PAUL HENRY RHA (1876-1958) – Village by the Marsh (1934-1935) MADE 210,000 AT HAMMER
Village by the Marsh by Paul Henry made a hammer price of 210,000 at Morgan O’Driscoll’s Irish and International art online sale this evening. The oil on canvas, measuring 18.1 inches x 22.1 inches, had been estimated at 200,000-300,000. Through the Woods to the Sea by Jack B. Yeats made a hammer price of 115,000 over a top estimate of 70,000 and My River by Yeats made 80,000 at hammer, which was the top estimate.
Among the other hammer prices were: Composition by Mainie Jellett (46,000); The Tain, Deer Among Dolmens by Louis le Brocquy (38,000); Atlantic Famine Ship by John Behan (36,000); Blue and Brown Still Life with Knife by William Scott (34,000); Glendalough by Sir John Lavery (34,000); Seascape, Large Frigate off Haulbowline, Cork Harbour by George Mounsey Wheatley Atkinson (32,000); The Big Tree, Bantry Bay by Letitia M Hamilton (23,000); Composition by Mainie Jellett (25,000); Circus goes to the Island by John Shinnors (20,000); Leaving for Achill by William Henry Bartlett (18,000); Jessie’s Hearted Scarecrow and Moon by John Shinnors (18,000); Achill Sound by Markey Robinson (18,000); Under Lismore Bridge by Arthur Maderson (14,000), Exercising on a Cloudy Morning by Peter Curling (11,500); Sleep by Christopher le Brun (11,000) and Swollen Water by Hughie O’Donoghue (10,500).
Vortex Vessell – Orange/Red by Grainne Watts at Morgan O’Driscoll. UPDATE: THIS MADE 1,200 AT HAMMER
An arresting double walled thrown porcelain bowl with velvet underglaze by Grainne Watts sits comfortably among the sculptures at Morgan O’Driscoll’s Irish and International art sale. Titled Vortex Vessel – Orange/Red it is by an artist who has undertaken a number of public commissions. Work by Watts is represented in the Design and Crafts Council of Ireland collection and at the OPW. With highlights by Paul Henry and Jack B. Yeats the sale, which runs until November 1 is on view at the RDS in Dublin this Bank Holiday weekend. The catalogue is online.
A lost piece of Cork industrial history features at Fonsie Mealy’s Irish and International art sale at Castlecomer next November 16. A c1810 watercolour of a watermill attributed to Henry Brocas senior has been identified as likely to be the five storey mill that once stood in the village of Blarney beside the River Martin. The flax mill, owned by James B. O’Sullivan, flourished for several decades. Little remains of it today as it was demolished to make way for the Blarney Woollen Mills. Among more than 400 lots in the upcoming sale is a design by Daniel MacLise for a Cork Art Exhibition Medal in 1852.
Watermill thought to be O’Sullivan’s Mill at Blarney attributed to Henry Brocas at Fonsie Mealy
WILLIAM SCOTT (1913-1989) – Blue and Brown Still Life with Knife (1975). UPDATE: THIS MADE 34,000 AT HAMMER
Viewing gets underway at the RDS in Dublin today for the Irish and International online art sale by Morgan O’Driscoll on November 1. Pictured here is Blue and Brown Still Life with Knife, a gouache and pastel on paper by William Scott from 1975. It is estimated at 20,000-30,000. In a catalogue note to the work Dr. Peter Murray said: “Since the early 1930s, perhaps more than any other Irish artist of the twentieth century (apart from Jack Yeats), Scott’s work has been exhibited worldwide. In 1953, as well as showing at the Sao Paul Bienal, he was introduced by Martha Jackson (at whose New York gallery he had several exhibitions), to Jackson Pollock, Franz Kline and Mark Rothko. Five years later, he represented Britain at the Venice Biennale, and showed also at galleries in Turin, Milan, Munich and other cities.”
The sale is led by Village by the Marsh, a classical Paul Henry landscape, and there is art by Yeats, Lavery, Crozier, Shinnors and many more leading artists. The catalogue is online.
