Elijah and the Ravens by Sean Keating UPDATE: THIS MADE 11,500 AT HAMMER
Elijah and the Ravens by Sean Keating (€10,000-€15,000) dates to 1940. It is a particular take on the Biblical story where Elijah was supposed to be protected and fed by ravens. In this work it seems as if Elijah is being attacked by the ravens. It is in fact a metaphor for the new Irish State which had offered so much protection and promise and had, in Keating’s view, achieved the exact opposite by its lack of support for the Dublin Metropolitan School of Art. This painting was lent by its then New York owner to the major Keating retrospective at the Municipal Gallery in Dublin opened by Eamon de Valera in 1963.
It is at the online Irish Art Auction at de Veres on March 24, on view now at Kildare St. in Dublin. There is art by Gerard Dillon, Dan O’Neill, Peter Curling, Barbara Warren, Liam O’Neill, Kenneth Webb and Mary Swanzy.
Peter Curling – Irish Weather. UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD
Punters who get lucky at Cheltenham this week could do worse that put their winnings into art. How about this painting by Peter Curling called Irish Weather which is based on a Point to Point? The oil on canvas comes up at de Veres sale of Irish art on March 24 with an estimate of €20,000-€30,000. The Final Furlong by Liam O’Neill has an estimate of €12,000-€18,000. These two paintings lead an auction of more than 200 lots. The catalogue is online.
Liam O’Neill – The Final Furlong. UPDATE: THIS MADE 16,500 AT HAMMER
Chess pieces created by Graham Knuttel. UPDATE: THE TABLE AND CHESS SET MADE €40,000
Affordable art and one expensive rarity feature at online sales ending at Adam’s and de Veres in Dublin next week. A collector wishing to enhance their holding or someone wanting to dip their toe into the market will find these sales a great place to uncover the unending joy and discovery of a journey into art. First get the eye in shape, then learn how to look. Who knows where it will lead?
The expensive rarity that is lot five at the timed online Graham Knuttel II sale at Adam’s which ends from 2 pm on February 10 is a limited edition chess table with a silver and bronze chess set from around 2003. One of an edition of 12 it was designed by artist Graham Knuttel (1954-2023) and furniture maker David Linley, first cousin of King Charles III. The square table with marquetry chess board top is by Linley, the black and white silver and bronze chess pieces by Knuttel. The estimate is €50,000-€80,000.
Everything else in this auction of 123 lots is more affordable. Estimates are from €300 up and most works are to be sold without reserve. There is a large selection of signed prints by the popular Dublin artist whose striking and distinctive art was collected by various celebrities and who designed stamps for An Post to commemorate the Beijing summer olympics of 2008.
His themes have become familiar and his colourful art features cats, fish, birds, sheep, chefs, portraits and sculpture.
The Sinking of the Titanic by Graham Knuttel UPDATE: THIS MADE €14,000 at hammer
The most expensively estimated painting is a relatively cheerful (under the adverse circumstances) work titled The Sinking of the Titanic with a deep blue sea, four calm characters in lifebuoy rings with bottles of some sort of hooch, circling sharks, a distant iceberg and the elevated stern of doomed ship. The estimate for this oil on canvas with disaster everywhere is €10,000-€15,000.
William Crozier, Elizabeth Brophy, Richard Croft, Michael Farrell, George Campbell, Brian Bourke, Hilda Van Stockum, Sean McSweeney and Barbara Warren are all featured at the timed online auction at de Veres which ends from 2 pm on February 11. Estimates range from €100 to €3,000.
It is an interesting selection with work by artists who might not be as well known as they deserve to be. Still Life, Red Teapot and Apples by Richard Croft (1935-2025), President of the Royal Ulster Academy from 1997-2000, is estimated at €600-€900. En Andeche et la Ruche from the Paris Press Series by Michael Farrell (1940-2000) is at €2,000-€3,000 the most expensively estimated work in the auction. It dates to 1977-78. Farrell represented Ireland at the Biennale de Paris in 1967 and there was a retrospective of his work at the Crawford in 2013-14.
