Gabhann Dunne (born 1975) is an Irish artist. Dunne studied at the National College of Art and Design, Dublin (MFA) and the Technological University Dublin.

Dunne’s work is filled with paintings of topographical features, figures and animals emerging from a rich, opaque ground, suggestive of a parallel world to our own. A critique of humanity’s annexation of the natural world and our displacement of other species, Dunne uses this landscape to explore these serious themes with humour and compassion.

Dunne has taught painting practice throughout his career and is currently a tutor for the Royal Hibernian Academy.

Dunne’s work has featured in solo and group shows. He has received multiple awards and commissions. His work is also found in public and private collections and it has been reviewed many times over the years (see below).

Awards:

May, 2024, The ESB Keating Award and Silver Medal for an Outstanding Artwork.

Aug 2021, Shortlisted for the Zurich National Portrait Awards.

Oct 2018, Shortlisted for the Savills Prize for Painting.

2011, Taylor Art Award, Royal Dublin Society (RDS) National Craft and Student Art Awards.

2009, Hennessy Craig Scholarship Award for entry to 179th Royal Hibernian Academy (RHA) Annual Exhibition.

2009, Whytes Award for Painting for entry to 179th RHA Annual Exhibition.

Solo Shows:

Oct, 2023, Eight Billion Mystics, Molesworth Gallery, Dublin 2.

Oct 2021, The End of a Sure Beginning, Molesworth Gallery, Dublin 2.

Feb 2020, Committed to Falling, West Cork Arts Centre.

Apr 2019, Crossing the Salt, Farmleigh Gallery, Farmleigh House.

Jul 2018, Crossing the Salt, Limerick City Gallery.

Sept 2017, In the Presence of Birds, The Molesworth Gallery, Dublin 2.

Oct 2015, The Flower’s Pilgrim, The Molesworth Gallery, Dublin 2.

Apr 2015, Magenta Honey, The Lab, Dublin 1.

Jun-Jul 2012, The Wavemaker’s Vision, Rubicon Gallery, Dublin 2.

Jan-Feb 2012, The Crossing, Roscommon Arts Centre, Roscommon.

Oct 2009, The Outermost House, The Nag/Cross Gallery, Dublin 8.

Apr 2008, Theckla’s Wood, Alternative Entertainments Gallery, Dublin 24.

Aug 2006, Kiaseng, Broadstone Gallery, Dublin 7.

Group Shows:

2025, Court House Gallery, Enistymon, Clare (forthcoming).

Nov 2022, The Tyranny of Ambition, Highlanes Gallery, Dublin 2.

Apr-Jul 2022, New Irish Painting, Butler Gallery, Kilkenny.

2013 - 2024, RHA Annual Exhibition, Dublin 2.

April 2022, Park Life, Glucksman Gallery, UCC, Cork.

2021, All Creatures Great and Small, OPW Annual Touring Exhibition.

Dec 2020, 20,000 Winters, The Ark, Dublin 2.

Jun 2020, These Past Three Months, The Courthouse Gallery and Studios, Ennistymon.

Jun-Sept 2019, Dearly Beloved, The Visual, Carlow.

Dec 2016, Christmas Show, Queen Street Studios, Belfast.

Jun 2016, Eigse, The Visual, Carlow.

Jan 2016, Pallas Periodical Review, Pallas Studios, Dublin 8.

Dec 2014, Christmas Show, Molesworth Gallery, Dublin 2.

Dec 2014, Winter Arts Studio Experience for Schools, The Ark/Dublin City Council, Dublin 2.

Sept 2014, an exhibition by six selected RHA artists with each in turn selecting one artist whose work/practice they admire to also participate in the exhibition, Vanguard Gallery at the Triskel Arts Centre, Cork.

May-Jun 2014, proposed by Rubicon Projects and selected for XL Group Show, St Stephen’s Green Club, Dublin 2.

May 2014, The Land of Tib and Tom, Rubicon Projects, Irish Georgian Society, Dublin 2.

May 2014-June, Transient Worlds, curated by Rowan Sexton, Ranelagh Arts Centres, Dublin 6.

Dec 2013, Bagga Khan, curated by Susan Connolly and Caroline Patten, NCAD Project, Dublin 8.

Nov 2013, Afterlife Festival De Los Muertos, Pallas Projects, Dublin 8.

