Irish Painter Jack Butler Yeats

Jack Butler Yeats (1871-1957) was born on August 29, 1871, in London, England. He was the youngest child of John Butler Yeats, a portrait painter, and Susan Mary Pollexfen, who came from a wealthy merchant family in Sligo, Ireland. Despite being born in England, Yeats spent much of his childhood in Ireland, where his family had strong ties. He attended art school in Dublin, and his work often depicted scenes from Irish life and mythology.

Yeats is best known for his paintings, which often depicted scenes from everyday life in Ireland, as well as landscapes, seascapes, and figures from Irish mythology. He was particularly interested in the world of the traveling circus and the horse races, which he portrayed in many of his paintings.

In 1910 Yeats decided to settle in Ireland, hopping from Greystones, to Co. Wicklow and finally Dublin. Yeats was elected a member of the Royal Hibernian Academy in 1916. He painted The Liffey Swim which won a silver medal at the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris. It may sound funny today but art competitions formed part of the modern Olympic Games during its early years, from 1912 to 1948. Yeats particular broad and fluid strokes from that piece mark a change in style during the 1920’s, from that decade forward his work became more expressive and experimental.

In addition to his visual art, Yeats was also a writer and illustrator. He contributed illustrations and cartoons to several Irish newspapers and magazines, and wrote and illustrated a number of books, including “The Bosun and the Bob-Tailed Comet” and “The Charmed Life.”

In a 2021 film written by Colm Tóibín (Brooklyn 2015) and narrated by Pierce Brosnan, the film coincided with the 150th anniversary of Yeats birth along with the 100th year since the War of Independence. The film culminates with a landmark auction in 2019, where Irish Revolutionary Ernie O’Malley’s stunning private collection of Yeats’ paintings was put up for sale which brought record breaking sums.

Today, Jack Butler Yeats is considered one of Ireland’s greatest painters and a major figure in 20th-century art. His work can be seen in many museums and galleries throughout Ireland and the United Kingdom, as well as in private collections around the world.