Nevill Johnson RUA

Nevill Johnson (1911-1999) was born in England but relocated to Dublin in 1949 where he was able to develop himself as an artist, writer and photographer. He had no formal art training but became friendly with accomplished artist John Luke, whom he took great influence from and shared a studio with for a time.

He exhibited regularly at Victor Waddington’s alongside Louis le Brocquy, Colin Middleton, Gerard Dillon and Daniel O’Neill, at the Dawson Gallery and with Tom Calwell from the early 1970s to the 1990s. Johnson’s son, along with Eoin O'Brien, created a memoir of his writings, art work, photographs and life in Paint the Smell of Grass, and his son has also donated a number of his father’s works to University College Dublin (UCD) to establish an annual scholarship in support of aspiring artists.