Mar-Apr 2013, 40/40/40 (celebrating 40 Irish artists from the Office of Public Works managed State Art Collection), Central Cultural Conde Duque, Madrid; May-Jun 2013, 40/40/40, Biblioteka Uniwersytecka, Warsaw; Jun-Jul 2013, 40/40/40, Palazzo Della Farnesina, Rome.

Aug 2012, TransArt, Fleadh Cheoil, Cavan.

Aug 2012, Undertones, Rubicon Gallery, Dublin 2.

May-Aug 2012, 182ndAnnual Exhibition, Dublin 2.

Mar 2012, Only Shapes in Stalker’s Landscape, Cross Gallery, Dublin 2.

Jan 2012, None went mad…none went away, Rubicon Gallery, Dublin 2.

May-Oct 2011, RDS Student Art Awards, Farmleigh House, Dublin.

Feb-May, 2011, The Fold, a group show with Diana Copperwhite, Mark McGreevey and Sheila Rennick, The Visual, Carlow.

Aug-Sept 2011, Something is happening down at the zoo, Kevin Kavanagh Gallery, Dublin 8.

May-Jul 2010, 180th RHA Annual Exhibition, Dublin 2.

Feb-Mar 2010, Breath, Bluewall Gallery, Cavan.

Feb 2010, Connections, Red Rua South Dublin Arts Centre, Dublin 24.

May-Jul 2009, 179th RHA Annual Exhibition, Dublin 2.

Dec 2007, The Temporary Collection, Castletown House, County Kildare.

Dec 2005, Christmas Show, Cross Gallery, Dublin 8.

Apr 2005, Iontas Small Works Exhibition, Castleblaney, Sligo.

Mar-May 2004, 174th RHA Annual Exhibition. Dublin 2.

Commissions:

April 2022, Glucksman Gallery, UCC, Cork.

Dec 2020, 20,000 Winters, The Ark.

Oct/Nov 2015, Facebook commission, gauche on wall.

Oct 2015, submitted a self-portrait to the National Self-Portrait Collection of Ireland, National University of Limerick.

Collections:

Office of Public Works, the Glucksman, Axa Collection, Facebook, De Loitte, Mason Hayes Curran, Law Society of Ireland, XL Art Collection and Savills.

Reviews and Press:

June, 2022, Cherry Smyth, ‘Park Life: Biodiversity in Contemporary Irish Art’, June Art Monthly.

May, 2022, Cristin Leach, ‘Botany branches out to art’, Sunday Times.

Jan, 2020, Niall MacMonagle, ‘What lies beneath: Morrigan’s Bee’, Sunday Independent.

Aug, 2018, Cristin Leach, ‘There is magic and truth in Dunne’s paintings…’ The Sunday Times.

Aug, 2018, Gemma Tipton, ‘Ideas take flight: Gabhann Dunne on his new art show’, Irish Times.

Jul 2017, Lizzie Gore Grimes, ‘Gabhann Dunne’, Image Interiors.

Autumn 2017, Susan Campbell, ‘Spellbound’, Irish Arts Review.

March 2016, Lizzie Gore Grimes, ‘How to start your art collection’, Image Interiors.

Aug 2015, Susan Campbell, ‘Critique’, VAI.

May 2015, Cristin Leach, ‘Magenta Honey’, The Sunday Times.

June 2014, Cristin Leach, ‘The art of storytelling’, The Sunday Times.

Jul 2014, Gemma Tipton, “In the Frame”, Cara Magazine.

June, 2014, Cristin Leach, “The Art of Storytelling”, Culture Section, Sunday Times.

Nov-Dec 2012, Yvonne Cullinan, “The Art of Communication – TransArt Review”, The Visual Artists’ News Sheet.

18 Aug 2012, Gemma Tipton, “Painting is not dead, it’s just hard”, Irish Times.

5 Feb 2012, Susan Morell, “The Crossing at Roscommon”, Sunday Business Post.

11 May 2011, Cristin Leach, “The Fold (a painting show)”, The Sunday Times.

3 May 2011, Gemma Tipton, “Carlow’s Visual joins the Fold”, Irish Times.

May 2011, “The Fold: A Painting Show”, Art Forum/Critics’ Picks.

Winter 2010, ‘California’ painting featured on front cover of The Moth, a literary magazinehttp://www.themothmagazine.com/a1-page.asp?ID=4010&page=30.

21 Oct 2009, Aidan Dunne, “Possibilities of performance an