Even though he made it at a time when he was confronting his own mortality there is a sense of exuberance, joy even, in this late painting by Yeats. Running Man dates to 1947, the year the artist lost his wife Cottie, and centres on a male figure running alone in an open space, towards the viewer. This small work in a classical Yeats west of Ireland setting is full of life, action, mystery and movement. It highlights Dolan’s art auction online from May 17 – 26. In a catalogue note Dr. Roisin Kennedy writes: “The focus on the figure’s physicality reflects what Samuel Beckett described as Yeats’s paintings’ embodiment of ‘the impenetrability of the world, and the subject’s helpless solipsism before it…’ Once in the collection of Nol Gogarty it is estimated at €100,000-€150,000.
Evie Hone HRHA (1894-1955) – Study for Stained Glass Window. UPDATE: THIS MADE 850 AT HAMMER
This gouache on paper study for a stained glass window by Evie Hone is at Morgan O’Driscoll’s current Off the Wall online auction which runs until May 19. From a private collection it is estimated at €500-750. The sale offers a wide variety of art from Arthur Maderson and Graham Knuttel to Percy French and Kenneth Webb. The catalogue is online.
Alberto Giacometti – Grande Tete Mince (Grande Tete de Diego)
This bust by Giacometti of his brother Diego, once in the collection of Marguerite and Aime Maeght, failed to sell at Sotheby’s in New York last night. The headline lot of the auction had been estimated at around $70 million, but the bids made failed to reach this figure. The work from 1955 was shown at the 1956 Venice Biennale. The Modern evening auction realised $196,225,600. The top lot of the evening was Homme Assis by Picasso which made $15.1 million. Leaves of a Plant by Georgia O’Keeffe made £12.9 million and La Traversee difficile by Magritte made $10 million.
See post on antiquesandartireland.com for May 1, 2025
CLAUDE MONET – PEUPLIERS au bord de l’Epte, crépuscule
Monet’s Peupliers au bord de l’Epte, crépuscule made $43 million and set a new record for his celebrated Peupliers series at Christie’s in New York last night. The sale total for the collected works of Leonard and Louise Riggio and the 20th Century evening sale was $489 million, with $272 million for the Riggio collection and $217 for the 20th Century sale. The sales were 99% sold by lot and 98% sold by value.
The top lot of the evening was a Mondrian canvas – Composition with Large Red Plane, Bluish Gray, Yellow, Black and Blue – which made $47.6 million. It was from the Riggio collection. This is among the top three prices for the artist at auction. The sale was further highlighted by Magritte’s L’empire des lumieres which made $35 million, and a portrait of Lee Miller by Picasso, which made $28 million.
See posts on antiquesandartireland.com for May 4 and February 21, 2025
Maria Spilsbury – Portrait of Jane Bryan of Cong at Adams. UPDATE: THIS MADE 8,000 AT HAMMER
Art from Irish old masters to the contemporary will take centre stage at auctions by Morgan O’Driscoll on May 12, Sheppards on May 14 and Adams on May 15.
The catalogue cover lot for the Irish Old Masters evening sale at Adams is an arresting portrait of Jane Bryan of Cong by Maria Spilsbury (€8,000-€10,000). The London born artist relocated to Ireland in 1813. Her work is represented in major institutional collections like the National Gallery of Ireland, the British Museum, Tate Britain and the Museum of Methodism in London. Spilsbury painted portraits, genre scenes and religious work. Her depiction of Patron’s Day at the Seven Churches, Glendalough c1816 at the National Gallery is regarded as one of the most significant visual records of early 19th century devotional life in Ireland.
The most expensively estimated painting in the sale is Figures by the Temple in the Park at Mount Merrion by William Ashford (€50,000-€80,000). The auction offers a choice of Irish landscapes by artists like James Arthur O’Connor, Thomas Roberts, George Mullins, William Sadler and George Barret. There are portraits by Hugh Douglas Hamilton, Nathanial Hone, Robert Hunter and others along with seascapes by Edwin Hayes, Richard Brydges Beechey and John Thomas Serres. The sale kicks off with six etchings and engravings by James Barry, offers a set of Malton’s Views of Dublin and a preparatory scheme for the mythological murals at Lyons, Co. Kildare by Gaspare Gabrielli among 66 lots.
