Una Sealy is a graduate of Dun Laoghaire College of Art and Design (now IADT), in Fine Art, Painting 1980, and UCD (Higher Diploma in Arts Administration, 1989). She completed a Master of Science (MSc) degree in Anatomy for Artists at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, (RCSI, 2020). She was elected an Associate of the Royal Hibernian Academy in 2010, and a full Member in 2016.
Una Sealy has been a major contributor to the arts in Ireland over her forty five year career to date. As well as her distinguished output as a figurative painter, she has had a key role in many areas of community arts, education, activism through creativity, curation, and EDI (equality, diversity, inclusion) promotion.
She has had eleven solo exhibitions, including Molesworth Gallery, Dublin (2006, 2003), Ashford Gallery, RHA (2016, 2000), and Lavit Gallery, Cork (2018), and is currently working towards a major solo review exhibition at the RHA in November 2026, featuring key pieces from the last ten years as well as new work focussing on the people and places of Dublin’s Northside.
Her work has chronicled and recorded the everyday lives of people for many years, mostly based around the North Dublin suburbs where she is based. She has explored this theme consistently for most of her career, and is a singular artistic voice in this realm. Family and friends feature, as well as people just passing through. Domestic interiors and the built environment play important support roles in the various narratives. Sealy sees the work as recording in paint a social history of a place and time.
She is also well known as a portraitist, and has been awarded many commissions, including NUI Galway, Dublin City University, University of Limerick, Waterford County Council. Her work is also held in many other public collections including Office of Public Works, Fingal County Council, Royal College of Surgeons, Boyle Civic Collection, Little Museum of Dublin, National Self Portrait Collection and the Great Book Of Ireland. She has won many awards, including the John Richardson French Residency (RUA 2024), Tyrone Guthrie Centre/Bealtaine/Fingal Residency (2022), Fingal County Council Bursary (2023, 2018), the Irish Arts Review/Ireland-US Council prize for Outstanding Portraiture (2011), Her latest major project was NEST, (2024), a significant visual arts and theatre project for Draiocht Arts Centre, Blanchardstown, which told the stories of 33 young people growing up in Dublin 15, funded by the Arts Council under the Decade of Centenaries programme.
She was one of ten artists selected to represent Ireland in China in 2019 to celebrate 40 years of Irish-Chinese diplomatic relations, in association with Dept. of Foreign Affairs.
As well as her career as a painter, Sealy has played a key role in promoting arts and artists in Ireland through her work with the RHA (Secretary 2018 – 2023), An Post’s Stamp Design Advisory Committee where she champions the use of contemporary artists’ work, Board Member of the National Gallery, (2019 – 2021) where she advocated for EDI, payment for artists, and gender balance in acquisitions.
She was a major contributor to community arts and outreach programmes during her time as Manager of the Grapevine/City Arts Centre, Dublin, (1985 – 1991).
She is a tutor in drawing, painting and Anatomy at the RHA School (accredited by TU Dublin) 3rd level courses, and is a former lecturer in painting at IADT (1991 – 1996).
She was Judge on both seasons of RTE’s Painting the Nation (2016, 2017), and guest artist on This is Art Club (2024). She is a former judge on the RDS Visual Arts Awards, (2020 – 2021).
She is a full Member of the RHA, a Fellow of Ballinglen Arts Foundation, and was invited Artist in Residence at the National Gallery of Ireland in 2018.
Sealy was the first person in Ireland to undertake a Masters of Science in Anatomy for Artists at the Royal College of Surgeons (RCSI, 2020). Her research devised a programme in which Artists could access the fundamental aspects of human structures to inform their own work. In 2021 she was elected to be the inaugural Professor of Art at the RCSI, the first medical school in Ireland to create such a position.
