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  • Archive for September, 2017

    YOKO ONO’S BASQUIAT AT SOTHEBY’S

    Saturday, September 30th, 2017

    Jean Michel Basquiat – Cabra  UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR $11 MILLION

    Jean-Michel Basquiat’s Cabra from the collection of Yoko Ono comes up at Sotheby’s Contemporary art evening sale in New York on November 16.  The 1981-82 work, measuring 60 1/4 by 60 1/4 inches, is estimated to bring $9/12 million. A portion of the proceeds from the sale will benefit the Spirit Foundations, founded by Yoko Ono and John Lennon, in the 1970’s.

    Yoko Ono commented:  “I have had the pleasure of owning and living with this masterwork for over two decades. The time has come for it to find a new home, and I am delighted that part of the sale proceeds will benefit the foundation I established years ago with the intention of bringing peace and tolerance to the world.”

    Executed at a time when Basquiat was exploring his Haitian and Puerto Rican roots, and becoming increasingly interested in the power of black athletes Cabra is from a group of paintings inspired by boxing icons including Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard and Jersey Joe Walcott.   Cabra refers to the evening in 1970 when Muhammad Ali – the greatest of all time – knocked out revered heavy-weight fighter Oscar Bonavena known as ‘The Bull’. The iconic boxing ring, the hieroglyphic ‘TKO’ above the bull’s skull and, finally, the clever play on words – Cabra is Spanish for ‘goat’ or GOAT, shorthand for the Greatest of All Time, Muhammad Ali – all add to this moving painting of one of Jean-Michel Basquiat’s long-time heroes.

    Spirit Foundations was founded in 1978 to promote a message of social advancement through collective peace and tolerance. Devotedly carried on after John Lennon’s passing in 1980, Spirit Foundations remains a charitable organization that works as an agent of positive social change

    FONSIE MEALY’S SALE IS BRIMFUL OF INTEREST

    Friday, September 29th, 2017

    From National Ploughing Championship programmes from the 1950’s to a rare first edition of At Swim Two Birds Fonsie Mealy’s rare book and collectors sale at the Ormonde Hotel, Kilkenny on October 3 is brimful of interest. The catalogue, which is online, lists 800 lots.  The first edition of Flann O’Brien’s book from 1939 is of particular rarity as most copies were destroyed during the London Blitz.  This one is estimated at 800-1,200.  Lots on offer range from a history of the Anglo Irish landed gentry to Mohammad Ali.  Here is a small selection:

    National Ploughing Championship programmes from 1953 and 1955 (60-90)  UPDATE: THESE SOLD FOR 170 EURO.

    First edition of At Swim Two Birds by Flann O’Brien (800-1,200)  UPDATE: THIS MADE 2,400 AT HAMMER

    Five Cuala Press original hand coloured prints (300-400)  UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR 170

    This centenary memoir of the Kilkenny Hunt is estimated at 140-200

    IRISH ART BRINGS IN £1.9 MILLION AT SOTHEBY’S

    Wednesday, September 27th, 2017

    Top lots at the Irish art sale which brought in £1,909,125 at Sotheby’s in London today included works by Sir John Lavery (The Summit of the Jungfrau made £212,500 at hammer) and John Luke (Northern Rhythm made  £187,500).  Strong prices were achieved by Basil Blackshaw (The Fall sold for £162,500), Jack Butler Yeats Railway Refreshment Room  (£125,000), Mary Swanzy (Sun on the Sails £87,500), Colin Middleton (The Life Everlasting £85,000), William Crozier (The end of the Modern World £57,500) and Patrick Scott (Gold Painting 35 £46,250).

    Sir William Orpen’s Study for Nude Pattern, The Holy Well made £72,500 and his portrait of Mr. and Mrs. Jack Courtauld and their daughter Jeanne on a settee made £61,250. A Fortune by Jack Butler Yeats made £75,000 and Untitled by Sean Scully made £60,000. Other prices include The Dark Pond by Frank McKelvey (£30,000), Caves at Concarneau by William Leech (£22,500), La Fenetre by Roderic O’Conor (£50,000), Japanese Garden by Sir John Lavery (£62,500), Potato Patch by Gerard Dillon (£47,500), Fishermens Houses by Colin Middleton (£37,500),  Woman by Louis le Brocquy (£31,250) and An Italian Water Scene by Martin Finnin (£11,875).

    Secret Lovers by Rowan Gillespie made £32,500, Egg Head by F.E. McWilliam made £22,500 and the Enignum II chair by Joseph Walsh made £10,000.