The catalogue, which is online, will reward a slow trawl. Art which makes gazillions grabs headlines and can create the incorrect impression that the art market is the preserve of the rich. These two sales demonstrate that this is not the case. Get the eye in and good art can be acquired for little more than the cost of a night out in 2026.
Still Life, Red Teapot and Apples by Richard Croft at de Veres. UPDATE: THIS MADE 650 AT HAMMER
River Run Poppies by Kenneth Webb at Sheppards. UPDATE: THIS MADE 15,000 AT HAMMER
Old favourites and new names combine to make an interesting selection at art sales by Sheppards in Durrow, de Veres in Dublin and the newly formed Lot 100 which is based in Lismore in the coming week.
An arresting view of River Run Poppies by Kenneth Webb is the catalogue cover lot for Sheppard’s evening sale of Irish and international art on December 11. Choices here range from Donald Teskey’s take on Kilkee, a dramatic abstract composition by the Norwegian artist Thorvald Hellesen, an image of Samuel Beckett by Louis le Brocquy and houses by Mary Lou, a self taught painter from the Glens of Antrim.
Abstract Composition by Thorvald Hellesen at Sheppards. UPDATE: THIS MADE 26,000 AT HAMMER
Her contribution is an oil on board of a village in the west of Ireland in a bold, graphic style against a mountainous backdrop. A vibrant studio still life by Gladys MacCabe reflects a modernist style while a pen and ink drawing by Sir William Orpen was once in the collection of Ronnie Wood of the Rolling Stones. A Walled off Hotel box set by Banksy, a lithograph of Queen Beatrix from the Reigning Queen series by Andy Warhol, a screenprint of birdflight by Braque and a signed etching by Renoir of a seated bather are among the international lots on offer. The sale is on view in Durrow and the catalogue is online.
An Italian tinted mirror and tiered hall table at de Veres. UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD
The Christmas art and furniture online auction at de Veres on December 10 at 2 pm is headed by The Children of Lir, an oil on board by Patrick Collins. Artists in the sale include Peter Collis, Arthur Armstrong, William Carron, Yvonne Moore, Felim Egan, Mark Francis, Anne King Harman,Markey Robinson, Gerard Dillon and Patrick Scott.
There is a range of 20th century design furniture and period pieces by Hicks including a Georgian style semi-elliptical side table, a set of Dutch 18th century style dining chairs and a pair of compartmental wall mirrors. An Italian tinted and mirrored hall table and a pair of 1970’s black leather Swedish easy chairs cater for a contrasting taste in furniture.
An original and vintage portrait of Fellini’s Amarcord at Lot 100. UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD
A large scale, rare vintage poster for Federico Fellini’s Amarcord is among the highly collectible lots at the online auction by Lot 100 which runs until next Tuesday (December 9). Amarcord is set in his hometown of Rimini in the 1930’s and the extraordinary characters that surrounded him. Fellini commissioned the Italian painter Giuliano Geleng to create a portrait of some of the people and events that shaped his young life in this film classic.
There is art by Eithne Jordan, Joan Miro, Damien Hirst, Richard Long, Patrick Scott and a photographic portrait of Martin McDonagh by Steve Pyke in an eclectic selection that can be seen online and is on view this weekend in Lismore.
Roderic O’Conor, 1860-1940 – PAYSAGE AUX ARBRES (LANDSCAPE WITH TREES), c.1890
This small oil on canvas by Roderic O’Conor made a hammer price of €340,000 at de Veres on November 25. According to the art historian Jonathan Benington new evidence indicates that Paysage aux Arbres sits earlier in O’Conors chronology than previously thought and, as such, the picture should be viewed as a key turning point in his career. There is even a suggestion of striping in the foliage of several of the trees a hint of things to come 18 months later.
Other top lots at de Veres include Standing Blue by Sean Scully (€140,000), Cottages Connemara by Paul Henry (€130,000), Nature Morte by Roderic O’Conor (€115,000), Composition (1922) by Mainie Jellett (€70,000) and Aran Man (Self-Portrait) by Sean Keating (€65,000).
