NOT one but two works of art by Jack B. Yeats soared past the million euro mark at the sale of the Ernie O’Malley collection by Whyte’s and Christie’s in Dublin tonight. There were five major oils by the artist in the sale. The Enfolding Night, a work from 1947, was the first to go and it made 520,000 at hammer. This was followed minutes later by Reverie from 1931 which made 1.4 million at hammer. Each of these works had been estimated at 500,000-700,000. Lot 30, Evening in Spring, was similarly estimated and sold for 1.3 million. Death for Only One, which dates to 1937, made a within estimate hammer price of 470,000. Lastly The Fighting Dawn from 1945 made a within estimate 320,000 at hammer.
The Land Eire 1940 by Mainie Jellett made 110,000 at hammer over a top estimate of 40,000. This was a hugely successful White Glove sale of 100 lots. The sale of the first lot, an 1899 sketch of the Castle of Kinvara by Yeats, for 14,000 at hammer over a top estimate of 1,500 was an important indicator of how things would go. Many lots, even minor sketches and pencil drawings, made significantly more than the top estimate. It underlines the importance of a good collection. Ernie O’Malley was a leading revolutionary an in Ireland from 1916-22 who went on to publish two books detailing his experiences. The sale and international exhibitions provided an opportunity to discover his private passion for art and the relationships he developed with artists he encountered in America and Ireland.
The sale grossed 5.5 million, the highest result ever achieved by an art auction in Ireland.
