Painting by Offaly artist goes on display in US Congress
When Offaly artist Vincent Devine painted his iconic triptych painting of cervical cancer awareness campaigner, the late Vicky Phelan, it was the start of a journey which has led him to immersing himself into the complex world of medical science.
A print of one of his paintings which was commissioned by the All-Ireland Cancer Research Institute (AICRI) for a major international cancer conference in Farmleigh House last year now has pride of place at the very seat of American politics on Capitol Hill in Washington after it was presented last month to Republican Congressman, Mike Kelly, who is the co-chair of the influential Congressional Cancer Caucus.
Vincent Devine's original painting is called 'Crann Comhláir' (tree of co-operation) and a reproduction of that painting will be displayed in the US Congress along with a description of the many symbols which the talented artist incorporated into the painting to communicate cross-border collaboration in cancer research.
A reproduction of a second painting by the Offaly artist, called 'The Blossoming' has gone on display at the Broad Institute in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard, after Mr Devine was invited to showcase examples of his artistic work in the area of cancer research and awareness to a major conference organised by a Boston-based biomedical global centre of excellence called MassBio.
“It is a huge honour to have reproductions of my prints on display in Washington and Boston,” he says, “and I am very grateful to the many people who worked so hard behind the scenes to make it possible.”
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Offaly artist Vincent Devine, is pictured with Sharon Cunningham, CEO, Co-Founder and board member of Shorla Oncology and Professor William Gallagher (UCD) alongside a reproduction of his triptych painting ‘The Blossoming’ at a cancer conference in Boston.Image 2 of 2
Offaly artist, Vincent Devine is pictured at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard with Professor William Gallagher (UCD) and Senior Director of Genomics, Niall Lennon alongside a reproduction of one of his triptych paintings called ‘The Blossoming’ which will be on permanent display in the Institute.Having come to national, and international prominence with his painting of the late Vicky Phelan, which raised a staggering €58,000 for frontline workers during the Covid-19 pandemic, Vincent Devine has been strongly drawn towards working in the area of medical research and has been working closely with the All-Ireland Cancer Research Institute, whom he says have been “extremely supportive” of his pioneering artistic work.
Having been a former student of both TUS Athlone (formerly Athlone IT) and Moate Business College, Vincent Devine has returned to teaching himself with the Laois/Offaly Education and Training Board on a part-time basis, as well as working on his own paintings.
He is currently in talks with researchers in Trinity College with a view to working in the area of dementia, which he says would challenge him to work “on the mind” and use his artistic talents to help in the development of a greater understanding of the complex workings of the human brain.
“We really need to break down the barriers that exist between patients and the scientific world, and I would hope that my work contributes in some small way to that process, and helps people to get a better understanding of the complex world of science and how there has to be a huge level of co-operation on a global level to find a cure for cancer and other diseases.”
Apart from his groundbreaking artistic work in the area of medical science, Vincent Devine has also created a number of other iconic works, including a stunning portrait of one of the architects of the Northern Ireland Peace Agreement and Nobel Prize winner, the late John Hume, and a portrait of artist Jack B. Yeats, which is valued at €80,000, and which Vincent Devine says represents “the past, present and future” of Ireland.