Recent Public Commissions
2024 Waterford County Council/OPW Commission, Portrait of Dr. Mary Strangman
2024 Portrait of Professor Des Fitzgerald, former President of University of Limerick
2024 NEST, Portrait project, Draiocht
2021 Waterford County Council/OPW Portrait Commission, Portrait of Caoilfhionn Hanton
2020 Women on Walls award, Commission for Dublin City University, Portrait of Dame Kathleen Lonsdale
2020 Fingal County Council Per-cent for Art Commission
2019 NUI Galway Commission, Portrait of Dr. Pat Morgan
Solo Exhibitions
2026 Decade Review Exhibition, RHA, Dublin
2019 Dialogues, Laois Arthouse, Co.Laois
2018 Here Now, Lavit Gallery, Cork
2016 The Edge, Ashford Gallery, RHA, Dublin
2012 A Piano in the Kitchen and other Stories, Draiocht, Blanchardstown Centre,Dublin
2006 Days Like These, Molesworth Gallery, Dublin
2004 A Year on Main Street, Dunamaise Arts Centre, Portlaoise, Co. Laois
2003 New Paintings, Molesworth Gallery, Dublin
2000 New Paintings, Ashford Gallery, RHA, Dublin
1998 The Linenhall, Castlebar, Co. Mayo
1993 Pleasants Factory, Dublin
1991 City Arts Centre, Dublin
Selected Group Exhibitions
2024 Art for Gaza, fundraising exhibition for MSF in Gaza, Copperhouse,Dublin
2024 NEST, Draíocht, Dublin
2024 Lapis Lazuli, Choi Centre, Cloud House Beijing, and Hamilton
2024 Gallery, Sligo
2024 Bodies, Waterford Gallery of Art
1992 – 2025 RHA Annual Exhibitions, Dublin , (except 2002 and 1999)
2023 Drawing Time, curated by Andrew Folan, RHA, Dublin
2022 Abigail O’Brien Selects… Glór, Ennis, Co. Clare
2022 9th Beijing International Art Biennale
2022 Artists from Ireland, Sasse Museum of Art, Los Angeles (online)
2022 In Trust, in Gratitude, in Hope. 10 years of Laois Arthouse
2022 Portraits, People and Place, Waterford Gallery of Art
2021 Beijing International Art Fair
Butler Gallery fundraising auction exhibition
2019 Youyi Visual, Celebrating 40 years of Ireland/China diplomatic relations, Hangzhou Public Library/Irish Consulate Shanghai/Embassy of Ireland Beijing, China, Curated by Maurice Quillinan
2019 Mick O’Dea Selects, Glór, Ennis, Co. Clare
2019 Boyle Arts Festival, curated by Paul McKenna, Co. Roscommon, invited artist
2019/2018/2017/2016/2015 Yeats Exhibitions, Hamilton Gallery, Sligo (touring to New York, Berlin, Dublin) invited artist
2015 Boyle arts Festival, Co. Roscommon, invited artist
2014 Inaugural Hennessy Portrait award exhibition, National Gallery of Ireland, shortlisted artist
2004 – 2017 Hermione Exhibition, Alexandra College, Dublin
2012 James English RHA and Friends, Greenacres,Wexford; OAK, Killenure Castle, Co. Tipperary; 12x 4, curated by Bernadette Madden, Gormleys Fine Art, Dublin
2011 Undressed.3 person exhibition with Mick O’Dea RHA and James Hanley RHA, Greyfriars Gallery, Waterford.;
2011 Work from Life, Arts Complex, Edinburgh; Work from the RHA life room, Bourn Vincent Gallery, University of Limerick;
2011 TograInis Leacan/The Inishlacken Project, Culturlann McAdam O Fiaich, Belfast
2010 BoyleArts Festival, invited artist, Co. Roscommon; The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem, Cultural legacy exhibition, Joan Clancy Gallery, Co. Waterford
2009 Inishlacken:The Last Parish, Redhouse Arts Centre, Syracuse, New York
2009 Fis, Contemporary Irish Art Exhibition, Novas Conteporary Urban Centre, Liverpool
2008 Inishlacken, A Place Apart, Galway Arts Centre;
