Peter Monaghan

Peter Monaghan was born in Ireland in 1955 and studied at the National College of Art and Design in the mid 1970s. He then joined Dara O’Lochlainn’s pioneering design firm; his packaging, graphic and industrial design won a number of awards. These included several sponsored by the Institute of Creative Advertising and Design, the IDI and the European Design Annual.

In 1983 he set up his own graphic design firm, Monaghan Design, later becoming a partner in Creative Inputs working with such clients as AIB, ESB, Jefferson Smurfit and the Office of Public Works. He also designed a number of catalogues for the National Gallery and the Irish Museum of Modern Art.

In 2000, he gave up design work to concentrate full-time on painting and sculpture.

“My work is the result of a disciplined research into the experience of looking – the experience of pure visual sensation and aesthetic pleasure. Simple forms and colours are used in repetition to engage the viewer. It is a dialogue about light, colour, movement and illusion; exploring the relationships and contrasts between painted flat surfaces, protruding spheres, cubes or geometric shapes. The work aims to evoke a response from the viewer.”

Peter’s artwork won national recognition in 2010 when he won the Jim McNaughton / TileStyle €10,000 Bursary for Commissioned Artists as part of the National Allianz Business to Arts Awards. His commissioned work can be seen in prestigious locations such as the V.I.P. Presidential Suite in Dublin Airport, the Gibson Hotel in the Point Village, the Beacon Clinic and he has produced large-scale installations for University College Dublin’s recent scientific centre. His works have also been successfully exhibited globally.