Seamus Murphy
Born 15 July 1907
Died 2 October 1975
Active: 1921 - 1975
Country of birth and death: Ireland
Sculptor, stonemason
Born at Greenhills, Burnfort near Mallow, Co. Cork. He began studying modelling in 1921 at the Crawford School of Art. Between 1922-30 he was an apprentice stone-carver at John Aloysius O'Connor's Art Marble Works, Watercourse Road, Blackpool, Cork where he specialised in architectural and foliage carving. Murphy continued to attend the Crawford School of Art by night. 1931 awarded Gibson Bequest Scholarship and in 1932-3 travelled to Paris and attended the Académie Colarossi with the Irish-American sculptor, Andrew O'Connor. On returning to Blackpool he opened a studio and stoneyard and began exhibiting at home and abroad. In 1944 he married Maighread Higgins, daughter of the sculptor Joseph Higgins (1885-1925). He was elected Associate member of the RHA in 1944 and a full member in 1954. Appointed Professor of Sculpture at the RHA in 1964. Murphy died in Cork and was buried in Rathcooney, Co. Cork.
Works
Dates are usually the year a work was exhibited so may differ from date of production.
New entries have been made each time a work was exhibited. Click here for more information.
Madonna and Child
1935 (Presumed)
£55
Deidre
1937 (Presumed)
£50
Daniel Corkery
1937 (Presumed)
Prayer
1937 (Presumed)
£60
Dr W. Lombard Murphy
1941 (Presumed)
Dr Richard Hayes
1941 (Presumed)
An Uachtarán (The President) Dr Douglas Hyde
1941 (Presumed)
Portrait Bust
1942 (Presumed)
£53
Michael McDunphy
1942 (Presumed)
Maighréád
1946 (Presumed)
Professor Denis Gwynn
1951 (Presumed)
Gerald Y. Goldberg
1951 (Presumed)
Torna
1951 (Presumed)
Locations
Address 149 Sun Row Dillon's Cross Cork | View on map
1935 (Circa) - 1942 (Circa)
Address 6 Wellesley Terrace Wellington Road Cork | View on map
1946 (Circa) - 1951 (Circa)
Exhibitions, Meetings, Awards and other Events
Exhibited at Royal Hibernian Academy Annual Exhibition, 1935
1935
Exhibited at Royal Hibernian Academy Annual Exhibition, 1937
1937
Exhibited at Royal Hibernian Academy Annual Exhibition, 1938
25 April 1938 - 11 June 1938
Exhibited at Royal Hibernian Academy Annual Exhibition, 1941
31 March 1941 - 17 May 1941
Exhibited at Royal Hibernian Academy Annual Exhibition, 1942
30 March 1942 - 16 May 1942
Exhibited at Royal Hibernian Academy Annual Exhibition, 1946
15 April 1946 - 11 May 1946
Exhibited at Royal Hibernian Academy Annual Exhibition, 1951
23 April 1951 - 2 June 1951
Institutional and Business Connections
Elected RHA Royal Hibernian Academy of Arts of Painters, Sculptors, Architects and Engravers
1946 (Circa) - 1951 (Circa)
Elected Associate RHA in 1946 (Circa)
Personal and Professional Connections
Related to Joseph Higgins
Seamus Murphy married Joseph Higgins' daughter, Maighread Higgins in 1944 and cast many of his father-in-law's works in bronze.
Sources
Royal Hibernian Academy of Arts, Catalogue of the One Hundred and Eighth Exhibition, 1937
1937
Royal Hibernian Academy of Arts, Catalogue of the One Hundred and Ninth Exhibition, 1938
1938
p.30
Royal Hibernian Academy of Arts, Catalogue of the One Hundred and Seventeenth Exhibition, 1946
1946
Royal Hibernian Academy of Arts, Catalogue of the One Hundred and Sixth Exhibition, 1935
1935
Royal Hibernian Academy of Arts, Catalogue of the One Hundred and Thirteenth Exhibition, 1942
1942
Royal Hibernian Academy of Arts, Catalogue of the One Hundred and Twelfth Exhibition, 1941
1941
Royal Hibernian Academy of Arts, Catalogue of the One Hundred and Twenty-Second Exhibition, 1951
1951
Seamus Murphy RHA, 1907-1975
2007 (Presumed)
http://www.seamusmurphysculptor.com/biography.html accessed 12 October 2009
Citing this record
'Seamus Murphy', Mapping the Practice and Profession of Sculpture in Britain and Ireland 1851-1951, University of Glasgow History of Art and HATII, online database 2011 [http://sculpture.gla.ac.uk/view/person.php?id=msib3_1256769041, accessed 01 Oct 2023]
