Born in Holywood, County Down, Tate Adams was born William Allen Adams. Known for his wood engravings at the RHA, he held his first joint exhibition organized by the Encouragement of Music and Arts (CEMA) with Gerard Dillon in 1949. Several works in the exhibition depict scenes from
Ceylon from a sojourn to the area in 1943 and others depict landscapes of Kilkeel and the Mourne Mountains. In his foreword, John Hewitt added ‘…his imagination seems to perform for him the same junction as Dill
on’s Aran Arcady…”
Shortly after the exhibition, Adams travelled to London where he took night classes at the Central School of Art under the British printmaker, Gertrude Hermes. In late 1952, Adams travelled to Melbourne and through his friendship with Gerard Dillon met Australian artist, Leonard French and they shared a studio together. Leonard French, who was working at the National Gallery of Victoria as an education officer and was pivotal in the art scene in Melbourne in the 1950s and 60s, introduced Tate to RMIT (Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology).
In 1959 he returned to Ireland for a year working voluntarily with Liam Miller of Dolmen Press. Dolmen published his first book of engravings, Soul Cages, and on returning to Melbourne he completed linocuts to illustrate the Dolmen Press reprint of Riders to the Sea. From 1960 he painted an impressive series of symbolist portraits of the Irish writer, Brendan Behan, called The Warrior. In 1966, Tate Adams established the Crossley Gallery (for prints). He has continued to work past the age of 90, designing books for his book company, Lyre Bird Press.
Read more
