LIAM Ó BROIN Biography
Liam Ó Broin born 1944. Some of his work have been acquired for the National Collection (Office of Public Works) and work has also been purchased by the Arts Council of Ireland, The Butler Collection Kilkenny and Trinity College Dublin Contemporary Art Collection. He has worked in several media over the last forty years–firstly in printmaking at Graphic Studio Dublin from 1970, eventually moving to teaching art having graduated from the National College of Art and Design in 1978.
Ó Broin studied tapestry weaving at the National College of Art and Design and he subsequently won the Scott-Tallon-Walker prize for a woven tapestry – St. Brendan – at the Oireachteas exhibition in 1980. He also worked with the artist Partick Pye on two woven pieces designed by Pye in the 1980’s and worked for a time at the Dublin Art Foundry on several of his own bronze pieces in the lost wax technique. In the 1970’s he also took up painting. Ó Broin exhibited regularly at the Oireachteas Art exhibitions in the 1980’s and also exhibited with the Independent Artists group. In 1982 he held a joint exhibition at Kilkenny Design Dublin with the potter Geoffrey Healy, of decorated plates and jars based on the Song of Songs. He has regularly exhibited in recent group shows at Graphic Studio Gallery Dublin, with Leinster Printmakers Clane, Kenny Gallery Galway and the Hamilton Gallery, Sligo.
Liam Ó Broin is currently working on a suite of lithographs based on Dante Alighieri’s Purgatorio and Paradiso – having completed thirty four lithographs based on Inferno which was the subject of a solo exhibition in Graphic Studio Gallery Dublin, in July 2012. It was also shown at the Italian Cultural Institute Dublin, in April 2013. and also in University College Cork from January until March 2014.
Selected Group Exhibitions
| 1972-1977 | Oireachtas Art Exhibitions |
| 1972-1980 | Watercolour Society of Ireland |
| 1972-1980 | Setanta Gallery, Dublin |
| 1974-1977 | Davis Gallery, Dublin |
| 1976 | “Irish Artists”, Third Eye Centre, Glasgow |
| 1976 | Invited Artist, Independent Artists, Project Arts Centre |
| 1976 | Graphic Studio Dublin, Retrospective, Sir Hugh Lane Municipal Gallery, Dublin |
| 1976 & 1980 | Octagon Gallery, Belfast |
| 1980 | Aberbach Fine Art, London |
| 1980 | Scott-Talon Walker prize, Oireachtas Art Exhibition. Woven tapestry |
| 1980 | “The Song of Songs”, Illustrated plates and jars. Joint exhibition with Geoffrey Healy, potter. Kilkenny Design |
| 1980 | “Irish Artists”, Edinburgh Printmakers Workshop |
| 1980 | Juried Scottish National Print Exhibition, Aberdeen |
| 1987 | Collaborated with Patrick Pye on two woven tapestries |
| 1990 | “Irish Printmakers”, Kilcock Art Gallery |
| 1990 | Graphic Studio Dublin |
| 1997-2006 | Droichead Arts Centre |
| 2005 | “Siva meets Medb”, Invited Artist, Leinster Print Studio |
| 2005, 2006, 2012 | Dunlavin Arts Festival |
| 2008 | “Graphic Studio Artists”, Kenny Gallery, Galway |
| 2008 | “GSD Artists’ Summerfest”, Graphic Studio Dublin |
| 2008 | “Little Christmas”, Graphic Studio Dublin |
| 2009 | “Le Chéile, A Welsh/ Irish Print Collaboration”, Graphic Studio Dublin |
| 2010 | “Gold- GSD’s 50th Anniversary Exhibition”, Graphic Studio Dublin |
| 2010 | “Gold- GSD’s 50th Anniversary Exhibition”, Galway Arts Festival |
| 2012 | “Sketchbooks”, Graphic Studio Dublin |
| 2012 | “Summer Printfest”, Graphic Studio Dublin |
| 2012-2013 | “An Duanaire translated by Thomas Kinsella” A Visual Interpretation of the Poems of the Dispossessed, Leinster Printmaking, Crow Gallery, Dublin |
| 2017 | “Songs of the Whispering Things”, Slane Village. An exhibition of 21 watercolours based on the poems of Francis Ledwidge. |
| 2017 | “Another Bite of the Cherry”. Group exhibition of Graphic Studio Dublin artists based on the theme of the National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin. |
Solo Exhibitions
| 1978 | Etchings and Lithographs, Setanta Gallery, Dublin |
| 1979 | Paintings and Prints, Callan Design, Drogheda |
| 1984 | Paintings and Tapestry, Harvest Gallery, Drogheda |
| 1986 | Paintings and Drawings, Forge Gallery, Collon, Co Louth |
| 1988 & 1992 | Paintings, Millmount Craft Centre, Drogheda |
| 2002 & 2005 | Brú na Bóinne Visitors Centre, Newgrange, Co Meath |
| 2012 | “Dante Alighieri – Inferno”, Graphic Studio, Dublin |
| 2013 | “Dante Alighieri – Inferno”, Italian Institute of Culture |
| 2016 | “Sappho’s Daughter”. A suite of lithographs based on the poem ‘Sappho’s Daughter’ by Theo Dorgan. |
Education
| 1978 | Graduated from the National College of Art and Design |
Awards/ Achievements
| 1980 | Scott Talon Walker prize at Oireachtas Art Exhibition |
| 1980 | Founder Director, Black Church Print Studio |
| 2009-2013 | Board Member and Chairman, Graphic Studio Dublin |
| 2006-2008 | Board Member, Leinster Print Studio |
Reviews/ Publications
“From Finglas to Flanders fields”, Dermot Bolger, The Irish Times, 1st June, 2007
“Why Artists Make Prints”, Liam Ó Broin, 2009
“Ink-Stained Hands – Graphic Studio Dublin and the Origins of Fine-Art Printmaking in Ireland”, Brian Lalor, 2011, The Lilliput Press, Dublin
“Dante Alighieri – Inferno: A Suite of 34 Lithographs”, Angela Griffith, Irish Arts Review, Winter 2012
“Inferno, A Journey”, Liam Ó Broin, 2012
“A Collaboration Across Time”, Dr Riann Coulter, 2012
“Dante Alighieri – Inferno”, Aidan Dunne, The Irish Times, 17th August, 2012
“Irish Love Poetry”, Brian Lalor (ed), 2013, Bookcraft, Gloucestershire
Collections
Liam Ó Broin’s works are represented in the collections the Arts Council of Ireland, the National Collection (Office of Public Works), the Butler Art Collection, Kilkenny and Trinity College Dublin, the National Library of Ireland, University College Cork library, the British Library and the National Gallery of Ireland.
Liam Ó Broin artist 