Time, Power and Portraiture: Salvatore of Lucan Exhibits Fancy Situations Dead Present Etc… at Dunamaise Arts Centre
Salvatore of Lucan
Dunamaise Arts Centre is pleased to present Fancy Situations Dead Present Etc…, a major exhibition by Irish painter Salvatore of Lucan, running from 6 March to 17 April 2026.
Curated in collaboration with Kevin Kavanagh, the exhibition brings together a selection of works drawn from Salvatore of Lucan’s acclaimed 2024 publication Fancy Situations Dead Present Etc…. The exhibition offers audiences a striking insight into the artist’s evolving visual language, one that moves fluently between contemporary portraiture, narrative painting, and symbolic figuration.
The exhibition will be officially launched at a public reception on Thursday 6 March 2026 at 6pm, with the launch led by Niall Kavanagh, Director of McKeon Stone.
Born in 1994, Salvatore of Lucan graduated from the National College of Art and Design, Dublin, in 2016. He has rapidly established himself as one of the most distinctive painters of his generation, recognised for work that blends technical assurance with psychologically charged imagery. His paintings frequently explore themes of identity, power, legacy, and the uneasy overlap between historical reference and contemporary life.
In 2021, Salvatore of Lucan was awarded the Zurich Portrait Prize at the National Gallery of Ireland, marking a significant milestone in his career. Further recognition followed with an Arts Council of Ireland bursary in 2023 and the Next Generation Award in 2019. He has also been shortlisted for the Hennessy Craig Prize at the Royal Hibernian Academy in both 2019 and 2026.
Recent high-profile commissions include a portrait of former international footballer Paul McGrath for the National Gallery of Ireland in 2025, and Six Portraits of Six Taoisigh, depicting former Irish prime ministers who trained at the King’s Inns, Dublin. That series was unveiled in 2024 by former Taoiseach Simon Harris.
Fancy Situations Dead Present Etc… at Dunamaise Arts Centre provides a rare opportunity to encounter these works in a focused institutional setting, highlighting the ambition, scale, and narrative complexity that characterise Salvatore of Lucan’s practice today.
