Celebrated for his painting and jewellery, Breon O’Casey was a prominent member of the St. Ives school whose leading figures included Barbara Hepworth, Ben Nicholson and Bernard Leach. He began his working career as a studio assistant to Denis Mitchell and Barbara Hepworth, but only turned to making sculpture himself later in life after discovering wax as a material.

O’Casey’s sculpture is characterised by simple natural forms, lines and a very personal set of imagery. Birds, animals and human figures are pared down to their very essence, giving them a primitive and mystical presence. His painting too shows a remarkable talent to reduce the complexity of the outside world to a simple lexicon of shapes vibrant with colour and life.

Acrobat, one of O’Casey’s largest free standing figures, is a powerful, voluptuous woman whose pose commands the attention of all her viewers. Irish art critic Brian Fallon described the work as:

‘...easily his most ambitious creation is a standing female nude which he calls The Acrobat. Based largely
on a much-reproduced Romano-Celtic figure, this is an impressively statuesque work, fully realised in the round, which seems to have been made at least partly in conscious emulation of the classic European tradition. It may well mark a turning point in his sculptural output, in approach as well as in scale.’ 

Breon O’Casey was born in London the son of Irish dramatist Sean O’Casey, and his Celtic roots remained of importance to him as did his father’s artistic leanings and encouragement. He exhibited widely and his work can be found in many private and public collections around the globe.

Pangolin London is delighted to be currently exhibiting an important retrospective of Breon O’Casey paintings, sculpture and jewellery at their gallery space in Kings Cross. For further information on the exhibition Breon O’Casey: The World Beyond, please contact the gallery.