antiquesandartireland.com

Eileen Gray.

THE Eileen Gray retrospective from the Centre Pompidou in Paris is moving to Dublin next October.  It will be at the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA) from October 12 to January 19, 2014.  The exhibition features drawing, lacquering, interior decorating, architecture and photography. It includes lacquer work, several of her carpet designs, samples from her Paris shop Jean Désert and key items of furniture from her work on the apartment of Madame Mathieu Levy and Gray’s own home, Tempe à Pailla.

Significant focus is given to her landmark piece of modernist architecture the French villa E-1027, built in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin in 1929, in close collaboration with Romanian architect Jean Badovici. The exhibition includes examples of furniture for E-1027, including the tubular steel designs with which Gray’s name has become synonymous.

Eileen Gray (1879-1976) was born near Enniscorthy, Co Wexford and spent most of her childhood between Ireland and London. After World War I, Gray moved to Paris. She died in France at the age of 98.

(See post on antiquesandartireland.com for February 20, 2013).

This blue and white “joined lotus” bottle vase made £679,650 at Bonhams. (Click on image to enlarge).

Bonhams specialist in Chinese works of art, Olivia Hamilton, will be in Ireland on June 11 and 12 for appraisals. Exceptional prices achieved so far this year include a rare blue and white garlic headed joined lotus bottle Qianlong vase, which sold for £679,650. Sales at Bonhams during Asian Art Week in London in May totalled over £12.7 million.  Bonhams is now inviting entries for the next Chinese sale in November, again timed to coincide with the next Asian Art Week.  The sale will be held in the newly renovated Bond St. salesroom, which is due to open in the autumn.

Bonhams maintains a presence in Ireland at Molesworth St. in Dublin.  Anyone interested in meeting Olivia Hamilton is advised to contact ireland@bonhams.com or via the Dublin office on 01 602 0990.

This Vox guitar was played by both John Lennon and George Harrison.  UPDATE: IT SOLD FOR $408,000

A guitar played by John Lennon and George Harrison, is to be exhibited at the Newbridge Silverware Museum of Style Icons in County Kildare from April 16 until May 8.  The Beatles’ guitar is being exhibited in Ireland prior to being sold by Julien’s Auctions in New York on May 18.  The Vox guitar, which was custom built by Mike Bennett and Dickey Denney, was gifted to “Magic Alex” Mardas by John Lennon in 1967.  It is estimated at $200,000-300,000.

The museum in Newbridge has acquired the 1963 coat designed by Hollywood designer Edith Head and worn by actress Tippi Hedren to the premier of The Birds.  Ms Hedren wore the coat at the premieres in Cannes and London. The coat was picked up  last weekend at the Hollywood Legends auction at Julien’s Auctions Beverly Hills gallery.  The museum displays articles associated with stars including Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe, Grace Kelly, Bette Davis,  Gloria Swanson, Barbara Streisand, Julie Andrews, Vivien Leigh, Elizabeth Taylor, Jean Simmons, Sarah Jessica Parker and Barbara Stanwyck.

An image of the mid-15th century cross; copyright National Museum of Ireland. (Click on image to enlarge).

A newly acquired mid-15th century copper alloy cross from Co. Waterford has just gone on view at the National Museum of Ireland, Kildare St., Dublin. The cross was donated by the Madden family on behalf of their late mother, Mrs. Bridget Madden (née Kelly) of Ferrybank, Waterford. Possibly from Caorbally, near Dunmore East, the cross was in in the possession of Mrs Madden’s family for several generations. Its exact provenance is unknown.
This is one of about a dozen later medieval period altar crosses known from Ireland. Such crosses were made in England in the 15th and 16th centuries and are found throughout western Europe. Relatively simple in design the front is decorated in a foliate pattern and the four evangelists are represented on the cross terminals and base. There is also an undecorated space on the front where a crucifixion figure would originally have been mounted. There is an ‘IHC’ monogram on the back of each terminal and on the base representing the Greek version of the first three letters of the name of Christ. It is mounted on a separate lobed pedestal, likely to be of a date later than the 15th century.