The New Craftsman’s relationship with O’Casey goes back over 40 years, from the early 1970s until his death in 2011 at the age of 82. This exhibition, held in association with the artist’s estate, includes pieces from the wealth of artistic disciplines O’Casey mastered in his lifetime, profiling his talent as a painter, printmaker, sculptor, weaver and jewellery maker. Born in London in 1928 to Irish playwright Sean O’Casey and
actress Eileen O’Casey, Breon studied art at the Anglo-French Art Centre in St John's Wood. Later inspired by a film about painter Alfred Wallis, O’Casey moved to St Ives in 1959, where he found work initially as assistant to sculptor Denis Mitchell, and then Barbara Hepworth, both of whom had a significant influence on the development of his own work. Working for many years at his studio on Porthmeor Beach, and well known for his use of simple motifs and geometric shapes, O’Casey went on to become an important figure in 20th Century British art.
