Geraldine O’Neill’s specially commissioned portrait of John Rocha is now on view in the National Gallery of Ireland.
A specially commissioned portrait of renowned designer, John Rocha, by artist Geraldine O’Neill ARHA, was unveiled in the National Gallery of Ireland on Monday 14 December.
The portrait will be on view to the public from Tuesday 15th December to end January 2016.
Geraldine O’Neill’s impressive portrait of John Rocha (oil on linen, 220 x 200cm) is the latest in a series of commissioned portraits of well-known figures in Irish life to enter the National Portrait Collection, among them, Sr Stanislaus Kennedy; Michael Longley; Seamus Heaney; Brian Friel; Maeve Binchy; Bono; and Mary & Nicholas Robinson.
Born in Hong Kong, John Rocha moved to the UK to study fashion in Croydon College. Inspired to move to Ireland in the 1980s, having used Irish Linen in his graduate collection, he has lived and worked in Dublin for the past 35 years. Through his love of texture, detail and silhouette he developed a distinctive style, successfully showing his collections in London and Paris. He won the prestigious British Designer Of The Year in 1993. In 2002, in recognition of his contribution to the fashion industry, he was awarded the CBE. John has continued to extend his work into other creative areas including crystal, jewellery, and interiors.
Geraldine O’Neill lives and works in her native Dublin. She studied at NCAD (1989-1993) and in 2008 completed an MFA. She has lectured at DIT and St Patrick’s, and served as an external tutor for the Massachusetts Institute of Art in 2011. In 2013 she was elected an associate of the RHA, and in 2015 a member of Aosdána. Among other awards, Geraldine has received the Henry Higgins Travel Scholarship, an Arts Council Bursary and the Gerry Tornsey Prize for Portraiture. Her work is represented in many collections, both private and public, including IMMA, the OPW, and the Glucksman collection at University College Cork. In 2014, O’Neill was shortlisted for th
15 December 2015
