Paul Funge
Paul Funge was a Wexford-born painter highly regarded in particular for his figurative works. He trained as a set designer and was closely associated with the Lantern Theatre in Dublin. At an exhibition of portraits in 1991 Brian Fallon, then art critic for The Irish Times, described Funge as a "born handler of paint". www.whytes.ie Those who have sat for him include television personality Mike Murphy and author Colm Toibin, who once said of Funge: "he has been an exemplary influence on a whole generation of Irish painters". He exhibited at the RHA and the Oireachtas Independents (of which he was Chairman 1979-1982). His work is in the National Self-Portrait Collection (Limerick), Museum of Art (Santa Barbara), Art Institute (San Francisco), Gate Theatre (Dublin), National Concert Hall (Dublin), Dublin College University, and the C. J. Haughey Collection. www.whytes.ie
