Aosdána notes with sadness the passing on the 10th of July of eminent artist and member Michael Cullen (1946-2020). We deeply regret the loss of his vibrant and original talent and his gracious personality.
Arts Council Chair Prof. Kevin Rafter, said: “Michael’s work was filled with vitality and rigour. It reflected his spirit as an artist, particularly his wide travels which shine through in his work through a bold use of colour and pattern. His contribution to art in Ireland and his presence within our community of artists will be sorely missed.”
Michael Cullen was born in Kilcoole, County Wicklow in 1946. He studied painting at the National College of Art in Dublin and life drawing at the Central College of Art and Design in London. From 1969 he lived and worked for long periods of time in England, Spain, Morocco, Germany, Mexico and France. In recent times he divided his time between Spain and Ireland. He was elected a member of Aosdána in 1984. In 2006 he was elected as an associate member of the Royal Hibernian Academy (RHA) and in 2007 he was elected to full membership. Some of the Collections his work features in are: the Museum of Modern Art, Kamnik, Slovenia; the Berlin Senate Collection; the National Gallery of Ireland; the Ulster Museum; Civic Collection, Derry City Council; the Arts Council of Ireland; the Arts Council of Northern Ireland; the Irish Contemporary Art Society; Edward Kienholz and Nancy Reddin Kienholz Collection, Idaho, USA; Central Bank of Ireland; Allied Irish Bank; Bank of Ireland; the Office of Public Works; Trinity College, Dublin; Dublin City Gallery the Hugh Lane; and under several collections in IMMA, the Irish Museum of Modern Art.
Michael Cullen was represented by the Taylor Galleries, Dublin and since 1968 he had 35 solo shows and showed in numerous group exhibitions.