{{Short description|Irish painter}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2025}} {{Use Hiberno-English|date=May 2025}} {{Infobox artist | name = Martin Gale | image = | image_size = <!-- if image is smaller than 250px --> | alt = | caption = | birth_name = <!-- only use if different than name --> | birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1949}} | birth_place = Worcester, England | death_date = <!-- {{Death date and age|df=yes|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD}} (death date then birth date) --> | death_place = | other_names = | alma_mater = National College of Art and Design | parents = | elected = Aosdána | known_for = Painting | notable_works = | style = Photorealism | movement = | spouse = | partner = | children = | website = {{URL|martingale.ie}} | embedded = <!-- For embedding other infoboxes in this infobox --> }} '''Martin Gale''' {{small|RHA}} (born 1949) is an English-born Irish painter.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://rhagallery.ie/academician/martin-gale-rha/|title=Martin Gale RHA|website=Martin Gale RHA}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mckennagallery.com/artists/38-martin-gale/biography/|title=Martin Gale - Biography|website=McKenna Gallery}}</ref> ==Early life== Gale was born in Worcester in 1949. His father was a jockey and handicapper, and his mother also rode in point-to-point races.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/people/martin-gale-and-the-hidden-beauty-of-turlough-hill-1.2007184|title=Martin Gale and the hidden beauty of Turlough Hill|newspaper=The Irish Times}}</ref> He and his family later moved to Ireland, where he attended Newbridge College and Blackrock Academy on Lower Mount Street, Dublin.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=http://martingale.ie/html/biography.html|title=Martin Gale RHA Irish Contemporary Artist - Biography|website=martingale.ie}}</ref>
==Career==
Gale studied at the National College of Art and Design (NCAD, Dublin). His first solo show was two years after he graduated, at the Neptune Gallery.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rosss.ie/artist/martin-gale-rha/2084/|title=Martin Gale RHA Biography and Works - Ross's Auctioneers & Valuers|website=www.rosss.ie}}</ref> He represented Ireland at the Biennale de Paris in 1980. He was elected to Aosdána in 1982 and the Royal Hibernian Academy in 1996.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sofinearteditions.com/martin-gale/|title=Martin Gale, RHA|date=19 November 2013}}</ref> A retrospective of his work was held at the Royal Hibernian Academy's Gallagher Gallery in 2004, moving to the Ulster Museum later.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.adams.ie/irish-artist-directory/martin-gale-art-sold-at-auction|title=Martin Gale 1949 - , Irish Artist.|website=adams.ie}}</ref>
Gale is known for his photorealistic landscapes with human and animal figures.<ref name="auto1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/artsandculture/arid-41448970.html|title=Martin Gale and Charles Tyrrell: A 50-year friendship born of student uprisings and a love of art|first=Marc O’Sullivan|last=Vallig|date=4 August 2024|website=Irish Examiner}}</ref> According to Aidan Dunne of ''The Irish Times'', "Much of his work consists of depicting individuals in rural settings, and he manages these tableaux with a certain theatrical flair. There's usually an element of tension. That tension can emerge from the demeanour of the figure, with intimations of inner conflict or troubling memories, or the figure's relationship to the setting. Gale's tonal range is generally broad, from almost-piercing lights to chill, earthy darks, and there is a hard-edged, linear quality to his painting […] he does not pander to received images of an Irish picturesque."<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/art-and-design/visual-art/art-in-focus-beginning-of-darkness-oil-on-linen-by-martin-gale-1.3497785|title=Art in Focus: 'Beginning of Darkness' (oil on linen) by Martin Gale|newspaper=The Irish Times}}</ref> ==Personal life== Gale is based in Ballymore Eustace, County Kildare; he has lived in the countryside for almost all of his life.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.farmersjournal.ie/entertainment/living-life-/artist-martin-gale-discusses-his-painting-career-690678|title=Artist Martin Gale discusses his painting career|website=www.farmersjournal.ie}}</ref><ref name="auto"/> He is a close friend of fellow artist Charles Tyrrell.<ref name="auto1"/> ==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *{{Official website|http://martingale.ie/}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gale, Martin}} Category:Aosdána members Category:Artists from Worcester, England Category:People educated at Newbridge College Category:Alumni of the National College of Art and Design Category:Members of the Royal Hibernian Academy Category:20th-century Irish male artists Category:21st-century Irish male artists Category:Living people Category:1949 births Category:Irish contemporary artists Category:Photorealist artists