This 1939 oil on board by Jack B. Yeats, "The Cat Among the Stars", is a feature lot at the first sale of Irish Art at Bonhams in New Bond St., London scheduled for February 9, 2011. It is estimated at £50,000-70,000. Photo: Bonhams. (click on image to enlarge)
Bonhams will hold its first sale of Irish Art on February 9, 2011 in New Bond Street, London. This marks the end of the company’s 12 year association with Adams in Dublin.
Bonhams and Adams have decided to hold separate sales. One problem that arose is the issue of artists resale rights, the levy on the resale of work by living artists. Auction houses charge the buyer in Britain, in Ireland it is the seller who pays. Given that some art has come down in value, vendors find it hard to pay the levy, particularly in cases where the art had been bought in Britain and the levy had already been paid.
The Irish Art Department at Bonhams is headed by Trinity College Dublin art history graduate Penny Day, who joined the company in 2006. She plans to continue to develop Irish art and will offer an annual sale, including traditional and modern paintings, works on paper and sculpture.