Harry Kernoff: The Little Genius, by Kevin O'Connor

“... fans of Kernoff, old and new, will be delighted to see his work gathered in one place and in such a beautifully produced volume.” – Katrina Goldstone, The Irish Times

This revised paperback edition of Harry Kernoff: The Little Genius updates the first full-length biography of one of Ireland’s leading artists. Born in London, Harry Kernoff moved to Dublin in 1914 and from 1923 until his death in 1974 was a full-time artist when it was neither ‘profitable nor fashionable’. Against the odds, Harry Kernoff has left a more encompassing visual record of the Irish experience during the twentieth century than any contemporary painter through his empathic interest in the ordinary people, and especially rank-and-file Dubliners.

Through interviews with people who knew him – fellow artists, companions, collectors and relatives – plus an extensive trawl through archives and catalogues, Kevin O’Connor provides a revealing look at an extraordinary artist, emphasising Kernoff’s humanity, his art and his prolific output. Artist and writer John Ryan says that Kernoff “issued a continuous flow of paintings of the great, the curious, the famous and the notorious.… No metropolis was ever better served by a graphic recorder: He is our Boswell in paint.”

The value of Kernoff’s work has risen dramatically in recent years, as has his reputation. This lavishly illustrated paperback edition is a fitting tribute to an exceptional artist.