antiquesandartireland.com

Fresh-to-market works by modern masters Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso and Fernand Léger from a Private American Collection lead Sotheby’s sale of Impressionist and Modern Art in New York on May 7.

The works by Matisse and Léger never before have appeared at auction, while Le Sauvetage by Picasso was last seen a decade ago. La Séance du matin is one of Matisse’s celebrated paintings from Nice in the 1920’s ($20-30 million); Le Sauvetage depicts Picasso’s muse Marie-Thérèse Walter in the early 1930’s ($14/18 million) and Deux figures et une fleur is an example of Léger’s monumental imagery of the post-war period ($3/5 million).

The collection will be on view at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Center from 3–7 April 3-7; at Sotheby’s London galleries from April 11-15 and in  New York from May 2.

Fernand Léger
Deux figures et une fleur UPDATE: IT MADE $6.325 MILLION.

Pablo Picasso
Le Sauvetage
Painted in 1932  UPDATE: IT SOLD FOR $31.5 MILLION.

Henri Matisse
La Séance du matin
Painted in 1924  UPDATE: IT MADE $19,205,000 MILLION

Patrick Hennessy RHA (1915-1980) The Long Road Home, Connemara sold for a hammer price of 16,000.

Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) Kathleen Joyce – sold for 33,500 at hammer.

The Irish art market received a shot in the arm this week at two sales in Dublin.  Following Tuesday’s successful outing at de Veres the works most sought after at James Adam’s sale of Important Irish Art sold for significantly above their high estimates.  The catalogue cover lot at the James Adam sale in Dublin last night – The Long Road Home by Patrick Hennessy – sold for a hammer price of 16,000.  This was significantly ahead of its top estimate of 10,000. A Still Life with Flowers by William John Leech made a hammer price of 23,000 over a top estimate of 15,000, Blue Gouache by William Scott made 31,000 at hammer over a top estimate of 20,000, Studio by Tony O’Malley made 15,000 over a top estimate of 10,000 and Colin Middleton’s Girl with Owl sold for 46,000.  The complete set of Tain illustrations by Louis le Brocquy made 29,000 at hammer, a small landscape by Paul Henry made 28,000 and 25 hand coloured plates of James Malton’s Dublin views made 20,000 at hammer over a top estimate of 12,000.

(See posts on antiquesandartireland.com for March 21 and March 5, 2014).

Roderic O’Conor (1860-1940) Still Life with a Compotier of Fruit made 72,000.

Louis le Brocquy’s Fantail Pigeons sold for 81,000 at de Veres in Dublin on March 25.  It was the top lot in a hotly contested Irish art auction where 75 per cent of lots on offer found buyers.  Girl With Stripes by Colin Middleton and  a Still Life by Roderic O’Conor each sold for 72,000.

Arkle Racing, Marlborough St. Dublin by John Doherty made 26,000 and La Geria by Tony O’Malley sold for 21,000.  Sweet Sir by Gerard Dillon made 17,000 and Hazel Clump by Barrie Cooke, who died this month, sold for 9,500.

(See post on antiquesandartireland.com for March 18, 2014)

LAURENCE STEPHEN LOWRY, R.A. – PICCADILLY CIRCUS, LONDON signed and dated 1960 sold for £5.1 million.

Piccadilly Circus, London was the top lot in the sale of the A.J. Thompson collection of art by L.S. Lowry at Sotheby’s in London on March 25.  It made £5.1 million in a sale where the combined total reach £15.2 million.

Frances Christie, Sotheby’s Head of Modern & Post-War British Art Department said:  “We are delighted with the results of tonight’s sale, which reflect the superb quality of the works that Tony Thompson collected so carefully over the course of three decades. His instinct to hone in on the very best examples of the artist’s work generated the enthusiastic response in the sale room. Underlying this evening’s success was notable international bidding for an artist who is typically considered to have a particularly British appeal. We saw participation from clients not only across Europe but also the US, demonstrating the widespread demand for this remarkable artist. These were collectors who were buying in this collecting category for the first time, as well as clients who were familiar to us but buying their first L.S. Lowry work. Tonight’s result is testament Tony’s passion for L.S. Lowry and his talent in assembling such an extraordinary collection.”