Graham Knuttel had a personal life as colourful as his paintings

After his large-scale mechanical assemblages Graham Knuttel turned to figurative painting. File photo: Billy Higgins

Graham Knuttel, who died aged 69 at his home in Dublin, was one of Ireland’s most colourful artists. He is best-known for his paintings of underworld characters, animals and fish. He also worked as a sculptor and designer.

Knuttel’s father Frederick was a German Jew who settled in England, serving in the RAF in World War II. His mother Margaret was a Unitarian from Northampton, and was related to the Hollywood actor Cary Grant. The couple had two children, Peter and Valerie, before moving to Dublin from Bedford in 1947. They settled on Whitebeam Avenue, Clonskeagh, where Graham Knuttel was born in 1954.