Background
Gladys Maccabe was born in Randalstown, County Antrim. Her mother Elizabeth was a designer in the linen business, and her father George Chalmers, a Scot, was a former army officer and artist specialising in calligraphy and illumination.
- Photos
- Works
- Photos
- Works
Gladys Maccabe
Edit ProfileCareer
One of her ancestors was a famous 18th-century Scottish painter, Sir George Chalmers. She had a picture published in the Royal Drawing Society"s magazine when she was 16 years old and went on to study at the Belfast College of Artist Gladys and Max exhibited together on many occasions, starting in Ireland at Robinson & Cleaver in Belfast, 1942, and in England at the Kensington Art Gallery in 1949.
She formed the Ulster Society of Women Artists in 1957, as she felt that there was an untapped wealth of talent among the women artists of Northern Ireland.
The Society"s first major exhibition was in the Belfast Museum and Art Gallery in 1959. During the 1960s Gladys was a fashion and arts correspondent working for newspapers and television
She was Northern Ireland Art Critic for the Irish Independent and the Irish News and wrote columns for the Sunday Independent, Leisure Painter and the Ulster Tatler. She was also fashion correspondent for the Belfast News Letter and British Broadcasting Corporation Northern Ireland.
Achievements
-
In 1961 Gladys was elected a Member of the Royal Institute of Oil Painters. And in 1980 she was awarded an Honorary Master of Arts degree by the Queen"s University Belfast. She is also a Honorary Academician of the Royal Ulster Academy, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and has received many other accolades including the 1984 World Culture Prize. Gladys was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (Administration Member of the Order of the British Empire) for services to the arts by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on 21 November 2000.
Membership
Gladys and Max were members of the group of artists known as The Contemporary Ulster Group, which included Dan O"Neill, George Campbell, and Gerard Dillon.
Connections
-
Born
-
Nationality
United Kingdom
Awards
-
Member of the Order of the British Empire In 1961 Gladys was elected a Member of the Royal Institute of Oil Painters; and in 1980 she was awarded an Honorary MA degree by the Queen's University Belfast. She is also a Honorary Academician of the Royal Ulster Academy, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and has received many other accolades including the 1984 World Culture Prize. Gladys was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to the arts by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on 21 November 2000.Member of the Order of the British Empire In 1961 Gladys was elected a Member of the Royal Institute of Oil Painters; and in 1980 she was awarded an Honorary MA degree by the Queen's University Belfast. She is also a Honorary Academician of the Royal Ulster Academy, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and has received many other accolades including the 1984 World Culture Prize. Gladys was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to the arts by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on 21 November 2000.