Brian Bourke was born in Dublin in 1936 and studied at the National College of Art and Design, Dublin, and St. Martin's School of Art, London. From early landscapes and life-size nude self-portraits Brian Bourke's work has evolved to encompass various series that explore both his interest in observational work that is rooted in the places and things he encounters in his day-to-day life and fictional narrative. There is often an element of biography in Bourke's work and the artist has compared himself to literary characters such as Sweeney and Don Quixote. His work includes expressive still lifes reminiscent of memento mori that feature recurring objects such as masks, animal skulls and African carvings, ink and wash drawings on paper and painted wood carvings.
Brian Bourke represented Ireland at the Paris Biennale and the Lugano Exhibition of Graphics in 1965. He has received several awards, including the Arts Council Portrait Award in 1965, the Munster and Leinster Bank competition in 1966 and 1st Prize at the 1967 Irish Exhibition of Living Art competition, as well as Sunday Independent Artist of the Year 1985 and the O'Malley Award from the Irish-American Cultural Institute in 1993. He is an elected a member of Aosdána and an Honorary member of the Royal Hibernian Academy. His work has been exhibited widely, with solo shows at West Cork Arts Centre; Claremorris Art Gallery, Mayo; and the Dyehouse Gallery, Waterford. In 1992 Brian Bourke was Artist in Residence at the Gate Theatre during the Beckett Festival and the work resulting from this residency was shown at the Douglas Hyde Gallery, Dublin. Bourke's work is included in the public collections of , as well as numerous private collections in Ireland and abroad.
Exhibitions with Taylor Galleries:
2007 Olive Grove, Extremadura with Tim Morris Urban Landscape
2005 We Are Not Caryatids
2003 Women Giving Birth to Men
2000 Manhattan Vertigo
1997 Andalucian Fireworks
1995 Portfolio 100 Works
1993 Nature Morte, Nature Vivante
1991 Landscape, Cardet, France
1985 Of the Head, from the Head
1983 Portrait of J with Basque Hat
1981 Self with Don Quixote
1978 Knock-a-Lough 8 Seasons
1975 Frau Stutz's Cherry Tree (Dawson Gallery)
1971 Painting and Sculpture (Dawson Gallery)
1969 Painting s and Drawings (Dawson Gallery)
1967 Paintings and Drawings (Dawson Gallery)
1965 Paintings (Dawson Gallery)