Cubist Landscape by Mary Swanzy at Adams. UPDATE: THIS MADE €38,000 AT HAMMER
Yeats, Henry, O’Conor, Clarke, O’Malley, Teskey, Jellett, Swanzy, Luke and other acclaimed Irish artists offer Ireland’s growing band of collectors an array of tempting choices at auction in the run up to Christmas.
The major winter sales of Irish art get underway in earnest next week with evening auctions by Morgan O’Driscoll on November 24, de Veres and Gormley’s on November 25 and Adam’s on the following evening. The sale of Important Irish Art at Whyte’s is on December 1.
There is something for all levels of the market at auctions where estimates range from €200 to €300,000. It is all art – teasing, lovely, intriguing, home and life enhancing. Even if the important c1890 Paysage aux Arbes (Landscape with Trees) by Roderic O’Conor at de Veres (€200,000-€300,000) is beyond the budget these sales offer plenty of options at price points within the range of many of us. O’Conor made this work at a key turning point in his career. The suggestion of striping in the foliage is a precursor to this feature in many of his later paintings..
A Coastal landscape with Galway Hookers by Paul Henry at Adams (€150,000-€200,000) was in the collection of late Taoiseach John A Costello. Believed to have been purchased directly from the artist in the 1930’s it is making its first every appearance at auction.
Still Life with Frying Pan and Eggs (1973) by William Scott at Morgan O’Driscoll. UPDATE: THIS MADE 4,200 AT HAMMER
An oil on canvas board by Yeats, Low Water, Spring Tide, Clifden (1906) leads Morgan O’Driscoll’s sale. The estimate is €40,000-€60,000. Morning Painting, Bahamas from 1983 by Tony O’Malley (€30,000-€50,000), Untitled by Sean Scully (€35,000-€45,000), Cardboard Leaves by Basil Blackshaw and St. Jean d’Acre entering Cork Harbour in 1853 by George Mounsey Wheatley Atkinson are among the top lots in an online sale with 271 lots.
The collection of former government minister Gemma Hussey and her husband Derry will form part of the offering of 132 lots at de Veres. Bad News by the Dublin artist Patrick Tuohy (1894-1930) from their collection is estimated at €14,000-€18,000. The artist was educated at St. Enda’s School, established by Padraig Pearse, and did illustrations for the school magazine. Distant Bird Song (€15,000-€25,000) and Self Portrait, Physicianstown (€1,500-€2,000) both by Tony O’Malley, Fair Day, Slovakia by Mary Swanzy (€10,000-€15,000) and Portrait of a Woman by Mainie Jellett (€2,000-€4,000) are all from the Hussey collection.
White Wings and White Water by Norah McGuinness at de Veres. UPDATE: THIS MADE 34,000 AT HAMMER
Provence by William Crozier (€15,000-€25,000), Morons by Banksy (€15,000-€20,000) and Le Marche Flottant and Evening Drag by Arthur Maderson (€12,000-€18,000) are the leading lots at Gormley’s.
The 150 lots at James Adam on Wednesday range from the late 19th century to the present day. In a Dublin Waxworks by Yeats (€70,000-€100,000) dated 1912 was previously in the collection of Garech Browne at Luggala. The Dublin Waxworks on Henry St. opened in 1893 and was a popular venue until it was burnt down during the 1916 Rising. An illustration by Harry Clarke from the 1925 publication of Goethe’s Faust (€30,000-€50,000) is one of 90 illustrations the artist made for the publishers George Harrap and Co. There is a similar estimate on Lighthouse by Donald Teskey which dates to 2017.
An Aubusson tapestry of Cuchulainn in Warp Spasm by Louis le Brocquy at Adams is estimated at €25,000-€35,000, as is Training Five Souls on Board, an oil on paper by Camille Souter (1929-2023). The artist had learned to fly aeroplanes and produced some of her best work on this theme. A Cublst Landscape by Mary Swanzy, Night Cargo by Hughie O’Donoghue and a bronze by Rowan Gillespie are all estimated at €20,000-€30,000. Night Cargo is the catalogue cover lot.