2008 Not in Alphabetical Order, Fingal Public Art Collection Exhibition, Farmleigh, Dublin;
2008 Boyle Arts Festival, invited artist, Co. Roscommon;
2008 Eigse, Carlow, artist in residence
2002– 2008 Christmas group shows, Molesworth Gallery, Dublin
2006– 2009 Summer Exhibitions, Newtownbarry House Gallery
2003 Blink, 5 years of the Linenhall, Castlebar General Hospital, Mayo
2004 RHA Banquet Exhibition
1997 4 Irish Painters, Project Artaud, San Francisco; Mission Cultural Centre Life Drawing Exhibition, San Francisco
1996 Academy without Walls, RHA, Dublin
1994 Siolru, Holles St. Hospital CentenaryExhibition, Dublin
1992 Aer Rianta Gateway to Art, Dublin Airport
1991-1992 RHA Banquet Exhibitions, Dublin
1990 Great Book of Ireland Exhibition, IMMA, Dublin
1989 National Self Portrait Collection Exhibition, National Gallery, Dublin
1987 National Self Portrait Collection, University of Limerick
1986-1988 Arnotts Portrait Award Exhibitions, Dublin
1982 Exposure 2, ILAC Centre, Dublin
1981 Exposure 1, Bank of Ireland, Baggot St,Dublin
Awards and Residencies
2016 Fingal County Council residency award, Graphic Studio Dublin
2014 Adams Award for the artist with the most potential for future appreciation, RHA, Dublin
2014 Hennessy Portrait award, National Gallery Dublin – shortlisted artist
2013 Arts Council Training and travel Award, period of study in France
2011 Ireland-US Council/Irish Arts Review Award for Outstanding Portraiture
2008 Invited Artist in Residence, Eigse, Carlow
2008 Inishlacken Project Residency, invited artist
2007 Cill Rialaig Residency, invited artist
1996 Arts Council Travel Award – Portugal
1995 Arts Council Studio Rental Grant
1993 Abbey Stained Glass Studio Award for a Work of Distinction by an Artist ofPromise, RHA Annual Exhibition
Collections
The Haverty Trust
FingalCounty Council
Galway City Council
Little Museum of Dublin
Boyle Civic Collection
Office of Public Works
Aer Rianta
Commission for Energy Regulation
National Self Portrait Collection
Great Book of Ireland
Selected Bibliography
The Artist’s Well, online interview, March 30, 2024
Here Now, Cristin Leach, Sunday Times , October 7, 2018
Edges and angst under the surface in Howth, Aidan Dunne, Irish Times July 25, 2016
The Edge, Isabella Evangelisti, Irish Arts Review, Summer 2016
Una Sealy – The Edge, John P. O’Sullivan, Sunday Times, Culture, July 17, 2016
Together Apart, Isabella Evangelisti Irish Arts Review, Summer 2011
On Days Like These, Sophie Gorman, Irish Independent, September 30, 2006
A Year on Main Street, Aidan Dunne, The Ticket, November 12 2004
A Year in the life of an artist, Naomi Elster, Laois Nationalist, November 19,2004
Portrait of the artist as a Howth Resident, Irish Times, March 28, 2002
Dancing, Shifting light, review by Aidan Dunne, Irish Times, July 12, 2000
Una Sealy, New Paintings, review by Marianne Hartigan, The Sunday Tribune, July 16, 2000
Una Sealy, Linenhall, review by Ian Wieczorek, Irish Times, May 27, 1998
Una Sealy, City Arts Centre, review by Aidan Dunne, The Sunday Tribune, October 13, 1991
Una Sealy, Pleasants Factory, review by Bruce Arnold, Irish Independent, July 20,1993
Sealy and Greenaway at the City Centre, review by Brian Fallon, Irish Times, October24, 1991
Static Realism with more feeling, review by Bruce Arnold, Irish Independent, October28, 1991
The Portrait Painters, Orna Mulcahy, Irish Times, May 9, 1989