A Life of Portraiture and Landscape
Derek Hill was an English portrait and landscape painter who maintained a long association with Ireland. Born in Southampton, Hampshire, the son of a wealthy sugar trader, his early career included work as a theatre designer in Leningrad during the 1930s and later as an historian. During the Second World War, he served as a conscientious objector working on a farm. His connection to Ireland began when he traveled to Glenveagh Castle, County Donegal, to paint the portrait of Henry McIlhenny.
From the 1960s, Hill achieved increased success as a portrait painter, capturing notable figures such as:
- Gay Byrne
- Teddy Kollek
- The Prince of Wales
His landscapes often depicted scenes from Tory Island, where he maintained a painting hut for many years and mentored an artists' community known as the "Tory School."
Legacy and Honors
Hill was a resident of Ireland and was made an honorary Irish citizen by President Mary McAleese in 1999. He was also awarded a CBE in 1997. His home, St. Columb's Rectory near Churchill, County Donegal, was donated to the state in 1981, along with a collection including works by Pablo Picasso, Edgar Degas, Georges Braque, Graham Sutherland, Anna Ticho, and Jack Butler Yeats.
He served as the Director of Fine Arts at the British School at Rome for approximately five years during the 1950s. Before his death in a London hospital, he established a charitable trust that provides annual bursaries through the Derek Hill Foundation Scholarship for residencies at the British School at Rome.
Questions & Answers
Can I visit a virtual museum of Derek Hill's works?
Derek Hill's artworks can be seen in a 3D gallery on the artist's 3D Museum page.
Can I sort Derek Hill's artworks by color?
The Spectral Index page organizes Derek Hill's artworks by color.
How can I follow Derek Hill's work year by year?
The artist's Artwork Timeline page presents Derek Hill's works ordered by date, year by year.
Is there a complete list of Derek Hill's artworks?
Every work by Derek Hill on this website can be browsed from the artist's All Artworks page.
