Patrick Tuohy painted some of the finest portraits of the twentieth century, yet he remains a much-neglected figure in the world of Irish art.

Born in Dublin in 1894, his talent was first spotted by Patrick Pearse, who encouraged his father to enroll him in the Metropolitan School of Art in Dublin. There William Orpen further encouraged the young man's talent and Tuohy went on to become Professor of Painting at the Metropolitan School of Art, and a member of the Royal Hibernian Academy.

His work was admired by Liam O'Flaherty, Austin Clarke and Seán Keating, amongst others, and he was selected by Joyce to paint his father and other family members. A man with a complex and demanding personality, he emigrated to the USA in 1927 to build an international reputation, but died tragically in New York in 1930.

This first work on Patrick Tuohy's life is accompanied by a catalogue of 241 of his known works. Many of these works are reproduced here, in both colour and black and white, and several are being seen for the first time. This beautifully illustrated book will help to finally establish Tuohy's rightful reputation - as one of the finest Irish painters of his time.