Harry Clarke: The Life & Work

The definitive biography of Clarke and a critical survey of his oeuvre—out of print for more than 15 years, now with new images and additional material

Stained glass, symbolism, decadence, Celtic mysticism, National Romanticism, Art Nouveau, and the Ballets Russes—all these elements claim a place in the definition of the art of Harry Clarke (1887-1931), the Dublin artist now recognized internationally as a bizarre genius of his age. As an Irish Symbolist, his work is analogous with that of his friends W.B. Yeats and George Russell (AE), as well as the early James Joyce. AE rightly prophesized the fascination his work would hold for future generations of collectors. Whether in stained glass or in book illustration, his all too rare work has, over the past two decades, become increasingly sought after. This book provides a chronological and contextual framework of study for his ceaseless and varied output—in Dublin, London, the Aran Islands, Glasgow, Paris, and finally America. In Clarke, a fundamentally Arts and Crafts ideology is fused with a Celtic Revivalist spirit seeking expression in a modern idiom during a key period in Ireland's history.