Dublin born artist Brian Bourke studied at the National College of Art and Design, Dublin and St. Martin’s School of Art, London. He represented Ireland at the Paris Biennale in 1965, claimed first prize in the Irish Exhibition of Living Art competition in 1967, and received the O’Malley Award from the Irish-American Cultural Institute in 1993. Bourke is best known for his distinctive portraits and self-portraits which combine strong colours and often caricature-like distortion.