The Irish figurative painter and artist Graham Knuttel was born in Dublin and attended the Dun Laoghaire School of Art and Design, where he gained a Diploma in fine art painting and sculpture. His involvement with sculpture brought him into contact with the techniques of the older painters like Goya and Rembrandt. In 1976, he won the Royal Canada Trust Award For Young Sculptors.

Graham Knuttel's bold use of colour and form and the narrative tensions which wind their way through all his work, make him a true story teller. Knuttel's works are instantly recognizable, making him one of Ireland's most popular and collectable living artists of our time.

Typically he paints human figures in the urban landscape, using oils and acrylics in his own vibrantly coloured style. There seems no doubt that he has benefited from his involvement in the twin disciplines of painting and sculpture.

During his career, he has received a number of important commissions. These commissions include; a bronze portrait of historian Maurice Craig (1990), a bronze portrait of painter Patrick Collins HRHA (1990), a portrait of actor Sylvester Stallone (1993), a portrait of singer Christy Moore (1993), and a bronze portrait of John B. Keane (1996), a portrait of Boxing Promotor Don King (1997) and a portrait of the actor Robert De Niro (1999). In 1981, he co-founded the Wicklow Fine Art Press.

Exhibitions

Knuttel's artworks have been widely exhibited in a number of shows. Solo exhibitions include: Project Arts Centre, Dublin (1978); Droichead Arts Centre, Drogheda, Co. Louth (1991); Apollo Gallery, Dublin (1997); Stock Exchange Hong Kong (1997); Harvey Nichols Knightsbridge London (1997,8,9); Art International New York, Jacob K. Javits Convention Centre, New York (1998); Dalriada Gallery Ballymena N Ireland (1998); Coole Castle Fermanagh N Ireland (1998); Marbella Club Marbella Spain (1998); Casino De Marbella Marbella Spain (1999); European Parliament Brussels Belgium (1999); Cork Street Gallery London (2000); The Phoenix Gallery, Donegal Pass (2001); K Club Kildare (2001); Gallerie Pinton Paris France (2001); The Bold Gallery, Galway (2004). Knuttel's group exhibitions include: Irish Exhibition of Living Art (1978); Claremorris Open Exhibition; Royal Hibernian Academy Banquet Show (1991); New York Contemporary Art Fair (1998).

Collections

Graham Knuttel's pictures are represented in a number of important collections in Europe and America as well as many public collections in Ireland, including: Arts Council of Ireland; Bank of Ireland; University College Dublin; AIB (Allied Irish Banks); Hugh Lane Gallery, Dublin.