Stephen McKenna was born in London in 1939, and was living and working in County Carlow at the time of his death in 2017.
A skilled painter and draughtsman working within a wide range of pictorial genres, Stephen McKenna viewed modernity through a rubric of classicism. Using formal elements of shape, structure and light, his works often seek the abstract and indeterminate within the physical world, imposing a geometric clarity onto cityscapes, still life and mythological scenes. Like the early 20th-century metaphysical paintings that inform them, his paintings capture more than the sum of their parts – hinting at an intangible, spiritual realm beneath the surface. The serenity of McKenna’s paintings is often punctured by eccentric birds, animals, or animated figures, while domestic interiors, landscapes and seascapes are invigorated by atmospheric conditions of light, air, space and water. Born in London and living and working in County Carlow at the time of his death in 2017, McKenna traveled extensively within Europe, having lived and worked in Germany, Belgium and Italy. Erudite and cosmopolitan, McKenna responded to the classical European tradition, as well as developments in Modern and Postmodern painting, to develop a highly personal and idiosyncratic approach to the medium, creating contemporary works that continue to intrigue.
Stephen McKenna
Tree with Helicopter, 1968
oil and acrylic on canvas
180.7 x 134.4 cm / 71.1 x 52.9 in
Stephen McKenna,
Dining Table with Still Life, 2015
oil on canvas
135 x 100 cm / 53.1 x 39.4 in
Stephen McKenna
The Barrow Tow Path, 2012
oil on canvas
100 x 150 cm / 39.4 x 59.1 in
103 x 153 cm / 40.6 x 60.2 in framed
Stephen McKenna
Rainy Tree, 2007
oil on canvas
60 x 50 cm / 23.6 x 19.7 in
62 x 52.3 x 4.9 cm / 24.4 x 20.6 x 1.9 in framed
Stephen McKenna
A Painters Life: Stephen McKenna (1939 – 2017), 2019
VISUAL, Carlow, Ireland
Stephen McKenna
The air between things, Stephen McKenna & Isabel Nolan, 2019
China OCT Boxes Art Museum, Shunde District, Guangzhou, China
Stephen McKenna
Perspectives of Europe 1980–2014, 2015
Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art, UK
Stephen McKenna
Perspectives of Europe 1980–2014, 2015
The Hugh Lane Gallery, Dublin, Ireland
Stephen McKenna
The Paradise [36], 2012
Douglas Hyde Gallery, Dublin, Ireland
Patrick Murphy, Director of the RHA, and artists Merlin James and Isabel Nolan will come together to share memories and insights into the enduringly fascinating artist Stephen McKenna, paying tribute to his long and illustrious career.
![Stephen McKenna
The Paradise [36], 2012
Douglas Hyde Gallery, Dublin, Ireland](https://img.artlogic.net/w_150,h_150,c_limit/exhibit-e/6026ca599b88566687556cb2/2e463db7bce40f799b9c1117e303fc86.jpeg)
![Stephen McKenna
The Paradise [36], 2012
Douglas Hyde Gallery, Dublin, Ireland](https://img.artlogic.net/w_150,h_150,c_limit/exhibit-e/6026ca599b88566687556cb2/b6251a46140c6d774e54073c2caaea61.jpeg)
![Stephen McKenna
The Paradise [36], 2012
Douglas Hyde Gallery, Dublin, Ireland](https://img.artlogic.net/w_150,h_150,c_limit/exhibit-e/6026ca599b88566687556cb2/8b0f5560d58461b68138d1dfdb6fa168.jpeg)
![Stephen McKenna
The Paradise [36], 2012
Douglas Hyde Gallery, Dublin, Ireland](https://img.artlogic.net/w_150,h_150,c_limit/exhibit-e/6026ca599b88566687556cb2/67e8a0b2b6fe75cc60be17fd341e2829.jpeg)
![Stephen McKenna
The Paradise [36], 2012
Douglas Hyde Gallery, Dublin, Ireland](https://img.artlogic.net/w_1800,h_1000,c_limit/exhibit-e/6026ca599b88566687556cb2/2e463db7bce40f799b9c1117e303fc86.jpeg)
![Stephen McKenna
The Paradise [36], 2012
Douglas Hyde Gallery, Dublin, Ireland](https://img.artlogic.net/w_1800,h_1000,c_limit/exhibit-e/6026ca599b88566687556cb2/b6251a46140c6d774e54073c2caaea61.jpeg)
![Stephen McKenna
The Paradise [36], 2012
Douglas Hyde Gallery, Dublin, Ireland](https://img.artlogic.net/w_1800,h_1000,c_limit/exhibit-e/6026ca599b88566687556cb2/8b0f5560d58461b68138d1dfdb6fa168.jpeg)
![Stephen McKenna
The Paradise [36], 2012
Douglas Hyde Gallery, Dublin, Ireland](https://img.artlogic.net/w_1800,h_1000,c_limit/exhibit-e/6026ca599b88566687556cb2/67e8a0b2b6fe75cc60be17fd341e2829.jpeg)
![Stephen McKenna
The Paradise [36], 2012
Douglas Hyde Gallery, Dublin, Ireland](https://img.artlogic.net/w_647,h_647,c_limit/exhibit-e/6026ca599b88566687556cb2/2e463db7bce40f799b9c1117e303fc86.jpeg)
