A PLAQUE is to be unveiled in Belfast in memory of renowned artist and former Irish News contributor Gladys Maccabe.
The Co Antrim woman, who died in 2018 at the age of 100, will be honored with a blue plaque to be unveiled at 17 Stranmillis Road, where Ms Maccabe once lived and had a studio.
Born in Randalstown, Ms Maccabe went on to form the Ulster Women's Art Society in 1957.
Her plaque will be displayed just four doors away from the very first blue plaque erected by the Ulster History Circle, in memory of fellow artist and friend William Conor (1881 – 1968), who also had his studio in the area.
Ms Maccabe, a graduate of the Belfast College of Art, painted a portrait of Mr Conor, which is displayed in the Ulster Museum just yards from both former studios.
Her plaque will be unveiled by her son Chris Maccabe at a ceremony on Tuesday.
Along with her role as one of the north's best-known painters, Ms Maccabe was also a contributor to newspapers in Belfast, including the Irish News, for which she wrote on art.
Among honours she earned in her lifetime was a gold medal from the Academia Italis delle Art e del Lavoro, while in 2000 she was awarded an MBE for services to the arts.
Ulster History Circle chair Chris Spurr said Ms Maccabe "excelled as an artist" during her career.
"The Ulster History Circle is delighted to commemorate this renowned artist with a blue plaque on the building where she had her studio, and the Circle is particularly grateful to Belfast City Council for their financial support, and also to the Ulster Museum for their valued assistance."
