Vincent Van Gogh – Chestnut Trees in Bloom at Sotheby’s.
A Van Gogh poised to break all records. Ireland’s newest million euro plus artists. An exciting couple of weeks of art sales is in prospect. Hundreds of millions of dollars worth of global art is destined for the auction blocks of New York. Millions of euro worth of art will come under the hammer in Ireland.
Van Gogh’s Chestnut Trees in Bloom from the Blaquier-Arrieta Collection at Sotheby’s next Tuesday evening (November 18) is projected at $180 million (€161.63 million). The single owner sale of 12 tightly curated Impressionist and Post Impressionist masterworks from late Argentinian sugar heiress Nelly Arrieta de Blacquier is expected to generate around $450 million. Fall Marquee Week sales at Christie’s next week should make more than $800 million (€718.34 million). Kandinsky’s Accented Corners is estimated at $60 million – $80 million (€53.88 million – €71.83 million).
William Scott – Lemons and a Funnel at Adams.
The latest Irish million euro plus artists – Gerard Dillon and Paul Henry – are at Adam’s on Wednesday evening (November 18) along with a colourful still life by William Scott and a fine landscape by Mary Swanzy. Meantime a rich array of eye popping art awaits at sales at Sheppards on Thursday, Whyte’s on November 23 and at de Veres and Gormley’s on November 24.
Mary Swanzy’s Hilltop Town, South of France (€100,000-€150,0000 is the catalogue cover lot at Adams. The Jockey by Gerard Dillon (€150,000-€200,000) is based on races on the tidal sands between the Co. Galway mainland and Omey Island. Lemons and a Funnel (1949) by William Scott is similarly estimated. These two works are from the remarkable collection of Reeta and Frank Hughes of Warrenpoint. Dillon’s Tea Party which made €1.1 million at Adams last May was in this collection.
Mary Swanzy – Hilltop Town, South of France at Adams.
Cottages by the sea, a classical West of Ireland landscape by Paul Henry, has an estimate of €80,000-€100,000. It is one of three works by the artist here along with Old People watching a dance (€60,000-€80,000) and New Ross, 1939 (€70,000-€100,000). Sunset at Kilcoe, a vibrant work by William Crozier (€20,000-€30,000) and Tinker Whistling ‘O’Donnell Abu’ 1924 by Jack B Yeats (€70,000-€100,000) are deeply atmospheric works of art. Lovers of sculpture will find plenty to interest them with work by F.E. McWilliam, Oisin Kelly, John Behan, Edward Delaney and others among the 123 lots on offer in this auction.
At Sheppards on Thursday evening Robert Gemmell Hutchison’s ‘A Soldier’s Farewell’ c1890 is a powerful work that depicts a boy leaving home to go to war, with a mother and her children at the train station. It is one of five artworks – Exercising on the Gallops by Peter Curling, The Hawk by Michael Flatley, Warriors by John Behan and Maquette for Fire II by Nic Fiddian-Green – leading the sale with estimates of €10,000-€15,000.
A newly discovered portrait of Margaret Clarke of her aunt Bridget Crilley, Rosapenna (1909) by Percy French, Woman in a striped blouse by Mainie Jellett, Crouching Figure by Michael Quane and an untitled maquette for an installation at the Clonmel Campus of the Technological University of the Shannon by John Burke should generate significant interest. Viewing is underway at Sheppards and at Adams. The Overture by Mary Swanzy (€7,000-€10,000) was acquired directly from the artist during her stay at the Grand Hotel Pupp in Carlsbad (Karlovy Vary) by the legendary manager of the hotel Wolfgang Hama. Flowers in Crete (Study) by Norah McGuinness is a study for a work in the collection of the Crawford Gallery in Cork. The pastel is estimated at €1,200-€1,500).
Michael Quane – Crouching Figure (2011) at Sheppards
In New York more than 850 exceptional artworks spanning generations of art history will come under the hammer during Christie’s fall marquee week sales. At Sotheby’s modern evening auction in New York on Wednesday (November 18) four late works by Picasso from a European collection are expected to generate more than $40 million (€35.92 million) with individual estimates of more than $20 million (€17.96 million) on works by Magritte, Monet, Hopper and Cézanne in a sale of just 50 lots.