Eilis O’Connell

EILIS O'CONNELL is one of Ireland's most internationally recognised contemporary sculptors. Born in Derry, Northern Ireland, she studied sculpture at the Crawford School of Art, Cork and the Massachusetts College of Art, Boston, USA and was subsequently granted research fellowships at The British School at Rome and P.S.I. in New York. A two-year residency at Delfina Studios London in 1988 resulted in her permanent move there until 2002. She recently returned to live in Ireland, but still mainly exhibits abroad and works on commissions for both public and private locations.

She has represented Ireland and Britain at the Venice, Paris and São Paolo Biennales and her small sculptures were shown at the Guggenheim Museum in Venice. In 2018 her latest series of outdoor sculptures were exhibited at E1027, the world-renowned home designed by the Irish architect & furniture designer Eileen Gray (1878-1976) in Cap Martin, France. O'Connell's work can be found in numerous high profile public locations in London (Canary Wharf, London Docklands Development Corporation), Cardiff, Newcastle, Bristol, Wolverhampton, Southampton, Milton Keynes and  in Dublin, Belfast, Dundalk, Mallow and Cork in Ireland. Other privately commissioned works can be seen at Lismore Castle in Ireland, Cass Sculpture Foundation, Chatsworth House & Antony House in England and various private gardens in France and Spain.

She is a founder director of the National Sculpture Factory in Cork, a former member of the Arts Council of Ireland, a member of Aosdána, and a member of the Royal Hibernian Academy (RHA) and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Sculptors.

She exhibits regularly at the Royal Hibernian Academy Dublin, Solomon Fine Art Dublin, Pangolin London, Pangolin Editions, Gloucester UK. Her graphic work is shown at art fairs worldwide with Stoneyroad Press Dublin. Currently she is preparing for a solo show in 2025 at the Glucksman, University College Cork