Tony O'Malley facts for kids

Tony O'Malley (born September 25, 1913 – died January 20, 2003) was a famous Irish artist. He was born in Callan, County Kilkenny, Ireland. Tony was a self-taught painter. He loved to draw and paint from when he was a child. He worked in a bank for many years. In the 1940s, he became sick with tuberculosis. While he was getting better, he started painting much more seriously. He went back to his bank job for a while, but he kept painting. By 1951, he began showing his artwork to the public.

Tony O'Malley's Life and Art

In 1955, Tony O'Malley went on holiday to St Ives, Cornwall. This place was a big center for a type of art called abstract art. Many famous artists lived there, like Peter Lanyon and Patrick Heron. Tony met and worked with these artists. He liked it so much that he went back in 1957. In 1958, he left his bank job to paint all the time.

Tony felt that people in Ireland did not appreciate his art enough. He also loved the feeling of freedom he found among the artists in Cornwall. So, in 1960, he decided to move to St Ives for good. The artists there often tried to show the "essence" of nature, not just how it looked. Tony explained his own style:

"My art is not so much abstract as it is about the essence of things. I don't just paint for the sake of the paint itself. I like abstract shapes in my paintings because they give them meaning and power. Abstract art helps you to look deeper, beyond what you can see, and to express your thoughts. But I am not interested in abstract art just for its own sake."

In the late 1960s, Tony O'Malley started using darker colors in his paintings. Many of his artworks from this time were made to remember his friend and teacher, Peter Lanyon. Peter had died in a glider crash in 1964.

In 1973, Tony married Jane Harris. In the mid-1970s, they spent time in the Bahamas and also in Tony's hometown of Callan. During this time, his paintings became much brighter. His Bahamas paintings are known for being very colorful and full of life. In 1990, Tony and Jane moved back to Ireland. In 1993, Tony O'Malley was given a special honor called Saoi by Aosdána. When he passed away in 2003, he was known as one of Ireland's most important painters.

Tony O'Malley's Legacy

The Irish Museum of Modern Art held a large exhibition of his work in 2005. This type of show, called a retrospective, looks back at an artist's entire career.

In 2010, with help from Jane O'Malley, a special place for artists was created. It is in the house where Tony O'Malley grew up in Callan, County Kilkenny. This place is called the Tony O'Malley Studio Residency Award. It gives artists who mainly paint a place to live and work. Some artists who have received this award include Magnhild Opdøl, Ciaran Murphy, and Ramon Kassan.