Breon O’Casey was born in 1928, the son of the Irish playwright, Sean O’Casey. He attended Dartington School in Devon and after National Service, he attended the Anglo-French Art School, a small art school in St John’s Wood, London, based on the French model.
He left for St Ives in the mid fifties and lived in Cornwall ever since. He had his first solo show in Somerville College, Oxford in 1954. In St Ives he worked as an assistant to the sculptor, Denis Mitchell and then Dame Barbara Hepworth in the late 50’s. Originally he began making jewellery as a side line his main occupation being then, as always, painting. He continued making jewellery until he was 70, when he felt enough was enough and gave it up. The next 10 years he devoted solely to painting and sculpture, with the occasional session of print making; he continued this for his remaining years.
Breon died 22 May 2011.
