Mainie Jellett

The artist who changed Irish art forever.

Mainie Jellett (1897–1944) brought Cubism to Ireland at a time when almost no one here was ready for it. Trained in Paris under André Lhote and Albert Gleizes, she returned to Dublin with a radical visual language built on rhythm, structure and spiritual depth — and refused to compromise it through twenty years of critical hostility. In 1943, the year before she died, she founded the Irish Exhibition of Living Art and became its first president. A pivotal figure in Irish modernism, and one of the great painters of twentieth-century Ireland.

Browse the full collection of Mainie Jellett art prints — abstract compositions, cubist paintings and the religious works of her last years — on archival 250gsm matte paper, framed or unframed, with free worldwide shipping.

Hanging them as a set

Jellett went to Paris in 1921 with Evie Hone and worked under André Lhote, then Albert Gleizes, who had never taken pupils before. What Gleizes gave her was not a style but a procedure: take a shape, translate it across the picture, rotate it, repeat. Every one of these is that procedure run again. Alone they read as decoration; together they read as the working-out. She showed the first of them at the Society of Dublin Painters in 1923, and the Irish Times critic wrote that “to me they presented an insoluble puzzle.”

Part of our full Irish Art Prints collection — over 600 works by Ireland's greatest artists.

Read the full story: how she argued Ireland into modern art — or the illustrated guide, with a map of the places she painted. For the wider picture, see our short guide to Irish abstract art.

Questions about Mainie Jellett prints

Who was Mainie Jellett?
Mainie Jellett (1897–1944) was a Dublin-born painter who brought Cubism and pure abstraction to Ireland. She trained in Paris under André Lhote and Albert Gleizes, and in 1943, the year before she died, she was a founder of the Irish Exhibition of Living Art. She is one of the central figures of Irish modernism.

Which Mainie Jellett paintings are in the National Gallery of Ireland?
The Gallery holds The Virgin of Éire (NGI.4319), Achill Horses (NGI.4320), A Composition — Sea Rhythm (NGI.4318), An Abstract Composition (NGI.4317) and I Have Trodden the Winepress Alone (NGI.4321). Each is available here as a print.

When did Jellett first show abstract paintings in Ireland?
She showed the first of them at the Society of Dublin Painters in 1923, with Evie Hone. The Irish Times critic of the day found them an insoluble puzzle. Jellett went on to chair the Irish Exhibition of Living Art, which selected her Virgin of Éire in 1943.

What sizes, frames and prices are there?
Each product page has a size and frame selector with exact prices. Unframed prints across the shop start at €55 and framed prints at €120, with canvas from €79; framing is offered at selected sizes only. Every size and price is listed on the print prices, sizes and framing page.

How long does delivery take, and what if it arrives damaged?
Shipping is free worldwide. Every print is made to order and dispatched within 2–5 business days, then delivered in 3–7 business days to Ireland, 4–8 to the UK, 5–10 to the USA, 6–12 to Canada and 7–14 to Australia. If a print arrives damaged or defective, email info@buyirishart.com within 14 days of delivery with a photo and we will replace it or refund you in full. We cannot accept returns for a change of mind, because every print is made to order. See Shipping & Delivery.

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Once or twice a month we write about the paintings — where they came from, who made them, and why they still hold. The Burton on the turret stairs and the Danish ballad behind it. How Harry Clarke got that blue. Why the Celtic Tree of Life is younger than everyone says. No offers dressed up as news.

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Abstract modernist painting by Mainie Jellett, Irish Cubist artwork reproduced as an archival fine art print