The sale of important Irish art at Whyte’s on December 1 will be led by The Great Sugarloaf, Co. Wicklow by Paul Henry and The Dead Tree by John Luke. Each is estimated at €100,000-€150,000.
Provence by William Crozier at Gormleys. UPDATE: THIS MADE 23,000 AT HAMMER
A walnut and gilt metal chest by Luciano Frigerio. UPDATE: THIS MADE 2,800 AT HAMMER
The appetite for design has grown greatly since de Veres first introduced sales of designer furniture and contemporary art in this country. Design classics by Eileen Gray, Mies Van Der Rohe, Arne Jacobsen, Niels Moller and Finn Juhl and contemporary labelled pieces by makers like Ligne Roset, Roche Bobois and Knoll will come under the hammer at de Veres current timed online art and design sale which runs until November 4.
This is the 25th design auction by de Veres, who have seen interest grow and grow. There is statement art by Anne Madden, Mainie Jellett, Manar Al Shouha, Patrick Scott, Donald Teskey and John Shinnors and many other artists whose work sits particulary well with mid 20th century design. The auctioneers say that this is their biggest and best sale to date. It will be on view at the RHA from November 1-4.
A wool rug handwoven to a design by Mainie Jellett by Ceadogan Rugs. UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD
Abstract Composition by Mainie Jellett (1897-1944). UPDATE: THIS MADE 32,000 AT HAMMER
Art by Louis le Brocquy, Paul Henry and Roderic O’Conor will lead Whyte’s sale of Irish and international art in Dublin on the evening of September 29. A total of 152 lots valued at over €1.2 million will come under the hammer. The catalogue cover lot is le Brocquy’s Image of Samuel Beckett from 1980 (€100,000-€150,000). In Connemara by Paul Henry has an estimate of €90,000-€120,000 and a self portrait by Roderic O’Conor has an estimate of €60,000-€80,000.
Abstract Composition by Mainie Jellett is estimated at €18,000-€22,000 and a watercolour with ink from le Brocquy’s Tinker series, Tinker Children at a Fair (1946) is estimated at €15,000-€20,000. Artists featured include Percy French, Rose Barton, Gerard Dillon, Dan O’Neill, Pauline Bewick, Rowan Gillespie, John Behan and Liam O’Neill.
Mother and Baby Achill by Lillian Lucy Davidson and Dublin Bay by Norah McGuinness are the top lots at the de Veres sale which runs until next Tuesday (September 30). Each is estimated at €7,000-€10,000. A total of 230 lots will come under the hammer by artists including Martin Gale, Frank McKelvey, Barbara Warren, Kenneth Webb, Kitty Wilmer O’Brien, Mark O’Neill and many more. Brown and White Cob by Basil Blackshaw (€12,000-€18,000) and Fire, from The Elements by Damien Hirst H6 (€8,000-€12,000) are the top lots at Gormley’s auction at Francis St. in Dublin at 7.30 pm next Tuesday. Catalogues for all these sales are online.
Dunquin Pier, Kerry by Sean O’Sullivan (1906-1964). UPDATE: THIS MADE 4,000 AT HAMMER
A ROSEWOOD SIDEBOARD, ITALIAN 1960’s, BY GIANFRANCO FRATTINI. UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD
This 1960’s sideboard with shelf gallery back, shaped drawer handles and metal legs by the Italian design master Gianfranco Frattini is lot 62 at de Veres timed online summer auction which runs until June 23. The estimate is €800-1,400. The auction offers design pieces by Missoni, Niels Vodder, Charles and Ray Eames and more. Included in the auction are Irish artworks by Markey Robinson, Cecil Maguire, Desmond Carrick and many more across 230 lots.
West of Ireland Bog by Paul Henry at Whyte’s. UPDATE: THIS MADE 125,000 AT HAMMER
An array of exciting choices will come up at major sales of Irish art in Dublin by Whyte’s, de Veres and James Adam on May 26, 27 and 28 respectively.
Art worth a couple million euro is set to change hands at sales headed by Paul Henry (Whyte’s), Gerard Dillon (de Veres) and Roderic O’Conor (Adams). All are on view this weekend.
