Patrick O’Reilly (°1957, Kilkenny) is an acclaimed Irish artist.

Not only in his country of birth, but also internationally, his art is highly praised. O’Reilly studied at the Belfast School of Art. He lives and works between one of his studios, in Dublin, Venice, Madrid, or even the Auvergne.

His sculptures speak to the imagination. People can run into his monumental Strolling Bear in Paris; in Cape Town you can have a close encounter with a bear wearing a tutu and in Dublin you might see several of his sculptures in the streetscape. O’Reilly’s bronze bear sculptures are very popular. His dogs are also highly tactile.

The artist is not only expressing his personality and emotions in his art, he is also reflecting his thoughts and experiences in it. In Search of Lost Time, a bear dragging along his Teddy bear, is a reference to Proust: we all carry our childhood memories with us.

“Tactile sculptures expressing emotions and philosophical thoughts.”