He began his long painting career as an
apprentice poster designer for David Allen & Son, Ltd for 4s 6d per
week. By 1912 he was in Paris where he exhibited
at the Paris Salon. He was an official
war painter during both world wars.
William Conor was commissioned to paint the
official opening of the Northern Ireland Parliament by the King and Queen in
1921. Conor's remarkable career is
riddled with 'firsts'. He was the first
artist to have a touring exhibition in Northern Ireland. He was the first Irish member of the Royal
Institute of Oil Painters. His second
exhibition held by CEMA in 1952 attracted 2800 visitors. 1957 proved to be a highly distinctive year
when Conor was elected president of the Royal
Ulster Academy
where he held office until 1964, CEMA held a retrospective exhibition at the Belfast Museum
and Art Gallery
and he received honorary Master of Arts degree from Queen's University, Belfast.
The Bell Gallery held one man shows in
1964, 1966 and 1967. His work is
included in most Irish Public collections including a Conor room at the Ulster
Folk and Transport
Museum, Cultra. The Linen
Hall has a collection of his works.
A painting hangs in the Assembly Chamber in Parliament Buildings,
Stormont. His work is represented by the
Armagh County
Museum, the Arts Council of Northern
Ireland, the University of Ulster and the Ulster Museum.
His entire body of work represent a
remarkable social and economic history of primarily the people and places of Belfast in the early 20th
Century, timelessly captured by Conor's distinctive style using watercolour and
crayon.
