Patrick Hennessy RHA (1915-1980) – Portrait of Eva Hempel
This portrait at Whyte’s auction of important Irish art in Dublin on May 25 stirs up memories of another deeply troubled time in world affairs. The subject of Patrick Hennessy’s portrait, Eva Hempel, was wife of Hitler’s envoy in Dublin Dr. Eduard Hempel. Though not at the time a member of the Nazi party the career diplomat was appointed as ‘Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of the German Reich’ in Dublin by Adolf Hitler in 1937. He was pressured to join the Nazi Party in 1938 and continued to represent the Third Reich in Ireland until 1945. Dr Hempel commissioned portraits of each of his family members by the then emerging Cork artist Patrick Hennessy. The portraits were made at Dr Hempel’s official residence on Sloperton Road, Dún Laoghaire and it was to this address that then Taoiseach Éamon de Valera famously called to express the Free State’s condolences following Hitler’s death in 1945. The house was destroyed in an arson attack in the early 1950’s and the remains demolished in 1955.
After the War, Dr Hempel resigned his diplomatic post and the family was granted asylum in Ireland. He was not allowed to work and Eva supported the family by running a confectionary and bakery. Berthold, one of their sons died in Dublin in 1948 from a brain tumour. The family returned to Germany in 1950 where Hempel helped set up a diplomatic service for the new Federal Republic. The portrait remained in the collection of the Hempel family. It was last sold at the estate sale of their collection in Munich in 1994 and has been in a private collection. Lot 38 is estimated at €4,000-6,000. Whyte’s sale will offer 132 lots of Irish art with an overall value of €1.4 million.
George I coffee pot with side handle by Thomas Walker, Dublin (1726)
The National Antique Fair at Limerick Racecourse next weekend, magnificent jewels in Geneva and Irish art in London are among upcoming events which will draw large numbers of collectors to the fascinating world of art, antiques and collectibles at all price points this month.
Among the many treasures for which the hunt is hotting up are an antique Irish silver coffee pot, a Georgian officers gorget or throat covering from the Royal Meath Militia, vintage fashion and Irish art and collectibles at the Limerick fair, a Cartier diamond necklace at Christie’s in Geneva on November 12, jewellery from the Royal Court of Bulgaria at Sotheby’s in Geneva on November 13, masterpieces by William Orpen and John Lavery at Sotheby’s Modern British and Irish art evening sale in London on November 14 and a selection of Irish art from Paul Henry, George Mounsey Wheatley Atkinson and Nano Reid to contemporary works by Jack Coulter, Richard Hearns, John Behan, Orla de Bri and more at Sotheby’s day sale in London on November 15.
Eily Henry vintage fashion will feature this headwear at the National Antiques Fair in Limerick
Opening times for the National Antiques, Art and Vintage fair at Limerick Racecourse are from 11 am to 6 on November 16 and 17. There will be 80 dealers from right around Ireland with everything from a pair of vases by Zak Scherzer of Vienna with paintings by Rembrandt at Edwin Mercer, vintage flagons, clocks and collectibles at Dan Hartnett and an exceptional George I coffee pot by Thomas Walker (Dublin 1726) which Weldon’s will display on November 17.
Vintage fashion and jewellery is enduringly popular. Among the choices available are an eyecatching Philip Treacy type hat at Eily Henry and a nine carat yellow gold wide gate bracelet at Bedlam antiques. There is porcelain and glass at Brian Hurley, Irish art at the Purple Onion gallery, militaria including the gorget of Lt. Col. Thomas Pepper of the Royal Meath Militia and selections of antique furniture, jewellery, books and collectibles to inspire and delight.
Art Deco diamond necklace, signed Cartier London, 1935, at Christie’s UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR US$5,090,571
It is rare to encounter a group of jewels from the 1920’s and ’30’s which have remained in the same family and have not been remodelled. A magnificent Cartier Art Deco Indo-Persian diamond necklace from 1935 will highlight a collection of superb jewels from the Sassoon family at Christie’s in Geneva next Tuesday The bank where they were stored was completely in World War II. A helpful policeman advised the owner at the ruins to check with a local police station. It transpired that her deposit box had been transferred there. Never at auction before the necklace is estimated at US$1 million – $1.5 million (€920,000-€1,380,000). At Sotheby’s in Geneva on the following day more than 100 pieces from Tsar Ferdinand and the Royal Court of Bulgaria will come under the hammer.
