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Desmond Carrick RHA (1929-2012)
Desmond Carrick was elected a member of the RHA in 1968
and became one of the institution’s most eminent and active
members. For forty-four years his paintings were a familiar
sight on the academy walls, particularly during the annual
exhibitions. His role as secretary for the Academy in the late
1970s saw his skills as an administrator come to the fore and
he played a crucial role in facilitating the transformation of
the old academy site into the modern space it is today. He sat
on various academy committees and was central to the
process of electing new members, as well as the coordination
of the annual show, in which he exhibited since 1951.
Carrick’s journey towards becoming an artist was gradual. He followed in his father’s footsteps with a
career in the Guinness brewery from 1945 but pursued his interest in art through classes at NCAD
where Seán Keating and Maurice MacGonigal (both past presidents of the RHA) were his tutors. He won
the coveted Taylor Scholarship in 1956; a prize which facilitated a trip to Spain and ignited a lifelong
passion for light and colour. Often in the company of fellow academian James Nolan, he would
continue this pursuit in weekend trips around Dublin and to the West of Ireland and later with regular
trips to Spain and France.
While continuing to work in Guinness (he remained with the brewery until 1977) his talents as an artist
were recognised. Bryan Guinness, later Lord Moyne, director of the brewing company, became a patron
and he was commissioned to paint a large mural depicting the brewing process for the company’s
visitor centre in 1958. In the late 1950s Carrick designed and constructed his own home and studio at
Killakee. He married Deirdre Mellett in 1967 and together they enjoyed life in the picturesque
surroundings of the Dublin Mountains. After his retirement from Guinness, the couple spent part of the
year abroad in Southern Spain and in France. Much of the work painted on these sojourns was later
submitted for exhibition in the RHA annual show or in various exhibitions with the Dublin Painters
Gallery, Ritchie Hendriks Gallery, IELA, Oireachtas among others.
In 2009 Gandon Editions published a
profusely illustrated text on Carrick’s life and
career,
The Lie of the Land
. This brought to
light his journey and celebrated the diversity
of his skills as an artist in oil, watercolour,
sculpture and stained glass.
Desmond Carrick.
Portrait by Amelia Stein RHA
(Image courtesy of the RHA)
The artist’s home and studio, Killakee