There is an interesting provenance to this 19th century High Gothic Revival hall mirror at Mullen’s timed classic and contemporary interiors auction which runs until February 26. Lot 192 at this auction of 894 lots last came up at the Shelton Abbey, Arklow sale in 1950. That auction on behalf of the Earl of Wicklow was conducted by Allen & Townsend, Dublin and Clark, Delahunt of Wicklow. The mirror, in the manner of Augustus Pugin, has arched gothic plates in a cluster column and a gilt foliate capped frame. Lot 192 is estimated at €1,500-€2,500.
Francis Bacon – Self-Portrait (1969). UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR $34,622,500
Francis Bacon’s landmark Self-Portrait from 1969 is among 16 exceptional modern and post war paintings from the collection of S.I. Newhouse to be sold at Christie’s in New York next May. There are masterworks by artists including Picasso, de Kooning, Jasper Johns, Roy Lichtenstein, Brice Marden and Lee Bontecou.The Bacon portrait is estimated at in excess of $20 million and the entire collection at more than $144 million.
Alex Rotter, Christie’s Chairman, 20th and 21st Century Art, remarked: “S.I. Newhouse’s brilliance was undeniable and his art collecting held a rare quality of excellence. As a collector, he bought and sold with the deepest levels of consideration and intention—which over decades, led to the evolution of a singular collection. Last November, we saw with the Collection of Paul. G. Allen that the market for true masterpieces is as strong as ever. Building on this momentum, we could not be prouder to present this selection of masterpieces from the S.I. Newhouse Collection this May.”
S.I. Newhouse (1927-2017) ranks among the most revered connoisseur art collectors in modern history. He is credited with redefining the contemporary art market in the 1980s, with his acquisition of Jasper Johns’s False Start; in the 1990s, with his acquisition of Andy Warhol’s Orange Marilyn; and in the 2010s, with the 2019 sale of Jeff Koons’ 1986 sculpture Rabbit at Christie’s New York for $91,075,000, establishing the record price for work by any living artist. As the co-owner of a media empire that included Condé Nast, publisher of leading publications such as The New Yorker, Vogue, Vanity Fair, and Architectural Digest, as well as newspapers across America, Mr. Newhouse was a visionary cultural figure whose enduring impact continues to inform and inspire generations worldwide.
Sean Scully – Floating Diptych Black White. UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR $279,400
Floating Diptych Black White by Sean Scully comes up at a timed online sale running at Sotheby’s in New York on February 23. The oil on aluminium in two parts was acquired by the present owner at Galerie Lelong, New York in 1997, the year in which it was executed. Lot 114 at Part II of the Mallin Collection is now estimated at $30,000-40,000.
The sale embodies Joel and Sherry Mallins’ unique and innovative curatorial eye. Incorporating a variety of media and artists, from sculptures by Robert Irwin, Michael Heizer, Tau Lewis, and Tara Donovan to video artworks by Marina Abramovic and Ann Hamilton. The sale provides a glimpse into the remarkable works of art that emerge from the Mallin’s legendary Buckhorn Sculpture Park and Artbarn in Pound Ridge, New York.
This pine bar back with barley twist columns and tongue and groove backing comes up as lot 304 at Victor Mee’s three day Normal People pub memorabilia and collectibles sale. On offer are contents from Killoran’s Pub, Tubbercurry, Co. Sligo. The pub was used for the filming of the global TV hit and Emmy and Golden Globe nominated Normal People, based on the novel by Sally Rooney. A total of 1,378 lots will come under the hammer during three days of sales on February 28, March 1 and March 2. UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD
PAUL HENRY – COTTAGES BY THE LAKE. UPDATE: THIS MADE 120,000 AT HAMMER
Is it Kerry or Connemara? A little bit of mystery surrounds the location of a small classical work by Paul Henry at the James Adam spring sale of Important Irish Art on March 1. The title of this 1930’s work is Cottages by the Lake, Outer Killary, Connemara. The late art historian Dr. Brian Kennedy, author of the catalogue raisonne on Paul Henry, thought otherwise. He reckoned that that this might well be a Co. Kerry painting possibly mislabelled at a gallery. In the mid 1930’s Henry produced a number of Kerry landscapes using similar type brushstrokes. Last at auction in 1977 Adams now estimate it at around €120,000.
The auction will include a selection of works from the collection of senior counsel Paddy McEntee including eight lots by Edward McGuire RHA. Seven are portraits. In a catalogue note Aidan Dunne writes that the renowned defence barrister was a committed supporter of the artist. Brian Fallon, whose portrait is included, wrote that McGuire was “possibly thefinest portrait painter of his generation, and was possibly the finest portraitist since John Butler Yeats”. There are portraits of Nobel laureate Sean McBride, painter Patrick Collins and writers and poets Sidney Bernard Smith, John Jordan and Paul Durcan. The McEntee collection includes three full sized cartoons by Harry Clarke for stained glass windows, two for the Church of the Assumption, Bride Street in Wexford and a single lancet window Church of Ireland in Killiney. The Wexford windows are among a very small number in memory of soldiers who fell in WWI in Catholic churches. Executed in 1918 they commemorate Lt. William Henry O’Keefe who was killed at the age of 21. The Killiney window commemorates local solicitor Clifford Lloyd who lived at Ayesha Castle, now home to the musician Enya.
