David Bond Walker

David Bond Walker
Born(1891-12-06)6 December 1891
Belfast, Ireland
Died9 January 1977(1977-01-09) (aged 85)
Known forPainting
ParentThomas Bond Walker

David Bond Walker (6 December 1891 - 9 January 1977) was an Irish portrait and landscape painter.

Life

David Bond Walker was born in Belfast on 6 December 1891. His father was the artist, Thomas Bond Walker. His mother died when Walker was young, and he was raised by his father. His father also taught painting with Paul Henry being his most famous pupil. Walker attended St Jude's National School, Belfast. He studied art under his father and Hans Iten, having begun to paint at age 14. Iten advised that he concentrate on portraiture, and in 1920 four of his portraits were exhibited at the Belfast Art Society. That year, Walker had been selected by John Lavery as one of the first group of 10 members of the Belfast Art Society.

In 1921, he began exhibiting with the Royal Hibernian Academy. Over the next five years he exhibited 8 works, 4 of which were portraits. In the 1930s, he received commissions for a number of portraits including Sir Joseph Davison, Lord Justice Best, Sir Ernest Herman, George Borrow, and Robert Hugh Henderson.

Walker moved to Newcastle, County Down during World War II, working in a cottage between Dinnewater and the Silent Valley on the Head Road. He opened the Bond Walker Gallery at Pedlar's Bridge, Dinnewater, and taught art at Mourne Grange School, Kilkeel and evening classes in Rathfriland.

Walker died on 9 January 1977. Examples of Walker's works are held in the collections of the Ulster Museum, the Armagh County Museum, and the National Trust.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Snoddy, Theo (2006). Dictionary of Irish artists: 20th century (2., repr ed.). Dublin: Merlin Publ. pp. 684–685. ISBN 9781903582176.
  2. ↑ "Thomas Bond Walker (1861-1933) NEW FORGE ON THE LAGAN and VIEW OF BELFAST WITH HAYSTACKS IN THE FOREGROUND (A PAIR)". curator.org. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 "WALKER David Bond 1891-1977 | Artist Biographies". www.artbiogs.co.uk. Retrieved 9 November 2026.