Still Life by William Scott (1913-1989)
A 1973 Still Life by William Scott made a hammer price of 140,000 at de Veres sale in Dublin last night to become the most expensive painting sold in Ireland so this year. Chased by at least six bidders it was bought by an Irish private collector who lives abroad. Though this was the most successful Spring art sale at de Veres for the past ten years, bringing over a million euro, Rory Guthrie commented that the art market in Ireland remains unpredictable.
The good news is that this 160 lot auction aroused a lot of interest, particularly in the Irish collection of the late Michael Carroll of AIB. A private collection like this always creates interest and all but two of the 75 lots in this part of the auction sold, mostly for above estimate. A close friend of artists Tony O’Malley and Cecil King, Michael Carroll bought many of his works from the Dawson Gallery and latterly the Taylor Galleries.
From the Woods Shadow by Jack B. Yeats made a hammer price of 82,000, Muingingaun (Maiden Stream) by Hughie O’Donoghue made 35,000, Jack’s House (Pink) and Jack’s House (Blue) by Basil Blackshaw made hammer prices respectively of 27,000 and 25,000, Eden, a tapestry by Louis le Brocquy made 24,000 and Connemara Mare by Patrick Hennessy sold for 16,000. Tranquility by Kenneth Webb made 13,000 at hammer, Sawers Belfast by Hector McDonnell made 8,000, Head of a Traveller by Blackshaw made 15,000, Figures Connemara by Charles Lamb sold for 15,000, Spring Rooks by Tony O’Malley made 16,000, West Cork Waterfall by William Crozier made 8,000, Isobel by Daniel O’Neill made 15,500, Thinking of the South (France) by Camille Souter made 13,000, La Maternite by Evie Hone made 10,000, Interior by Tony O’Malley made 11,000 and Harbour Scene by Patrick Collins made 16,000.
(See post on antiquesandartireland.com for March 16, 2017)