Frank Dunphy (27 November 1937 – 23 August 2020)[1] was an Irish-born, British-based business manager, entrepreneur and accountant. He represented the interests of such artists and actors as Damien Hirst, Tracey Emin, Jake and Dinos Chapman and Ray Winstone.[2]

Early life in Ireland

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Dunphy was born in Portrane. His father was a nurse and his mother was a republican activist and member of Cumann na mBan.[citation needed] He was married to Lorna.

Career

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Dunphy moved to England in the early 1950s and began his career in representation advising performers including Coco the Clown, Harry Worth, and Roy Castle.[2] He reputedly charged his clients 10% of all sales/income revenue.[3]

Damien Hirst

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Dunphy has represented artist Damien Hirst since 1995.[3] He claimed he was first asked to represent artist Hirst by Hirst's mother, Mary, a claim which the artist has disputed.[2]

In 2018, Dunphy and his wife gave six works by Young British Artists to the Pallant House Gallery, Chichester, including Butterfly by Hirst. [4]

References

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  1. ^ "Frank Dunphy obituary". The Guardian. 27 August 2020. Archived from the original on 3 February 2023.
  2. ^ a b c Sean O’Hagan. "The man who sold us Damien", The Guardian, 1 July 2007.
  3. ^ a b Cahal Milmo. "Mr 10 per cent (and he's worth every penny)", The Independent, 18 September 2008.
  4. ^ "Acquisitions of the month: August-September 2018". Apollo Magazine.