Edward McGuire – Portrait of the artist Patrick Collins. UPDATE: THIS MADE 5,500 AT HAMMER
STRANGE DAYS, 2003- JIM FITZPATRICK (B.1946). UPDATE: THIS MADE 19,000 AT HAMMER
Strange Days 2003 by Jim Fitzpatrick, which depicts singer-songwriter Sinéad O’Connor comes up as lot 89 at Whyte’s sale of Important Irish Art on March 6. Originally commissioned for Dublin nightclub, Lillie’s Bordello it was ultimately purchased by the sitter at her then husband’s insistence – he didn’t like the idea of an image of his naked wife on display in a nightclub! It references Roderic O’Conor’s Reclining Nude (NGI) – in turn a tribute to Velázquez’ Rokeby Venus. The oil on canvas is estimated at €20,000-30,000.
The view through the window shows the Pigeon House area of Dublin, an area of particular significance for O’Connor – she was living nearby at the time and it was included at her request. Jim Fitzpatrick is a Dublin born painter and graphic designer whose work draws strongly on Ireland’s Celtic mythology. For the past forty years his work has become familiar to many in the form of posters, book jacket designs and album covers. He has also written and illustrated numerous books and designed a stained-glass window for Bewley’s Café‚ in Mary Street, Dublin. He created the graphic reproduction of Alberto Korda’s photograph of Ché Guevara that has become a worldwide icon. He has long been a friend of O’Connor’s and designed the cover for her album Faith and Courage released in 2000.
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce from the first English edition published by The Egoist in 1916 leads Fonsie Mealy’s online rare book and collectors sale. The first English edition, one of only 750 copies of Joyce’s first novel, is estimated at €1,500-2,000. The online timed sale opens today and runs until March 1. The catalogue is online and there will be viewing in Castlecomer on February 27 and 28. The selection on offer ranges from Brian Merriman to Edna O’Brien, Seamus Heaney to Liam O’Flaherty, Anthony Trollope to John McGahern.
There is an album and record sleeve signed by Jimi Hendrix, a complete set of Georgian Society records, a set of 18th century Georgian Society architectural records and a Brazil jersey signed by Pele among the 945 lots.
The Codex Sassoon is set to become the most valuable historical document or manuscript ever at auction when it is sold at Sotheby’s in May. This bridge from the ancient Dead Sea Scrolls to the Bible of today is estimated to make $30-$50 million. It has been dated as the earliest, most complete definitive text of its kind. Dating to the late 9th early 10th century it is the most complete extant Hebrew Bible. It is named for its prominent modern owner David Solomon Sassoon (1880-1942) and comes to auction from the renowned collection of Jacqui Safra. The auction is to take place in New York in May alongside Sotheby’s marquee sales of Contemporary and Modern Art. UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR $38.1 MILLION
Lucian Freud, Scillonian Beachscape (1945-46) (£3,500,000-5,500,000). UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR £4,602,000
Lucian Freud’s fascination with the natural world is underlined by two rare paintings at the 20th/21st century evening sale at Christie’s on February 28. Scillonian Beachscape (1945-46) is one of a handful of works inspired by a formative visit to the Isles of Scilly, accompanied by his close friend, the artist John Craxton. During the trip, Freud created a number of drawings and completed this canvas when he returned to London. Garden from the Window (2002) offers a rare glimpse beyond the studio walls and belongs to a series depicting Freud’s garden at 138 Kensington Church St. in London. Christie’s expect that both works, formerly in the renowned collection of Simon Sainsbury, will resonate with collectors especially given the fact that the National Gallery, London centenary retrospective entitled Lucian Freud; New Perspectives transfers this month at the Thyssen Bornemisza in Madrid.
In 1906 Edvard Munch was commissioned to paint the frieze on Max Reinhardt’s avant-garde theatre in Berlin. Dance on the Beach, the last of 12 canvases and one of the first immersive installations ever, is at Sotheby’s Modern and Contemporary sale on March 1. This sale boasts a Picasso portrait of his little daughter Maya born to Marie Therese Walther titled Fillette au bateau (Maya). Her birth sparked a creative rejuvenation at a time of personal crisis after a lengthy divorce battle and a worsening political situation in Europe. Picasso painted Maya’s portrait no less than 14 times between January 1938 and November 1939.
Pablo Picasso – Fillette au bateau (Maya) UPDATE: THIS MADE £18 MILLION
