In Memoriam Mick Rooney RA, in the Winter 2026 edition of the Royal Academy of Arts Magazine
In the latest Royal Academy magazine there is a lovely article by Chris Orr RA, remembering ‘a decades-long friendship with an omnivorous painter who had a lust for life’, Mick Rooney. Many people in Charlbury will affirm Chris Orr’s opening sentence: ‘The passing of Mick Rooney is a great loss to us all.’
Chris Orr’s thoughtful and affectionate piece goes on to mention Mick Rooney’s many achievements and gifts, before going on to say that ‘Mick lived the later years of his life in Charlbury in Oxfordshire, where his work became more ecological and pastoral. Many actors and artists have found a home there. Conversations in the local pub, the Rose and Crown, could be about anything and everything. His open and gregarious character meant he was just as at home with the plumber as with the professor. … Above all else, he was a wonderful man and a great artist.’
Edward Fenton · Fri 13 Nov, 21:43 · Link