    (See posts on antiquesandartireland.com for September 1 and August 17, 2017)

    COLIN MIDDLETON, R.H.A.
    THE LIFE EVERLASTING

    SIR WILLIAM ORPEN, R.W.S., N.E.A.C., R.A., R.H.A.
    STUDY FOR NUDE PATTERN: THE HOLY WELL

    MARY SWANZY, H.R.H.A.
    SUN ON THE SAILS

    JACK BUTLER YEATS, R.H.A. RAILWAY REFRESHMENT ROOM

    A SUCCESSFUL SALE FOR THE YEATS FAMILY AT SOTHEBY’S

    Wednesday, September 27th, 2017

    W.B. Yeats’ writing bureau sold for £187,500.

    Even though the two most expensively estimated lots failed to find buyers the sale of the Yeats family collection at Sotheby’s today must be seen as a howling success.  Many lots sold for way above the top estimate and there was very keen bidding for the private collection of one of Ireland’s most internationally known families of the 20th century.  The sale of more than 220 lots comprised the personal effects of John Butler Yeats and his four children, poet W.B., embroidery designer Lily, printing press pioneer Lolly and artist Jack.

    Billed as the highlight an archive of 133 letters from WB to his life long friend and first lover Olivia Shakespear spanning over 40 years from 1894 to 1936 failed to sell.  They had been estimated at £250,000-350,000. Similarly The Runaway Horse, the most expensively estimated of the paintings in the sale by Jack B. Yeats remained unsold. It had been estimated at £150,000-250,000.

    Against this W.B’s writing bureau made a hammer price of £187,500 over a top estimate of £30,000, John Butler Yeats’ Self Portrait, New York sold for £87,500 over  a top estimate of £50,000, a portrait of WB by his father made  £30,000 over a top estimate of £5,000, a painting of Coole by WB made £43,750 over a top estimate of £10,000 and his painting of the library at Coole made £50,000 over a top estimate of £12,000. WB’s desk chair made £32,500 and the family dining table, bought with his Nobel Prize money, made £10,000 over a top estimate of £2,500. Even his metal deed box sold for £15,000. Scrapbooks and sketchbooks all made big money. A sketchbook by WB with sketches, notes and early drafts of The Island of the Statues made £35,000 over a top estimate of £8,000. The Sunset belongs to you by Jack B made £212,500 over a top estimate of £150,000 and The Captain by the same artist sold for £87,500.

    (See posts on antiquesandartireland.com for September 25, August 27 and August 19, 2017)

    RE DISCOVERED ORPEN DRAWING AT WHYTE’S

    Wednesday, September 27th, 2017

    Sir William Orpen RA RI RHA (1878-1931) ON THE HILL OF HOWTH, COUNTY DUBLIN, c.1912-14  UPDATE: THIS MADE 30,000 AT HAMMER

    A re-discovered Orpen drawing of bhemian youth features at Whyte’s evening sale of Irish and International Art at the RDS on October 2. On the Hill of Howth, Co. Dublin c1912-14 depicts a girl holding a knot of tiny flowers and stretching her right arm skywards in an attitude of abandon. From the estate of Dublin judge Desmond Windle it is estimated at 30,000-50,000.  He was a collector for over 60 years and  among the other artists in his collection in this sale are Patrick Collins, John Behan, Michael Kane, Charles Brady, Charles Harper, George Campbell and Sean McSweeney. The catalogue, which is online, lists 188 lots. Here is a small selection:

    Hughie O’Donoghue (b.1953) DUTIFUL SON, 2007/8 (6,000-8,000)  UPDATE: THIS MADE 6,000 AT HAMMER

    Charles Brady HRHA (1926-1997) SHOE BOX (2,000-3,000)  UPDATE: THIS MADE 1,800 AT HAMMER

    John Behan RHA (b.1938) ARCHER (3,000-5,000)  UPDATE: THIS MADE 5,200

    Patrick Collins HRHA (1910-1994) THE HAPPY PRIEST, 1965 (15,000-20,000)  UPDATE: THIS MADE 14,000

    VIVIEN LEIGH COLLECTION SOARS TO OVER FIVE TIMES ESTIMATE

    Tuesday, September 26th, 2017

    Winston Churchill, Roses in a Vase was the top lot at the auction

    The sale of the Vivien Leigh collection soared to over five times its pre-sale estimate at Sotheby’s in London today. Collectors turned out in their droves to witness and take part in the sale of her personal collection. Over 1,400 participants from 52 countries drove the auction total to £2,243,867  over five times the pre-sale estimate.

    Over the course of four days, some 4,000 people flocked to Sotheby’s to view first-hand paintings, furnishings, jewellery, couture, silver, books and further items celebrating all aspects of Vivien’s life. In a saleroom filled to capacity, all of the 321 lots offered found a buyer as lot after lot soared above estimate.  In this white glove auction more than 40% of lots were bought online.