Ya Tsai Chiu (1949-2013) – Female Profile at Morgan O’Driscoll. UPDATE: THIS MADE 32,000 AT HAMMER
Two names from the east stand out in Morgan O’Driscoll’s current online auction. Ya Tsai Chiu paints gracefully elongated figures that, though different, somehow recall Modigliani while the sensitive female subjects of Zhao Kailin are endowed with a wistful, enigmatic quality. Both artists have wide appeal and thriving market records.
The auction offers highly collectible work by Peter Curling, Donald Teskey, Michael Flatley, Evie Hone, Mr Brainwash, Dan O’Neill, Conor Fallon, Sean Scully and many other artists. A study of The Grey Mare, Renvyle was painted in 1933 by Harry Kernoff. A le Brocquy tapestry titled Shimmering Light was woven by Donegal Carpets in 1956 and George Campbell’s affectionate study of flamenco performers has all the elan of a man who could play the guitar and well as wield the brush.
Graham Knuttel – Still Life Table Top at Sheppards. UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD
An Aubusson tapestry, Garlanded Goat by le Brocquy, leads the Irish and International art auction at Sheppards with an estimate of €80,000-€120,000. Emer, a unique life sized bronze horse by Anthony Scott, is a significant example of Irish contemporary bronze sculpture. Scott’s sculpture dedicated to the champion racehorse Sea the Stars was unveiled at the National Stud by the late Queen Elizabeth during her State visit to Ireland. Sheppards estimate this one at €30,000-€50,000.
Among 166 lots In Memory by Daniel O’Neill was last at auction at The Irish Sale at Christie’s in 2007. It is now estimated at €20,000-€30,000. A rare Still Life with Jug and Shapes by William Crozier, painted in oil on a tin metal tray, is estimated at €2,000-€3,000. There is a similar estimate on a Taurus watercolour by Pauline Bewick. With art by Markey Robinson, Arthur Maderson, Evie Hone, Fr. Jack Hanlon, Mark O’Neill, Henry Healy, Roderic O’Conor, Melanie le Brocquy, Michael Mulcahy, John Doherty, Michael Hales, Hughie O’Donoghue, John Luke and many more renowned Irish artists this sale has much to hold the interest.
Howard Helmick – Whiskey by the Hearth at Adams. UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD
19th century pitch pine bookcase at Victor Mee’s sale of contents from the St. Louis Convent in Monaghan. UPDATE: THIS MADE 3,400 AT HAMMER
A once off selection of antique furniture, lighting, religious art and ecclesiastical brass will come under the hammer at Victor Mee’s live online sale of contents from the St. Louis Convent in Monaghan and other clients on May 13 and 14 at 6 pm on both days. A selection of one off pieces is led by a large 19th century six door bookcase with a realistic estimate of just €800-€1,200. A 19th century pitch pine bookcase, another very large piece, has an estimate of €600-€1,200. At the other end of the sale is a striking pair of 1970’s leather club chairs by Bart van Bekhoven (€800-€1,200). Oak refectory tables and a French gilded six branch chandelier are among the standout lots.
Pub mirrors are highly collectible and Aidan Foley will offer a number of them at his online sale next on May 12 and 13 at 6 pm on each day. A rare Watts Tyrconnell Pure Pot Still Whiskey mirror and a large Jameson Whiskey mirror lead the pack. There are concert posters of Limerick interest featuring U2 and The Pogues at The Savoy and a large selection of hotel furniture. The catalogue is online and the auction is on view until Monday at the old Cleeves Toffee factory in Limerick.
UPDATE: THE SALE BY VICTOR MEE HAS BEEN PUT BACK TO MAY 20-21.
