BIOGRAPHY

Gerard Dillon (1916–1971) was a landscape and figure painter, born in Belfast. He worked for a decorating firm in London from 1934 to 1939. From 1936 he began to paint and visited Connemara frequently. Dillon held his first solo show in 1942 at The Country Shop, St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin, the show was opened by his friend and fellow artist, Mainie Jellett. Just as Dillon’s reputation as an artist was growing, he had to leave for London to work on demolition gangs to earn money, but after the War he became more successful as an artist. Dillon spent the war years in Belfast and Dublin and, from 1943, was a regular contributor and committee member of the Irish Exhibition of Living Art. He returned to London in 1945 but often returned to Connemara to paint. In 1958 he had the great honour of representing Ireland at the Guggenheim International and Pittsburg International Exhibition in Great Britain, and the Marzotto International Rome in 1963.

From 1967 onwards Dillon’s practice as a painter changed considerably after he had a stroke. It caused him to reflect on his own mortality especially since three of his brothers had died prematurely from a similar complaint. His paintings now transpired from perceptions of death resulting in works evoking that of another world. Dillon died of a second stroke in 1971 at the age of 55.