Homecoming

A celebration of the art and career of Walter Osborne (1859–1903), one of Ireland’s leading landscape and portrait painters.

In conjunction with the first monographic exhibition of this Irish artist in forty years—and the first ever in the United States—this catalogue charts Walter Osborne’s career from his student days in Dublin to his mature works made following his return to his native city in 1892. Through his depictions of Dublin’s streets, parks, public spaces, domestic interiors and gardens, countryside, and most importantly its people, a vision of a vibrant—if divided—Ireland emerges.

Osborne’s experiences abroad during his formative years, his professional and social networks, and his commercial acumen help establish Dublin’s unique brand of Modern painting rife with the possibility of change. Osborne’s notable painting, At the Breakfast Table (1894), with its focus on family and home, launches an exploration of the other iconic works produced at the height of his career, including St. Patrick’s Close, St. Stephen’s Green, and his portraits of famous personalities and children.

This publication accompanies an exhibition at Raclin Murphy Museum of Art, University of Notre Dame, opening in August 2025.