Irish Writers in Art: Joyce, Yeats, Wilde and Beyond

Ireland's real treasure was always its language. A small island gave the world James Joyce, W.B. Yeats, Oscar Wilde, Samuel Beckett and Seamus Heaney — and Irish artists have been drawing and painting them for well over a century. A writer's portrait on the wall is a quiet daily reminder of the words that shaped you.

The painter of the Revival

No one drew literary Ireland like John Butler Yeats — father of the poet W.B. Yeats and the painter Jack B. Yeats. He portrayed John Millington Synge, Lady Gregory, Maud Gonne and, most movingly, his own son the poet. His Portrait of W.B. Yeats is a father drawing genius.

Joyce, Wilde and the moderns

The great modernists have been portrayed again and again — Joyce in his round glasses, Wilde in his brilliant swagger, Beckett's extraordinary lined face. Our Irish literature and writers collection gathers portraits of them all, ideal for a study, a library corner, or a reader's gift.

Heaney and the living word

Closer to our own time, Seamus Heaney's quiet authority has made him one of the most beloved figures in Irish culture. Contemporary artist Barra Ó Maoláin has painted him more than once, including the striking Seamus Heaney portrait.

A gift for readers and writers

A literary portrait is one of the most personal Irish gifts you can give — match the writer to the reader and it will mean far more than any generic present. Browse the writers collection, or the full Irish Art Prints collection — archival quality, framed or unframed, with free worldwide shipping.