Richard Gorman, a central figure in Irish abstraction whose work quietly reshaped the language of painting in Ireland, has died aged 79. Over more than four decades, he built a body of work marked by clarity, discipline and an unshowy intelligence, earning deep respect from artists, critics and collectors alike.
Born in Dublin in 1946, Gorman did not take the straight path to art. He first studied business at Trinity College Dublin before committing fully to painting, graduating from the Dún Laoghaire School of Art and Design in 1980. That same year, his work made an immediate impression at the Irish Exhibition of Living Art. Within a few years, solo exhibitions and international attention followed, including a formative show at Project Gallery in 1983 that signalled the arrival of a serious and distinctive voice.
Although firmly rooted in abstraction, Gorman’s work was never detached from the world around him. His practice developed through sustained periods of living and working in Ireland, Italy, and Japan, places that left lasting impressions on his sense of structure, colour, and rhythm. Landscape, architecture, and the habits of daily life informed a visual language that was restrained yet alert, carefully balanced yet never inert.
Painting, sculpture, and works on paper all played essential roles in his practice. He was a gifted colourist, known for compositions built from simplified geometric forms that seem to hover, shift or gently collide. There is movement in the work, often a quiet wit too, with shapes that feel almost conversational. His palette could move from cool, reflective blues to sharper, acidic tones, always held in check by a strong sense of order.
Japan held a particular significance. For more than 30 years, Gorman returned regularly to a family-run paper mill to produce handmade kozo washi paper, which became central to his works on paper. These pieces carry a delicacy and lightness that sit in productive tension with the physical presence of his oil paintings. Across both, the work’s strength lies in the friction between firmness and fragility.
In 2023, the Hugh Lane Gallery presented Living through paint(ing), a major exhibition of recent work. Seen by many as both a summation and a continuation, it affirmed Gorman’s sustained relevance and the consistency of his artistic thinking. Away from the studio, Gorman was a valued presence within the Irish art community. He was generous with his time, attentive to younger artists, and widely liked for his curiosity and dry humour. Long associated with Kerlin Gallery, he was not only one of its defining artists but a friend to many who passed through its doors.
Kerlin Gallery announced his death with sadness, noting their gratitude for more than three decades of shared work and friendship, and describing him as an artist of integrity, intelligence and grace. The Royal Hibernian Academy also paid tribute, highlighting the quiet playfulness and generosity that ran through his work.
His funeral will take place on Tuesday, 10 February at St Patrick’s Church, Harbour Road, Dalkey, County Dublin.
COLLECTIONS
Trinity College Dublin
Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, Iowa Josef and Anni Albers Foundation The Arts Council of Ireland
Ulster Museum, Belfast
The National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin AIB (Allied Irish Bank), Dublin Deutsche Bank, Ireland
Guinness Peat Aviation
St Patrick’s Hospital, Dublin
Nissan Ireland
University College, Dublin
Butler Gallery, Kilkenny
Ballinglen Museum of Contemporary Art
Limerick City Gallery of Art
Civic Offices, Dublin
Dublin Corporation
Centre of Contemporary Graphic Art, Fukishima, Japan Koriyama City Museum of Art, Japan
New York Public Library