Village by the Marsh by Paul Henry. UPDATE: THIS MADE 210,000 AT HAMMER
A classical Paul Henry landscape leads an Irish and International art sale by Morgan O’Driscoll on November 1 which also boasts significant works by artists varying from Jack B. Yeats and Sir John Lavery to William Scott, William Crozier and John Shinnors. An impressive canvas by George Mounsey Wheatley Atkinson features a three masted frigate off Haulbowline in Cork Harbour in 1846 with a rowing boat in the foreground and a small paddle steamer in the background. It is estimated at €25,000-€35,000.
Village by the Marsh by Paul Henry is estimated at €200,000-€300,000. My River (1950) and Through the wood to the sea (1951) by Jack B Yeats are estimated respectively at €60,000-€80,000 and €50,000-€70,000. The auction is on view in Skibbereen today and tomorrow and at the RDS in Dublin from next Friday until October 31. The catalogue is online.
Seascape, Large Frigate off Haulbowline, Cork Harbour (1846) by George Mounsey Wheatley Atkinson. UPDATE: THIS MADE 32,000 AT HAMMER
STEVE BURGESS (B.1960) CANADIAN – Amongst the Reeds. UPDATE: THIS MADE 1,200 AT HAMMER
Amongst the Reeds by the Canadian artist Steve Burgess is lot 13 at Morgan O’Driscoll’s off the wall online art auction which runs until September 27. Steve Burgess is an internationally acclaimed wildlife artist. He explores the natural world through his artistic vision capturing the essence of nature through his detailed paintings. From the majesty of his North American wildlife scenes, to the drama of his African animals and contrasted with his British wildlife, Steve paints from a depth of knowledge and understanding. This work is estimated at 1,000-1,500. There is a wide range of art on offer in this sale and the catalogue is online.
The Changing Dawn by Jack B Yeats at Whyte’s. UPDATE: THIS MADE 220,000 AT HAMMER
The autumn selling season is underway with a vengeance. Art auctions, fairs and large sales of antiques and collectibles will keep many people busy next week. The choice confronting auction goers and collectors in Ireland right now is nothing short of dizzying. Collectors of art can sharpen their focus as viewings are underway in Dublin for sales of Important Irish Art by Whyte’s on September 26 and at James Adam on September 28. A trip to Dublin this weekend also creates an opportunity to drop in to Timeless, the Irish Antique Dealers Fair which continues at the RDS today and tomorrow.
The capital is exerting a strong pull but an online sale of affordable Irish art by Morgan O’Driscoll until Tuesday (September 27) offers opportunities to view in Skibbereen and a number of important sales around the country are on view too.Against a background where the Irish art market is growing year on year Whyte’s will offer two 1946 works by Yeats, The Changing Dawn (€250,0000-€350,000) and River Mouth (€200,000-€300,000). Among the artworks of a completely contrasting styles on the catalogue of 150 lots are William Scott’s Chinese Orange III (€40,000-€60,000), Black and White She Scarecrow by John Shinnors (€25,000-€35,000) and Stephen McKenna’s Interior Scene (€8,000-€10,000).
Chinese Orange III by William Scott at Whyte’s. UPDATE: THIS MADE 110,000 AT HAMMER
The choice at James Adam ranges from the late 19th century to the present day. A c1891 portrait by Roderic O’Conor, Le Marin Barbu (€60,000-€80,000) and a self portrait by Gerard Dillon titled Man on a chair (€50,000-€80,000) are the most expensively estimated lots. Fisherman with Lobster c1937 (€15,000-€20,000) by Charles Lamb which depicts Padraic Ghrealis of Rinn, Connemara was once a key work on the wall of Lambs Restaurant at the Seagoe Hotel in Portadown, hometown of the artist.Two paintings in the unmistakable Modern style of Norah McGuinness, Waterweeds and Day’s End, Dublin Bay – each estimated at €30,000-€40,000 – once adorned the walls of Ballymascanlon House Hotel near Carlingford in Co. Louth. A panoramic view of Clifden on a grand scale by Maurice MacGonigal comes with an estimate of €15,000-€20,000, as does Portrait of a Young Woman by Dan O’Neill.
