Basil Blackshaw was born in Co. Antrim but brought up in Co. Down, and studied at Belfast College of Art, where he received a scholarship that enabled him to travel to Paris for further study in 1951. His upbringing brought him close one of his favoured subjects – loose yet evocative equine scenes are prominent in his oeuvre. A major retrospective of Blackshaws work was held in 1974 at the Arts Council Gallery in Belfast, and another in 1995 was organised by the Arts Council of Northern Irelan
d. The latter was exhibited at the Ormeau Baths, Royal Hibernian Academy, Crawford Municipal Gallery, and a selection of the works travelled to the United States for a further tour. More recently a retrospective was held at The Fenton Gallery in Cork (2005). He is a member of Aosdána, RUA and Associate Member of the RHA. His works can be found in the collections of the Irish Museum of Modern Art, Ulster Museum, University College Cork, Trinity College Dublin, University of Ulster, AIB, and Bank of Ireland.
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