Born in Clonmel Co. Tipperary, John Burke studied at the Crawford School of Art in Cork. His gift was recognised by John O’Leary and his other tutors, and in 1967 he was awarded that Student of the Year prize. Three years later his further studies were enhanced when he was awarded the McCauley Fellowship to study sculpture at the Royal College of Art in London, where he was tutored by Brian Kneale. In 1973 Burke had his first solo show in the gardens of Jury’s Hotel in Cork, and from there w
ent on to exhibit nationwide and in New York.
His pioneering artistic streak was developed not only within his own practice but also at his alma mater where he lectured throughout the 1970s and was the first tutor to work in welded steel. While there he was no doubt influential to a new generation of sculptors, as his students included Maud Cotter, James Scanlon, Eilis O’Connell, John Gibbons and Vivienne Roche. Burke’s own work is included in major collections, his best known commission being Red Cardinal (1978) which resides outside the old Bank of Ireland headquarters in Dublin.
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