antiquesandartireland.com

Gerard Dillon (1916-1971)
HOME WITH THE CATCH

Gerard Dillon’s Home with the Catch was the top lot at Whyte’s sale of Important Irish art in Dublin on May 26.   The  classic west of Ireland image made a hammer price of 60,000.  The work depicts a young family making their way home through the village with the daily catch of fish. The artist first visited the west in 1939 and became enchanted by the people and the scenery.  This was a major theme of his work throughout the 1940’s and ’50’s.  Colin Middleton’s Seated Figure made 25,000 and Trees by Mary Swanzy sold for 22,000.

Among the international artists in the sale Andy Warhol’s Be a Somebody with a Body sold for 50,000 and Love is in the Air by Banksy made 15,000.

(See posts on antiquesandartireland,com for May 22 and May 17, 2014)

Andy Warhol (USA, 1928-1987)
BE A SOMEBODY WITH A BODY, 1985

Mary Swanzy HRHA (1882-1978)
TREES

Colin Middleton MBE RHA (1910-1983)
SEATED FIGURE: 6.72 [1972]

Potted Chrysanthemums by Sanyu.

The Asian 20th century and contemporary art evening sale at Christie’s in Hong Kong achieved US$60,640,488. The top lot was Potted Chrysanthemums by Sanyu which made US$5,966,784.  Eagles by Xu Bihong made US$3,208,896 and No. 229 by Chu Teh-Chun sold for US$3,063,744.

The sale of important Irish art at Whyte’s in Dublin on May 26 contains much of huge interest. There are works by Yeats, Orpen, Swanzy, Jellett, Osborne, Henry, Dillon, le Brocquy and many more.  The catalogue is online.  Here is a small selection:

Sir John Lavery RA RSA RHA (1856-1941) A street in Tangier (20,000-30,000)  UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD

Markey Robinson (1918-1999)
HOOKERS RETURNING (1,000-1,500)  UPDATE: THIS MADE 1,500

Vivienne Roche RHA (b.1953)
SURGE I, 2003 (2,000-3,000)  UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD

Mainie Jellett (1897-1944)
PAINTING, 1930 (20,000-30,000)  UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD

Paul Henry RHA (1876-1958)
TURF STACKS WITH MOUNTAIN BEYOND, c.1940 (15,000-20,000)  UPDATE: THIS MADE 21,000

Rene Gruau (1909 – 2004)
Hat for Jean Barthet for AD Design 1960, Ink. (£8,000).

A selling exhibition of original fashion illustrations will be held by Gray M.C..A. to coincide with London Fashion Week next September.  It will include more than 40 original works by some of leading British, European and American illustrators of the period from the post war 1940’s through to the 1970’s.  There is work by Rene Bouche, Rene Gruau and Carl Erickson for publications and advertising including Vogue and L’Oreal as well as original designs for Dior, Biba, Zandra Rhodes and Bellville Sassoon.  The exhibition will be held from September 11 to September 18 at Gallery 8, St. James’s.

WILLIAM HOLMAN HUNT,
O.M., R.W.S. (1827–1910)
Isabella and the Pot of Basil (£5-8 million)  Courtesy Christie’s Images Ltd., 2014 UPDATE: IT SOLD FOR £2,822,500, A RECORD PRICE FOR THE ARTIST AT AUCTION

One of the best known and loved Pre-Raphaelite masterpieces by William Holman Hunt (1827-1910) depicting the tragic heroine of John Keats’ epic poem Isabella and the Pot of Basil will lead Christie’s sale of Victorian, Pre-Raphaelite and British Impressionist Art in London on June 17 .   The picture depicts part of the story after Isabella’s brothers have murdered her lover Lorenzo.  She has disinterred the corpse and buried the head in a pot of basil:

And she forgot the stars, the moon, and sun

And she forgot the blue above the trees,

And she forgot the dells where waters run

And she forgot the chilly autumn breeze;

She had no knowledge when the day was done

And the new morn she saw not; but in peace

Hung over her sweet Basil evermore

and moisten’d it with tears unto the core

William Holman Hunt was  a founder member of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. It is sold to benefit the Delaware Art Museum in America and is estimated at £5,000,000-8,000,000.

Andy Warhol, Henry Moore, Damien Hirst, Joan Miro, Alex Katz and Banksy make for an international selection at Whyte’s next sale of Important Irish Art in Dublin on May 26.  The sale is dominated by Irish art and artists. Lots 116-170 comprises works from The Taylor Gallery in Belfast which is in administration.  The gallery had established a reputation not just for Irish paintings and sculpture, but works by international artists as well.  The Taylor collection includes two watercolours by Louis le Brocquy and vibrant watercolours by Neil Shawcross.  Here are some of the international works.  The catalogue is online.

Andy Warhol (USA, 1928-1987)
VAN HEUSEN (RONALD REAGAN), FROM ADS, 1985 Number 3 from an edition of 190 (10,000-15,000).  UPDATE: THIS MADE 9,500

Banksy (British, b.1974)
LOVE IS IN THE AIR, 2003 Number 417 from an edition of 500 (5,000-7,000).  UPDATE: THIS MADE 15,000

Henry Moore OM CH FBA (British, 1898-1986)
TREE FIGURE, 1979 Number 1 from an edition of nine (3,000-5,000).  UPDATE: THIS MADE 7,200

Alex Katz (USA, b.1927)
BLACK HAT IV, 2012. Number 11 from an edition of 50. (3,000-5,000).  UPDATE: THIS MADE 8,000