Nationality: Irish

Seán McSweeney was born in Dublin in 1935. A self-taught artist, McSweeney has exhibited his work in Dublin since 1958 with his first solo show in 1965 at the Dawson Gallery. His earliest landscapes were based on the landscape of Wicklow where he lived from the late 1960's until his move to the Sligo coast in the 1980's. His work is held in numerous public collections and later this year a retrospective of his work curated by the Model Arts and Niland Gallery will tour Ireland.

Public Collections Include
An Chomhairle Ealáion/ Arts Council
Arts Council of Northern Ireland
Hugh Lane Municipal Gallery, Dublin
Sligo Museum and Art Gallery
Trinity College, Dublin
Ulster Museum, Belfast
Limerick City Gallery
The Ballinglen Arts Foundation
The Boyle Civic Collection

Recent Solo Exhibitions

2007		Retrospective, organised by the Model Arts and Niland Gallery, Sligo, touring to Triskel Art Centre, Cork and the Solstice Art Centre, Navan
2003		John Martin Gallery, London
2003		Family Collection, The Gallery, Civic Theatre, Dublin
2002		Taylor Galleries, Dublin
2001		John Martin Gallery, London
2000		Fenderesky Gallery, Belfast
2000		Taylor Galleries, Dublin
1998		Glebe Gallery, Donegal
1998		Romanischen Kellers, Salzburg (with Charles Tyrell)
1995		Fenderesky Gallery at Queen's Belfast, Taylor Galleries Dublin
1994		Taylor Galleries Dublin
1992		Vanguard Gallery Macroom, Shoreline & Bog, Sligo Taylor Galleries Dublin, Narrow Water Gallery Warrenpoint
1990-91		Retrospective 1965-1990 Galway Arts Festival, Sligo Art Gallery, Cootehill Festival, Cavan, RHA Gallagher Gallery Dublin
1989		Kerlin Gallery Belfast, Riverrun Gallery Limerick
1988		Sligo Art Gallery
1986,88		The Gordon Gallery Derry
1986		Carroll Gallery Longford
1985,87,91		The Kenny Gallery Galway
1982		Belltable Arts Centre Limerick
1980-88		Taylor Galleries Dublin
1980		Enniskillen Arts Centre
1976		The Kenny Gallery Galway
1965-1977		The Dawson Gallery

Selected Group Exhibitions

2005		Fenderesky Gallery, Belfast, with Pat Harris
1998		Romanischen Kellers, Salzburg, with Charles Tyrrell
1996		Living Landscape '96 West Cork Arts Centre Skibbereen, Two-Person Show with Conor Fallon 1996~RHA Gallagher Gallery, Dublin
1995		Poetic Land, Political Territory NCCA Sunderland & touring UK, Sligo Connections Model Arts Centre Sligo, Two-Person Show with John Coen Calerie d'Art Saxon
1994		Two-Person Show with Jill Dennis Vangard Gallery Macroom
1993		Two-Person Show with John Behan Foxford Arts Centre
1992,93-94		Gateway to Art Dublin Airport, Island Connections Stone Art Gallery Spiddal
1991		Art of the State touring Ireland, Figurative Image
1990		Austen/Desmond Fine Art London, Images of Ireland, Brussels
1989		The Living Landscape West Cork Arts Centre Skibbereen
1988		Longford, Royal Hospital Kilmainham Dublin
1988		Bicentennial Celebrations WIAA Sydney, Canberra
1986		Western Artists Galway Arts Festival, Nine Painters
1985		Fourteenth Festival of Painting Cagnes-Sur-Mer France
1983,86		Independent Artists
1980		The Delighted Eye, A Sense of Ireland London
1979, 82-86,88		Figurative Image
1971		Celtic Triangle touring Ireland, Scotland & Wales
1970		Landscape Then & Now Arts Council touring exhibition
1966		Cuimhneachán 1916 Dánlann na Cathrach Baile Atha Cliath
1963,76,88,89		Taispeantas Ealaine, An Oireachtas
1962-63,66		Irish Exhibition of Living Art
1958		Cavendish Gallery Dublin

Selected Bibliography
Long, Declan, Time in Space: Seán McSweeney's World, catalogue essay (Model Arts and Niland Gallery, 2007)
Ó Mordha, Seán, Soul of Ireland: The Landscape Painter, documentary (RTE, 2007)
Vendler, Professor Helen, catalogue essay (John Martin Gallery, 2003)
Fallon, Brian, Brian Fallon's Favourite Few, Irish Arts Review (2002)
Scott, Dr Yvonne, catalogue essay (Taylor Galleries Dublin, 2002)
Healy, Dermot, The Bogman, catalogue essay (John Martin Gallery, 2001)
Profile 2 - Seán McSweeney, catalogue essays by Brian Fallon & Aidan Dunne, (Gandon Editions, 1996)