Hugh O'Donnell working with paper pulp on the 'Weapons of Desire, Bedford' series in the workshop at Tyler Graphics Ltd., Bedford Village, New York, 1983
Gift of Kenneth Tyler 2002
Photographer: Lindsay GREEN

Hugh O’Donnell was born in London in 1950. From 1968–74 he undertook study at various institutions across England, including the University of the Arts in London, the University College Falmouth in Cornwall, the University of Central England in Birmingham and the University of Gloucestershire. In 1974 he was awarded a fellowship to the Kyoto City University of Arts in Japan, and upon his return completed his thesis on Japanese monumental screen painting in the Momoyama period at the Royal College of Art in 1979.

In 1983 O’Donnell worked with Ken Tyler and other workshop staff at Tyler Graphics to complete the series of 25 paper pulp works entitled Weapons of desire. A unique mould was created for each image, through which coloured paper pulps and dyes were applied to white paper pulp bases, creating an almost painterly effect. O’Donnell returned to Tyler Graphics in 1992 to create his Mélusine works, the title of which refers to a female water spirit from European folklore—a mermaid with two tails.
Emilie Owens, 2008

Further reading

Chronology
 

1950
Born in London, England

1969-72
Attends Falmouth School of Art, Cornwall, England, and receives Bachelor of Art

1972-73
Attends Birmingham School of Art, Birmingham, England

1973
Receives first prize, Sir Whitworth Wallace Trust, Birmingham, England

1973-74
Receives fellowship to Gloucestershire College of Art, England

1974-76
Receives fellowship to Kyoto University of Arts, Kyoto, Japan

1976
First solo exhibition, Nishimura Gallery, Tokyo, JapanBegins teaching career with lectures in various tertiary institutions across England

1977-79
Completes thesis, ‘Monumental screen painting of the Japanese Momoyama period’, at the Royal College of Art, London

1978
Receives Arts Council Award from the Arts Council of Great Britain

1979
Receives Works for Public Places Commission from the Arts Council of Great Britain and the Arun District Council, England

1980
Included in travelling exhibition, British art now: an American perspective, originating at Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York

 Receives Purchase Award, Arts Council of Great Britain

1983
Completes unique paper pulp works entitled, Weapons of desire, Bedford series, at Tyler Graphics Ltd, Bedford Village, New YorkIncluded in exhibition, Britain salutes New York, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York

1984
Solo exhibition, Works on paper, Marlborough Graphics, London; included in exhibition, Drawings Since 1974, Hirshhorn Museum, Washington, DC

1985
Included in exhibitions: Prints from Tyler Graphics, Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota; Ten years: a retrospective, Air Gallery, LondonVisiting artist at Chelsea School of Art, London

1985-86
Visiting artist at Slade School of Painting, London University, London

1986-87
Visiting artist at St. Martins School of Art, London

1987
Moves to New YorkIncluded in exhibition, Emerging artists 1978-1986, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York

1988
The Body Echo project begins. This project involves the public installation of studio executed and site specific drawings inspired by the breathing patterns and heart rhythms of the human body.

1988-93
Appointed faculty member and visiting artist at New York Studio School of Painting and Drawing, New York

1989
Included in travelling exhibition, The question of drawing, originating at Miami Dade Community College, FloridaCreates set and costume designs for dance production Drawn Breath, performed by the Siobhan Davies Dance Company at Riverside Studios, London. The production receives the1989 Digital Dance Award.

1990
Visiting professor at Pratt Institute, New York; visiting critic, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia

1992
Completes the lithograph, Waccabuc I, and the mixed-media lithographs, Mélusine I and Mélusine II,at Tyler Graphics Ltd, Mount Kisco, New YorkIncluded in travelling exhibition, Innovation in Collaborative Printmaking: Kenneth Tyler, 1963-1992, originating at Yokohama Museum of Art, Yokohama, Japan

1993
Included in exhibitions: Drawing in black and white: selections from the permanent collection, Museum of Modern Art, New York; 20th International Print Biennial, International Center for Graphic Arts, Ljubljana, Slovenia

1994
Moves to Washington

1995
Travelling solo exhibition, Drawings: the lake series and the body echo project, originating at the Art Museum, University of Memphis, Tennessee

1995-97
Adjunct Professor, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Philadelphia

1996-98
Professor of Painting and Director of School of Visual Arts, Boston University, Massachusetts

2003-05
Chair of Undergraduate Painting, School of Visual Arts, College of Fine Arts, Boston University, Boston

2004
Included in exhibition, Print Matters – the Kenneth E. Tyler gift, Tate Modern, London

2005
Solo exhibition, The body echo project, von Liebig Arts Center, Naples, Florida

2006
Publishes book, Body Echo, which documents the various installations of the Body Echo projectIncluded in exhibition, Transforming chronologies: an atlas of drawings, part two, in the Drawing Galleries, Museum of Modern Art, New York

Hugh O’Donnell currently lives and works in Washington, Connecticut, and Boston, Massachusetts

© Tyler Graphics Ltd; revised Emilie Owens, 2007
This chronology provides an overview of selected biographical information, major solo and group exhibitions held within the artist's own lifetime.

Further information will be added to this site as the National Gallery proceeds with its research and documentation.

Last updated July 2010