John Butler Yeats’ tender portrait of his son William Butler Yeats sold for £80,500.
New growth in the Irish art market was being talked about after Sotheby’s sale of British and Irish art in London today. The Irish lots sold achieved over 1.3 million euro against an expectation of around the one million euro mark.
The top Irish lot was Roderic O’Conor’s Red Rocks and Sea which made £266,500. John B. Yeats portrait of his son William Butler Yeats made £80,500 over a top estimate of £60,000 and Sir William Orpen’s Portrait of Noll, son of Oliver St. John Gogarty, made £194,500 over a top estimate of £150,000. Basil Blackshaw’s First Tractor in Randalstown made £134,500, Paul Henry’s Achill Woman made £122,500 and My Delight by Gerard Dillon sold for an above estimate £35,000. Buyers were mostly international, with strong US interest in Yeats. The Orpen went to an English client.
Grant Ford, Head of British and Irish paintings said after the sale: “The Irish market is showing signs of new growth, with particularly strong results for Roderic O’Conor, William Orpen, and a robust price for Basil Blackshaw, proving he is a major force in contemporary Irish art.”
“We continue to be completely committed to Irish art and artists. Irish art receives all our energy to make sure that it is promoted on an international stage”.
(See posts on antiquesandartireland.com for May 17 and March 28, 2013).