Sotheby’s will bring a great selection of Irish art to the international stage at sales in London next Thursday and Friday. A portrait of Mrs. St. George by Orpen and a Venetian scene by Lavery will feature in the evening sale on Thursday. A Cork collection of maritime paintings by George Mounsey Wheatley Atkinson and art and sculpture by Gareth Reid – Sky Portrait Artist of the Decade, 2023 – Tony O’Malley, Rowan Gillespie, Patrick Hennessy, Felim Egan, John Kingerlee and William Conor and others feature at the day sale next Friday.
Still Life with Butterfly by Patrick Hennessy at Sotheby’s. UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD
Patrick Hennessy – The Storm Lantern UPDATE: THIS MADE 5,000 AT HAMMER
Art by Colin Middleton, John Shinnors, Gerard Dillon and Donald Teskey will lead de Veres online auction of Irish art which runs until October 15. There is a good selection of work including a still life titled The Storm Lantern by Patrick Hennessy, estimated at €5,000-€8,000. This was exhibited at the RHA in 1978.
The Rebuilding of Monte Cassino (1951) by Patrick Hennessy at Adams. UPDATE: THIS MADE 9,000 AT HAMMER
In Dublin viewings get underway on March 22 for upcoming sales of important Irish art at both James Adam and de Veres. The sale at James Adam on March 27 features some of Ireland’s best loved artists with estimates of from €500 to over €60,000 for The Bog by Paul Henry (€60,000-€80,000).A number of paintings by Patrick Hennessy and Harry Roberston Craig from the collection of Pamela and George Fegan, a Dublin couple who were friends of both artists and bought directly from them, will feature. The catalogue cover lot is a 1951 painting by Patrick Hennessy, The Rebuilding of Monte Cassino, located about 130 kilometres south east of Rome and site of a major Second World War battle in 1944. This work, which has not been on the market before, is estimated at €10,000-€15,000.
Eliza Doolittle in Dublin by Sean Keating (€50,000-€70,000) is the most expensively estimated lot at de Veres sale on March 26. Based on Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw the 1965 work depicts a daffodil seller against a background of Georgian buildings and thunderous clouds. Sean Keating, along with many others, was vociferous in his condemnation of the destruction of Georgian Dublin which got underway in the 1950’s. Among the other highlights at de Veres are John B Vallely’s Heading for the Final Sprint with a pack of cyclists in full flight and Letitia Hamilton’s Wind Blown Tree, Killary. There is a collection of works on paper by Mainie Jellett. All catalogues are online now.
Eliza Doolittle in Dublin by Sean Keating at de Veres. UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD
PATRICK HENNESSY (1915-1980) – Marrakesh Roses. UPDATE: THIS MADE 4,600 AT HAMMER
THIS oil on board comes up as lot 12 at Morgan O’Driscoll’s current online Irish art auction which runs until June 26. The catalogue is online and the sale offers a selection of paintings, drawings, etchings, prints and sculpture. Marrakesh Roses is estimated at €2,500-3,500.
Paddy Moloney (Piper) by Edward McGuire at Adams. UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR 35,000 AT HAMMER
The way Edward McGuire paints portraits, Patrick Hennessy captures the essential essence of a red rose or William Conor evokes atmosphere can be overlooked in art auction catalogues where the big guns dominate. You can’t blame Yeats, Orpen, Henry, le Brocquy et al – all of whom loom large in major Irish art sales at Whyte’s and Adams in Dublin next week – for stealing the attention. There is a great selection of scorching works by these artists at the upcoming sales. Yeats, in particular, dominates this time around for the sheer number and quality of his works on offer.