Clown Dreaming by Gerard Dillon at Adams. UPDATE: THIS MADE 20,000 AT HAMMER
MICHAEL MCCARTHY (B.1941) – Lough Caragh, Co. Kerry (2001). UPDATE: THIS MADE 1,000 AT HAMMER
THIS oil on board of Caragh Lake with the Reeks in the background and an expansive Kerry sky by Michael McCarthy comes up as lot 15 at Morgan O’Driscoll’s off the wall online art auction which runs until September 27. Born in Mallow, Co. Cork he moved to Northern Ireland as a child and then to England where he attended Newark College of Art. After years in Australia he became, in 1992, artist in residence with the US Forest Service, spending a year in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. He has lived in Ireland since 1997. This work is estimated at 500-750.
Direct Provision by Brian Maguire at Morgan O’Driscoll. UPDATE: THIS MADE 1,100 AT HAMMER
The autumn Irish art selling season gets underway in a spirit of optimism this month. It kicks off with Morgan O’Driscoll’s online sale on September 12 and there will be auctions of Important Irish Art at Whyte’s, and Adams on September 26 and 28 respectively. At James Adam the belief is that there has never been a better time to sell Irish art. Price records continue to be broken at auctions. Sales of Important Irish Art at Adams in 2021 and 2022 have grossed over €8.5 million to date. The sale at Adams on September 28 will include art by Norah McGuinness, Roderic O’Conor, Daniel O’Neill, Louis le Brocquy and Hughie O’Donoghue.
The selection at Whyte’s is appetising. Here you will find work by Jack Butler Yeats, Roderic O’Conor, John Lavery, Seán Keating, Norah McGuinness, Harry Kernoff, Mainie Jellett, Colin Middleton, Grace Henry, William Scott, Pauline Bewick, Louis le Brocquy, John Shinnors, Donald Teskey, Joseph Edward Southall, Bob Dylan and many others. At the time of writing the catalogue for de Veres sale is not to hand. This is an auction house that rarely disappoints and you are likely to find a particularly good selection of fine contemporary Irish art.
Rivermouth by Jack B Yeats at Whyte’s. UPDATE: THIS MADE 180,000 AT HAMMER
With monthly online sales interspersed with auctions of Important Irish and International Art shown in normal times for viewing both in London and New York Skibbereen based Morgan O’Driscoll keeps the ball rolling more than any other auctioneer of art in Ireland. The online catalogue for the auction next Monday offers much to choose from. The selection ranges from Yeats, Harry Kernoff, Nano Reid, May Guinness and Colin Middleton to Pauline Bewick, Felim Egan, Tony O’Malley and the French born Los Angeles based Mr. Brainwash whose work he has been successfully selling in latter years.
Contemporary art is driven by the experiences of contemporary life. The artist Brian Maguire never shirks difficult subjects. He is driven by the struggle against inequality and violence and is represented in this sale by a challenging work entitled Direct Provision. It features faces, bright eyes and white teeth against a darkand brooding ground. The acrylic on paper is estimated at €2,000-€3,000. Now firmly established as a first world country where refugees seek a haven it is no harm to be reminded that we Irish among the dispossessed not too long ago. John Behan’s unique bronze Famine Ship, lot 89 at Morgan O’Driscoll with an estimate of €8,000-€12,000, is a reminder of a dark and risky past that still exists for others today. In the 21st century the focus has shifted from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean and the English Channel.
John Behan – West of Ireland, Famine Ship at Morgan O’Driscoll. UPDATE: THIS MADE 16,000 AT HAMMER
DAMIEN HIRST (B.1965) BRITISH – Pharmacy (1998 – 2003). UPDATE: THIS MADE 3,200 AT HAMMER
A complete set of Damien Hirst’s matchbooks from his Pharmacy restaurant comes up as lot 119 at Morgan O’Driscoll’s auction of Important Irish Art online until September 12. On offer is the complete set of 60 matchbooks with an estimate of 800-1,200. The catalogue is online and the sale will be on view in Skibbereen from September 8.
YAYOI KUSAMA (B.1929) – Love Was Infinitely Shining. UPDATE: THIS MADE €460 AT HAMMER
Work by the celebrated Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama does not turn up very often at auction in Ireland. This fine China plate, entitled Love was Infinitely Shining is lot 127 at Morgan O’Driscoll’s next online auction of Irish art which runs until August 8. The catalogue for the sale is online. The estimate for lot 127 is 400-600.
