J.P. Donleavy was among the most celebrated writers of the second half of the 20th Century.
He was born in the Bronx, New York to Irish parents in 1926. After the Second World War, he returned to Ireland to study at Trinity College, Dublin. He became a naturalized Irish citizen in 1967 and has resided there ever since. The publication of his magnificent novel "The Ginger Man" in 1955 catapulted him to international fame and has sold more than 45 million copies in twenty-five languages. His subsequent novels included "A Singular Man" (1963), "The Saddest Summer of Samuel S" (1966), "The Beastly Beatitudes of Balthazar B" (1968), "The Onion Eaters" (1971), and "A Fairy Tale of New York" (1973).
Donleavy was also a well-respected painter and had his first solo show in Dublin in 1948. He claims “I’m the painter who became the writer who’s been rediscovered as a painter”.
This charming watercolour painting of a farmyard cockerel is typical of his quirky and humorous drawing style.
It is signed in the bottom left by the artist and has an old label on the back of the frame from the Tom Caldwell Galleries in Dublin & Belfast - which annotates this is an original authenticated watercolour by Donleavy and has been given the title "The Cock" (as photographed)
It is framed in a simple gold frame - which measures 56 cm x 44 cm. The image measures: 33.5 cm x 22.5 cm.
If you wish to know more about the life of this celebrated multi-talented artist - here is a link to his obituary published in "The Guardian" (2017).
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/sep/14/jp-donleavy-obituary