Frank McKelvey

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Frank McKelvey (3 June 1895 – 30 June 1974) was an Irish painter from Belfast.

Early life and education[edit]

Francis Baird McKelvey, also known as Frank McKelvey, was born 3 June 1895.[1][2][3] He was born in Belfast at 31 Woodvale Road.[3] He was baptised at Saint Matthew's Parish Church.[4] His parents William and Mary McKelvey had six children,[5][1][3] three sons and three daughters. McKelevy was the second oldest.[3] William, his father, was a decorator and painter.[2]

McKelvey attended Mayo Street National School in Belfast.[1][6] When he was 16 he became a lithographer apprentice to the firm, David Allen & Sons.[3] They produced postcards, posters and notices.[7][3] McKelvey enrolled in the Belfast College of Art part time by attending evening classes until he left his employment in 1911 to study full-time.[5][2] Alfred Rawlings Baker, McKelvey's art master, had great influence on him during his time at art college.[1][3] McKelvey received numerous awards for his artworks including the Sir Charles Brett Prize, the Fitzpatrick Prize, and the Taylor Art Competition.[5][3]

Career[edit]

Plaque to McKelvey

He returned to David Allen & Sons in 1917 for a short period of time before he began to focus on painting and opened his own studio in 1920.[1][3] The studio was located in Rea's Building, Royal Avenue, Belfast.[2][7]

By 1918 his work was exhibited at the Royal Hibernian Academy[6][7] and in 1921 he was elected a member of the Belfast Art Society. McKelvey was appointed an associate of the RHA in 1923,[2][4][8] being granted full membership in 1930. During his career McKelvey was considered on a par with Paul Henry and James Humbert Craig, two of the most successful Irish landscape painters of the time. He was elected as one of the first academicians of the Ulster Academy of Arts when it was founded in 1930. McKelvey died on 30 June 1974.[9]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e "McKelvey, Francis Baird ('Frank') | Dictionary of Irish Biography". www.dib.ie. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e Hewitt, John Harold; Catto, Mike (1977). Art in Ulster. Blackstaff Press. p. 171. ISBN 978-0-85640-128-2.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Kennedy, S.B (25 April 1993). Frank McKelvey: A Painter in His Time. Irish Academic Press Ltd. pp. 11–13. ISBN 978-0716524908.
  4. ^ a b "Frank McKelvey RHA RUA 1895 - 1974, Irish Artist". adams.ie. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  5. ^ a b c P&P (30 November 2021). "The Life & Art of Frank McKelvey". Belfast Entries. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
  6. ^ a b Staddon, John (March 2020). "Facts vs. Passion: The Debate over Science-Based Regulation". Academic Questions. 33 (1): 101–110. doi:10.1007/s12129-019-09861-x. S2CID 214539967. ProQuest 2371195683.
  7. ^ a b c Snoddy, Theo (2002). Dictionary of Irish Artists: 20th Century. Merlin. p. 391. ISBN 978-1-903582-17-6.
  8. ^ "The Oriel - Artists Biographies". 27 September 2007. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  9. ^ [1] Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine McKelvey at The Oriel. Retrieved Jan. 13, 2008.

External links[edit]