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Dorothy Walker (critic)

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Dorothy Walker
BornDorothy Cole
(1929-01-16)16 January 1929
Dublin, Ireland
Died8 December 2002(2002-12-08) (aged 73)
Dublin, Ireland
OccupationArt Critic
NationalityIrish

Dorothy Cole Walker (16 January 1929 – 8 December 2002) was an Irish art critic and a vocal champion of abstract modernism in Ireland.

Early life and education

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Dorothy Cole was born in Dublin in 1929, the daughter of Walter and Moira Cole, who the owned a fruit and vegetable business.[1] She lived in Mountjoy Square, Dublin, and was educated in the Dominican Convent Wicklow and École du Louvre in Paris.

Career

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Walker began her career in arts journalism, as an editorial assistant at the Paris office of The New York Times.[1] In Dublin, Walker was assistant to architect Michael Scott from 1952 to 1956, and managed a design business.[1] She was an art critic for Radio Éireann from 1963 to 1967, and for Hibernia from 1967 to 1977.[1] She wrote an art column for the Irish Independent in 1986 and 1987.[2][3][4]

In 1967, she was a co-founder of the occasional modern art exhibition Rosc.[5] She was a board member and even an interim director of the Irish Museum of Modern Art. She curated several exhibits and published several books on art, which included a rare but much admired discussion of contemporary Irish art.[6][7] "She made a vigorous and at times explosive contribution to the careers of painters and the judgements of their critics," wrote her colleague Bruce Arnold in an obituary.[5]

Personal life and legacy

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Cole married Michael Scott's professional partner, architect Robin Walker, in 1961; they had five children.[1][8] Her husband died in 1991, and she died in 2002, at the age of 73, in Dublin.[5] After her death the Irish Museum of Modern Art held an exhibition in her honour, featuring work by artists such as Patrick Scott and Sean Scully, whom she particularly favoured.[9] Her son Corban Walker is a noted sculptor,[10] who acknowledges his parents' work as influential in his own career.[11]

Bibliography

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  • Modern art in Ireland (Dublin: Liliput 1997) ISBN 1-874675-96-1
  • Michael Scott, Architect in (casual) conversation with Dorothy Walker (Kinsale: Gandon Editions 1995)
  • Without the Walls: John Aiken, James Coleman, Felim Egan, Brian King, Ciaran Lennon, Alanna O'Kelly, Michael O’Sullivan, Nigel Rolfe, Noel Sheridan (London: ICA 1980)

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Arnold, Bruce. "Dorothy Walker" Dictionary of Irish Biography.
  2. ^ Walker, Dorothy (14 November 1987). "Art: Warriors for Eva". Irish Independent. p. 8. Retrieved 19 April 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ Walker, Dorothy (31 October 1987). "Art: Songs from the Heart and the Heart". Irish Independent. p. 12. Retrieved 19 April 2025.
  4. ^ Walker, Dorothy (22 May 1986). "Thieves picked out the very best". Irish Independent. p. 11. Retrieved 19 April 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ a b c Arnold, Bruce (15 December 2002). "Dorothy Walker". Sunday Independent (Dublin ed.). p. 30. Retrieved 19 April 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "A huge influence on the visual arts". The Irish Times. 14 December 2002. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  7. ^ "Ricorso: Digital materials for the study and appreciation of Anglo-Irish Literature". ricorso.net.
  8. ^ Vera Ryan (2003). Movers and Shapers: Irish Art Since 1960. Collins. ISBN 978-1-903464-38-0.
  9. ^ Keenan, Brendan (23 March 2004). "Getting to the Art of the Matter". Irish Independent. pp. T26. Retrieved 19 April 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ Murphy, Paula. "Artist Biography: Corban Walker – Sculpture Dublin". Retrieved 19 April 2025.
  11. ^ "Life is looking up". Irish Independent. 8 August 2009. Retrieved 19 April 2025.

Sources

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  • Caoimhín Mac Giolla Léith (2003) Dorothy Walker 1929–2002. CIRCA 103.
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