Achill Horses by Mainie Jellett at Whyte’s. UPDATE: THIS MADE 210,000 AT HAMMER
A spectacular 1933 oil of Achill Horses (€70,000-€100,000) by Mainie Jellett will create interest among serious collectors. This modern abstract style was in marked contrast to the prevailing realist mode of her contemporaries like Paul Henry and Charles Lamb. Jellett was chosen to create murals of the life and people of Ireland for the Free State Pavilion at the Glasgow Empire Exhibition of 1938. Another version of Achill Horses is included in the Mainie Jellett and Evie Hone exhibition at the National Gallery until August 10.
The most expensively estimated work at all three sales is West of Ireland Bog by Paul Henry (€120,000-180,000). It is one of three works by the artist at Whyte’s where Cottages, West of Ireland (€60,000-€80,000) and Keel Bay, Achill (€50,000-€70,000) also feature. In Hill Fair at Achill Island by Letitia Hamilton (€15,000-€20,000) the viewer joins the busy scene through an uneven path between two large limestone rocks.
There is international art by John Atkinson Grimshaw, Ferdinand Roybet, Paula Rego, Bridget Riley and Maurice Poirson as well as a sketch of James Joyce by his close friend Frank Budgen. The auction offers major works by William Leech, Dan O’Neill, Colin Middleton and George Russell, Dublin scenes by Flora Mitchell, prints by Patrick Scott, William Scott and Louis le Brocquy, sculpture by Rowan Gillespie and John Behan and work by popular artists like Kenneth Webb, Graham Knuttel, Cecil Maguire and Arthur Maderson.
Little Girl’s Wonder by Gerard Dillon is the top lot at the art and sculpture sale by de Veres next Tuesday. In tune with the naive style and strong use of colour for which Dillon is known it was shown at The Irish Exhibition of Living Art in Dublin – set in 1943 up to promote modernism in Ireland – in 1955. This work is estimated at €50,000-€80,000.
Little Girl’s Wonder by Gerard Dillon at de Veres. UPDATE: THIS MADE 55,000 AT HAMMER
The sale at de Veres offers art by Louis le Brocquy, Colin Middleton, Daniel O’Neill, Patrick Collins, John Shinnors, Peter Curling, Lillian Davidson, George Russell (AE), May Guinness and Mainie Jellett. The sculpture in the auction, on view in the garden of the Merrion Hotel, includes work by Rowan Gillespie, F. E. McWilliam, Patrick O’Reilly, Jason Ellis and Michael Warren.
A reclining nude and a night scene of a boat in a storm, both by Roderic O’Conor and estimated respectively at €40,000-€60,000 and €15,000-€25,000, lead the sale of Important Irish Art at James Adam next Wednesday evening. A dreamlike image by Hughie O’Donoghue, The Sea, The Sea from 2003 is estimated at €15,000-€20,000. Among 100 lots on offer is The Path of the Lamb (1966), an oil on canvas commissioned by The Dominican Order for St. Saviour’s Church on Dominick St. in Dublin (€10,000-€15,000). Figures Asleep by Mary Swanzy from the 1940’s (€10,000-€15,000) shows a makeshift arrangement that possibly depicts neighbours sheltering during air raids. Two arresting and contrasting works by renowned artists are the dense and restrained Black and White Scarecrows by John Shinnors (€5,000-€8,000) and Silent Gardens, a colourful piece from 1985 by Tony O’Malley (€12,000-€15,000).
Convict Woman, a bronze by Rowan Gillespie (€8,000-€12,000) is based on one of the life size figures by the artist unveiled in Hobart, Tasmania in 2017 known as the footsteps toward freedom statues. It represents the 13,000 convict women and 2,000 of their children who were transported to Van Diemen’s Land. A selection of sculpture by John Behan and Oisin Kelly is also on offer. Viewing is underway and all catalogues are online.
Black and White Scarecrows by John Shinnors at Adams. UPDATE: THIS MADE 5,000 AT HAMMER