    A painting by Sir Winston Churchill given as a present to Vivien Leigh sold for £638,750, nine times the pre-sale estimate.Study of Roses was sent to Vivien shortly after her visit to Chartwell, Churchill’s country home, in August 1951. It hung in her bedroom for the rest of her life. The price achieved for this one lot exceeded pre-sale estimate for entire auction.

    WATER COLOUR SOCIETY SHOW AT DUN LAOGHAIRE

    Tuesday, September 26th, 2017

    THE 163rd annual exhibition of the Watercolour Society of Ireland is now in full swing at the Concourse Gallery in Dun Laoghaire County Hall.  More than 120 contemporary Irish artists are taking part.  The portrait artist Gareth Reid from Northern Ireland, winner of the Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year 2017, will be exhibiting as the Society’s invited guest artist.  The show runs until October 1. Here is a small selection:

    RAYMOND OSBORN – EARLY MORNING DINGLE

    ANGELA EMSEN-WEST GEORGE’S BREAKFAST

    OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

    JOHN SHORT – EAST PIER

    HENRY’S CONNEMARA COTTAGE THE LEAD LOT AT ADAMS

    Monday, September 25th, 2017
    A Connemara Cottage by Paul Henry is the top lot at the James Adam evening sale of Important Irish Art in Dublin on September 27. It has not been seen in public since it was bought directly from the artist in 1931 and is estimated at 60,000-80,000.

    The sale of about 100 lots from the UTV Collection, which was begun in 1959, will dominate the Irish art selection at James Adam.  It offers a snapshot of art in Ulster throughout the 20th century. The Belfast Boys – Gerard Dillon, Colin Middleton, George Campbell and Dan O’Neill – are well represnted, Laganside at Dusk by Basil Blackshaw was an important commission and there is work by a range of artists from FE MacWilliam to Camille Souter.  The catalogue is online. Here is a small selection:

    Paul Henry RHA (1877-1958) A Connemara Cottage 1925-30 (60,000-80,000)   UPDATE: THIS MADE 87,000 AT HAMMER

    Laganside at Dusk (1997) by Basil Blackshaw (40,000-60,000)  UPDATE: THIS MADE 35,000 AT HAMMER

    F.E. Mc William “Woman of Belfast III” (12,000 – 16.000)  UPDATE: THIS MADE 35,000 AT HAMMER

    Gerard Dillon “The Artist in the country” (15,000 – 20,000)  UPDATE: THIS MADE 39,000 AT HAMMER

    OLD SCANDAL RESURFACES IN YEATS PORTRAIT

    Monday, September 25th, 2017

    John Butler Yeats (1829-1922) – Mrs. Herbert of Muckross with a Maltese terrier

    There is a whiff of scandal around this portrait of Mrs. Herbert of Muckross with a Maltese terrier. It is from the first big commission by John Butler Yeats, to paint members of the Herbert family at Muckross House in Co. Kerry.

    The house had been completely rebuilt in 1843 and the gardens extensively worked for a visit by Queen Victoria in 1861. The portrait was finished in 1873 but shortly afterwards Mrs. Herbert absconded with a lover, never to return to Muckross.

    Her husband refused to take the painting. It ended up in the room of the artists friend Edward Dowden at TCD.  On  his death it was returned to the Yeats family and it is at Sotheby’s sale of the Yeats Family Collection on September 27 with an estimate of £15,000-20,000.  Family tradition has it that the lover was the footman.

    UPDATE:  THIS MADE £43,750 AT HAMMER

    A TWO DAY SALE AT SHEPPARDS IN DURROW

    Friday, September 22nd, 2017

    A large Edwardian dolls house, a graduated diamond necklace, a 19th century bonheur du jour, a Regency revolving bookcase and a Chinese decorated bowl are among the top lots at Sheppards two day sale in Durrow, Co. Laois on September 26 and 27.  The catalogue for the sale, entitled The Legacy of the Big House, is online. Here is a small selection:

    NINETEENTH-CENTURY KINGWOOD AND SEVRES PORCELAIN PANELED BONHEUR DU JOUR (10,000-15,000)  UPDATE: THIS WAS WITHDRAWN

    DRESDEN PORCELAIN CASED MANTLE CLOCK (150-250)  UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR 100 EURO

    LARGE EDWARDIAN DOLL’S HOUSE (400-600)

    18 CT. WHITE GOLD CLAW SET GRADUATED DIAMOND NECKLACE (10,000-15,000) UPDATE: THIS MADE 8,000 AT HAMMER

    REGENCY MAHOGANY REVOLVING BOOKCASE, CIRCA 1810 (8,000-12,000)  UPDATE: THIS MADE 8,500