Joe Dunne was born in Dublin and graduated from the National College of Art and Design, Dublin in 1978.
Much of his work has remained within the traditional genres of still life, landscape and portrait painting executed in a realist style, but he has also created a considerable body of abstract works over many years. He is equally accomplished in watercolours, oils and his preferred medium of egg tempera, and has successfully explored print making. His paintings have won prizes at the Arnott’s National Portrait Awards and the Keating McLaughlin Medal, for a group portrait, at the RHA Annual in 2006. He was awarded 1st prize in the inaugural Davy Portrait Awards in 2008.
Commissions by the Office of Public Works include his portraits of former Taoiseach Eamon de Valera and of President Mary McAleese.
He was Principal of the RHA School of Drawing 2011 – 2014.
His work is included in the collections of The Royal Dublin Society, The Office of Public Works, Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council, The National University of Ireland at Maynooth, Ballinglen Art Foundation Archive, and The Boyle Civic Collection.