David Booth – Ruth, 2025 Commissioned by the National Gallery of Ireland 2025 © National Gallery of Ireland. Photo, National Gallery of Ireland
Portraits of renowned Irish actors Ruth Negga and Stephen Rea have been unveiled at the National Gallery of Ireland. The works are by Dublin painter David Booth (Ruth, 2025, oil on board) and Wicklow-based photographer David Stephenson (Stephen Rea (b.1946 Belfast), actor, 2025, photograph on archival paper). Both artists were winners of the Portrait Prize at the National Gallery of Ireland: Booth in 2022 for his work Salvatore, a portrait of his friend and fellow artist Salvatore of Lucan; and Stephenson in 2023 for his photograph Ann and Ollie, Main Street, Wexford.
Actor and producer Ruth Negga was born in Addis Ababa, raised in Limerick, and studied at Trinity College Dublin and the British American Drama Academy. She is known for her critically acclaimed performances on stage and screen, among them roles in the movies Breakfast on Pluto (2005), Loving (2021) and Passing (2021). She has appeared in many television productions, and received several nominations and awards. In 2025 she received her second Emmy nomination, for her role in the television series Presumed Innocent. In 2017, she received an Oscar nomination in the Actress in a Lead Role category for her performance in Loving, directed by Jeff Nichols.
Actor Stephen Rea was born in Belfast. He attended Belfast High School and Queen’s University before enrolling at the Abbey Theatre School in Dublin. His international breakthrough came with his portrayal of Fergus in The Crying Game (1992), directed by Neil Jordan, for which he received an Oscar nomination. Other movie credits include Interview with a Vampire (1994), Michael Collins (1996), and The End of the Affair (1999). He has been involved in several notable television productions. Rea has also enjoyed a celebrated career on stage, collaborating on several occasions with American playwright Sam Shepard. Rea has received many nominations and awards for his performances on stage and screen, and has been conferred with honorary degrees from both Queen’s University, Belfast, and the University of Ulster.
David Stephenson – Stephen Rea, 2025 Commissioned by the National Gallery of Ireland 2025 © National Gallery of Ireland. Photo, National Gallery of Ireland
