About the Artists Database

The NIVAL Artists Database has been compiled in order to improve public access to the Library's extensive information files on 20th century and contemporary Irish artists.  These files contain exhibition catalogues, newspaper cuttings and ephemera on over 3,500 artists born or based in Ireland.

The Artists Database is a reference resource providing basic biographical and work details on each artist abstracted from the information contained in the hard copy files held in the Library.  It is important to realise that the records are a summary of the information held in each artist's file.  A visit to NIVAL is recommended to researchers seeking a comprehensive view of the actual files.

Although we have endeavoured to ensure the information is correct, it is inevitable, given the diverse sources of information, that some inaccuracies may occur.  Changes and updates are made on an ongoing basis and the Library welcomes suggestions, criticism, and donations of relevant material.

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  • Reference Code:IE/NIVAL AR/2425
  • First Name: Jack B.
  • Last Name: Yeats
  • Gender: Male
  • Date of Birth: 1871
  • Date of Death: 1957
  • Place of Birth: England
  • Nationality: Irish
  • Area Of Practice:
    • Painting
    • Graphic Design
    • Printmaking
  • Artwork Type Technique:
    • Oil Painting
    • Watercolour
    • Pastel
    • Drawings
    • Illustration
    • Cartoons
    • Prints
  • Abstract/Figurative: Abstract
  • Genre:
    • Landscape / Portrait
  • Interests:
    • Politics
  • Represented By: Victor Waddington Galleries, Dublin.
  • Public Art: No
  • Size: 20+
  • Manuscript Material: No
  • Physical Location: Artist Files Collection
  • Public Collection:
    • Other
    • Ulster Museum, Belfast.
    • Crawford Municipal Gallery, Cork.
    • Hugh Lane Municipal Gallery, Dublin.
    • Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA), Dublin.
    • National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin.
    • Waterford Municipal Art Collection.
    • Limerick City Gallery of Art (includes National Collection of Contemporary Drawing).

other Info Source:

Snoddy's Dictionary of Irish Artists, 20th Century (1996)

Awards

1924 VIIIe Olympiade, Paris, France. Silver and Bronze Medals.
1949 Diploma of Accademia Culturale Adriatica, Milan, Italy

Bibliography

Yeats, Jack B.,Life in the West of Ireland, Dublin: Maunsel, 1912

Education

1887 South Kensington School of Art, London, England.
1887 Chiswick School of Art, England.
1887 Westminster School of Art, England.

Conservation Required

photocopy newspaper cuttings remove staples, paper clips etc catalogues to be scanned

Notes

Yeats drew inspiration from the landscapes of the West of Ireland and everyday scenes in Irish life. He also wrote and illustrated numerous publications. These scenes were documented in a wry and humorous style. Yeats lived with his maternal grandparents William and Elizabeth Pollexfen in Sligo from 1879-1896. He then moved to London to live with his family in 1887. Yeats travelled extensively and experimented with technique, medium and style from the late 1890's to the early 1910's. In 1898 he visited Venice before touring Connemara with J.M. Synge. It was here that he developed an empathy and fascination with everyday life in the West. His sketch books were filled with comical and affectionate caricatures of seaweed gatherers and poteen makers. Yeats was elected a member of the RHA in 1916. In 1920 he founded the Society of Dublin Painters before joining the Glasgow Society of Painters and Sculptors in 1921. Yeats exhibited with the Society of Independent Artists, New York and lectured on modern Irish Painting in Paris in 1922. In 1939 he was appointed governor of the National Gallery of Ireland. He held his first exhibition at Victor Waddington Galleries, Dublin in 1943. He continued exhibiting in major group in Ireland until 1955, as well as in Boston, Washington, San Francisco, Colorado, Detroit, New York and Toronto. File contains an extensive collection of newspaper clippings, press releases, catalogues, invites and images of the artist's work. Books are also available in store.