The National Gallery of Ireland has acquired portraits of Olwen Fouéré, Bob Geldof and Brian O’Driscoll, by Kevin Abosch.

Kevin Abosch is an Irish artist, based in Paris, who specialises in portrait photography, and counts many of the world’s most distinguished political and cultural figures among his sitters. His work will be familiar to many through his striking series of large-scale photographs which have been on display at Dublin Airport. Explaining the equal status afforded to recognizable and unfamiliar sitters in his work, he says: ‘each face, each citizen, contributes to the fabric of Irish society’.

Sean Rainbird, Director of the National Gallery of Ireland says: “These portraits are a very welcome addition to the National Portrait Collection which has been enhanced in recent years by portraits commissioned by the Gallery to showcase the work of practising artists.”

The portraits will be included as part of the Gallery’s, ‘New Portraits’ display, opening this Saturday, 14 December, and will be displayed alongside ten other, recently acquired portraits of distinguished individuals, among them, Michael Scott by Norah McGuinness; Dr Anthony Cronin by Patrick Swift; two photographs of Samuel Beckett by John Haynes; a bronze head of Dr Bethel Solomons Senior by Sir Jacob Epstein; an oil portrait of Michael Longley by Colin Davidson, and a very moving image of the much loved Seamus Heaney, by Jackie Nickerson. Most of the works featured in this display have been specifically acquired for the National Portrait Collection.