A large Jameson Whiskey mirror at Aidan Foley’s sale. UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD
Anne Primrose Jury HRUA – Errigal, Donegal. UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR €571
This oil on board of Mount Errigal by Anne Primrose Jury is at the online sale of Irish Paintings by Adams Blackrock which runs until May 21. Under new ownership the company has moved to 17 Kildare St. in Dublin and three online sales, jewellery and watches, antiques and furniture and Irish paintings are all live online and running until May 21. This painting is estimated at €500-€600 and the catalogues for all three sales are online.
FELIM EGAN (1952 – 2020) – CANARY (2007). UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD
This meditative composition by Felim Egan is lot 20 at Sheppards Irish and International art sale on May 14. The restrained geometry and tonal shifts create an atmosphere of stillness—typical of Egan’s singular contribution to Irish abstraction. The surface is finely worked, suggesting multiple veils of pigment applied over time. His minimalist compositions, built up in semi-translucent layers, earned him international recognition. The artist received the Gold Award at Cagnes-sur-Mer and his work is held in collections such as the Irish Museum of Modern Art and the European Parliament. This acrylic on canvas is estimated at €3,000-€5,000. There are 166 lots in the auction and the catalogue is online.
Peter Curling – A mistake by the leader. UPDATE: THIS MADE 16,000 AT HAMMER
A mistake by the leader is the arresting title of this oil on canvas by Peter Curling at Morgan O’Driscoll’s Irish art online auction which runs until May 12. Not the only leader to make a mistake, you cry. The oil on canvas by one of our most renowned painters of horse racing in action is estimated at €15,000-€25,000. It was previously with the Tryon Gallery in London before entering a private collection. The catalogue for the sale is online.
Roy Lichtenstein – Reflections: Art at Sotheby’s. UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR $5,479,000
In a tough year for the global art market the big May New York art sales this month are seriously slimmed down but nonetheless offer rich pickings for collectors with deep pockets untroubled by market turmoil.
Auction data, the only section of the opaque art market with sales that can be computed accurately, indicates that overall turnover declined last year for the third year in a row. At blue chip levels there are very few categories where the value of art has gone up in the past two years. Add global uncertainty, tariffs and changing collecting habits to the mix and … who can tell.
Piet Mondrian – Composition with Large Red Plane, Bluish Grey, Yellow, Black and Blue from the Riggio collection at Christie’s. UPDATE: THIS MADE $47,560,000
Better news for collectors is that last year more art than ever was sold at auction – for less money. Record auction numbers for artworks at less than €500 or €1,000 is not what floats the boat at senior management levels at big auction houses and major international galleries but it does show that love for art is widespread.
A mere 37 lots will feature at Christie’s 20th century evening sale on Monday May 12 with 42 at the 21st century evening sale on May 14. There will be 65 lots at Sotheby’s Modern evening auction in New York on May 13 and 43 lots at the Now and Contemporary evening auction on May 15. Totals at both houses will be boosted by the sales of lots from the collection of gallerist Barbara Gladstone ($12 million – €10.52 million) along with works from the collection of Dorothy and Roy Lichtenstein (Sotheby’s) and selected works from the collection of Barnes and Nobel founder Len Riggio and his wife Louise (Christie’s) valued at $250 million (€219.20 million).
Paul Signac Saint George. Couchant (Venise) showing the facade of San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice at Sunset at Sotheby’s. UPDATE: THIS MADE $8,102,000
Art by Mondrian, Magritte, Picasso, Giacometti, Warhol from the Riggio Collection will excite the interest of worldwide collectors and has been toured in advance to London, Paris, Hong Kong, Dubai and Los Angeles. Len Riggio died last year and his widow is downsizing from her Park Avenue apartment.
The 21st century evening sale at Christie’s reflects the seismic shifts over the last 50 years in the art landscape. There is art by Jean Michel Basquiat, Ed Ruscha, Cecily Brown, Julie Mehretu, Simone Leigh, Lisa Brice, Louis Fratino and others.
The Modern evening auction at Sotheby’s features artworks that capture the spirit of artists of the late 19th and early 20th centuries who dared challenge established norms. There is work by Picasso, Giacometti, Magritte, Monet, Delauney, Schiele, Matisse, Munch and Signac included.
Lisa Brice – Midday Drinking Den, After Embah I and II at Christie’s. UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR $2,954,000
