After graduating from NCAD in 1978 he worked as a painter, illustrator and designer before focusing on painting.
[1] He is known principally for his portraits, landscapes and still life paintings, executed in a wide variety of media (oil, tempera and watercolour).
[2] He has received a number of awards, most recently a first prize in the inaugural Davy Portrait Awards 2008[3] and the AXA Insurance Drawing Prize in 2009.
[4] Commissions have included portraits of former Taoiseach Éamon de Valera and President Mary McAleese.
Joe Dunne is a member of the Royal Hibernian Academy.