Germany, in 2012, 2015, and 2018. He also visited Madrid in 2016.

After his trip to Berlin in 2018, Samuel started new drawings and paintings. These were based on 'The Odyssey' by Homer. In these 'Odyssey' paintings, lines represent different characters. He uses different colors to show each person from the famous story. He continues to create art inspired by Ancient Greek stories.

Where His Art is Kept

Samuel Walsh's art is in many important collections. In Ireland, you can find his work at the National Gallery of Ireland. It's also at the Irish Museum of Modern Art and Limerick City Gallery of Art. Other places include the Crawford Gallery in Cork and University College Dublin.

His art is also in collections in France, Croatia, Hungary, England, and Switzerland.

Teaching Art

Samuel Walsh taught drawing at Limerick School of Art and Design. He taught there from 1987 to 1997. In 2005, he was a Professor of Drawing in France. This was at the Pont-Aven School of Contemporary Art.

He has also been a guest lecturer at other colleges. These include the National College of Art & Design in Dublin. He also taught at the Burren College of Art. From 2008 to 2010, he lectured on drawing at the National Gallery of Ireland.

Not to Be Confused

Sometimes, Samuel Walsh is confused with another English artist. This artist had the same name and also had Irish parents. However, the English artist passed away in 1989. The two artists never met each other.

Art Exhibitions

Selected Solo Shows

Books About His Work

Samuel Walsh's art is mentioned in important books. One book is 'Art and Architecture of Ireland, Volume V, 20th Century Art and Artists'. This book is published by the Royal Irish Academy and Yale University Press. It talks about how important his work is in Irish art.

Awards and Recognition

In 1997, Samuel Walsh became a member of Aosdána. This group is run by the Arts Council of Ireland. It recognizes artists who have made great contributions to the arts in Ireland. He is also a Fellow of the Ballinglen Arts Foundation.

In 2017, Samuel Walsh won the Savills Art Prize. This award is given to artists over 65. They must have had a major exhibition and made a big impact on visual arts in Ireland. He received this prize at the VUE Contemporary Art Fair in Dublin.