Hamlet, in the churchyard, holding the skull of Yorick, the king’s jester, speaks.

“…Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio: a fellow of infinite jest…”

I have in my studio a jester’s hat and a human skull. I could not help putting them together as a visual pun. I take it as a reflection on life’s peculiarities. The little bells on the jester’s hat were painted by Jay Murphy, as they were beyond my skills.

Brian Bourke, May 2022

Brian Bourke was born in Dublin in 1936. He now lives and works in Galway with his wife, the painter Jay Murphy.

From early landscapes and life-size nude self-portraits, Bourke’s work has evolved to encompass various series that explore his interest in observational  work – rooted in the places and things he encounters in his day-to-day life – and  fictional narrative.

There is often an element of imaginary biography in his work,  which has seen the artist compare himself to literary characters such as  Sweeney and Don Quixote in various guises.

As well as portraits of people and  places, his paintings include expressive still lifes reminiscent of memento mori that feature recurring objects such as masks, animal skulls and African carvings,  ink and wash drawings on paper, and painted wood carvings.

Brian Bourke represented Ireland at the Paris Biennale and the Lugano  Exhibition of Graphics in 1965. He has received several high-profile awards, including the O’Malley Award from the Irish-American Cultural Institute in 1993.

He is an elected member of Aosdána and an Honorary member of the Royal Hibernian Academy. His work has been exhibited widely in solo and group exhibitions in Ireland and abroad.

In 1992, Bourke was Artist in Residence at the Gate Theatre during the Beckett Festival and the work resulting from this residency was shown at the Douglas Hyde Gallery, Dublin.

His work is included in public and private collections including a group of six drawings which the National Gallery of Ireland has agreed to acquire from this exhibition.