Nevertheless it is heartening to see estimates on the up for artists who, though not exactly overlooked, might have been somewhat eclipsed. This is a rising market and the tide has lifted many boats. Edward McGuire’s portrait of legendary musician Paddy Moloney dates to 1982 and depicts Moloney seated, uileann pipes in hand, with a faraway look as if waiting to perform. It is estimated at €20,000-€30,000 at Adams evening sale on May 31. No less arresting is a small 1964 oil on canvas of a bouquet of roses by the Cork artist Patrick Hennessy. You can practically savour their scent. It comes up at Whyte’s evening sale on May 29 with an estimate of €3,500-€4,500. With an Indian ink and colour wash William Conor evokes the festive atmosphere of race days of yore like no one else in two works at Adams. These small drawings are each estimated at just €800-€1,200. Art is for everyone and estimates like this show that art auctions – even major sales – can be for everyone too even if the sales in the hundreds of thousands or more grab the headlines. You don’t need to be a millionaire, you do need to really look and see what is waiting there ready to enhance your home, your life, your world.
Bouquet of Roses by Patrick Hennessy at Whyte’s. UPDATE: THIS MADE 3,600 AT HAMMER
If money is no object then a trio of magnificent oils by Yeats at Whyte’s is worthy of the attention of any well heeled collector. Glory to the Brave Singer is a late visionary work and shows a reclining woman pointing to a songbird. The estimate is €300,000-€400,000. This sale offers 122 lots with major works by Paul Henry, Mary Swanzy, Roderic O’Conor, Camille Souter, Louis le Brocquy, Francis Bacon, Sidney Nolan, Patrick Collins, Evie Hone, Tony O’Malley and many more.There are wonderful examples of the best Irish 19th, 20th and 21st century Irish art and sculpture among the 180 lots at Adams. A 1945 oil on panel by Yeats, Near the Docks, is estimated at €100,000-€150,000 and there are eight works on paper by the artist from a private Irish collection at estimates of from €1,500 to €15,000. There is art by Gerard Dillon, Daniel O’Neill, William Conor, Colin Middleton and Frank McKelvey, John Shinnors, Hughie O’Donoghue, Philip Flanagan, Basil Blackshaw, Camille Souter, Rowan Gillespie and others in a sale which will appeal to a wide variety of tastes. Both auctions are on view over this weekend and the catalogues are online.
Le Loing at Sundown by Roderic O’Conor at Whyte’s. UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD
ERIC HENRI KENNINGTON (1888-1960) An Infantryman. UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR £14,000
The first-ever sale by an international auction house dedicated exclusively to a celebration of the male form in art takes place at Bonhams in London on June 16. It ranges from Antiquities and Old Master painting to sculpture and decorative arts, from contemporary art to photography.
The sale is curated by Bonhams Greek Art Specialist Anastasia Orfanidou and Bonhams Head of Books and Manuscripts, Matthew Haley, who said: “This exciting new concept challenges a market that has traditionally been centred around the western concept of the male gaze. It will explore how women look at men and how men look at other men, introducing a fresh context and platform that will spark new discussions on an historically unspoken market.”
Among the highlights is Atlas Beach by Patrick Hennessy (Irish, 1915-1980) which depicts the terrace of well-known gay bar The Charles Atlas Beach Bar, which overlooks Tangier City Beach, Morocco. It is estimated at £5,000-£7,000.
Atlas Beach by Patrick Hennessy. UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR £9,562
THIS has been the best year ever on the Irish art market in terms of turnover and it continues on its merry way in the final run up to Christmas. The James Adam sale of Important Irish Art in Dublin next Wednesday evening offers a selection that includes leading lots by Oisin Kelly, Roderic O’Conor, Gerard Dillon, Augustus John, Michael Farrell, Erskine Nicholl, Louis le Brocquy and Henry Moore.
The top estimate in this auction is for Oisin Kelly’s bronze Children of Lir cast in 1983 at the Dublin Art Foundry as an issue of two. It is from the original maquette for Kelly’s large scale bronze at the Garden of Remembrance in Dublin dedicated by Taoiseach Jack Lynch in 1971. The other copy is on display outside the Taoiseach’s office at Government Buildings. This one is estimated at 30,000-50,000.
A bronze relief of a mother and child and reclining figure by Henry Moore is estimated at 12,000-16,000. The catalogue cover lot is another sculpture, F.E. MacWilliam’s Peace B from his Banners series (8,000-12,000) and there is sculpture by Rowan Gillespie, Rory Breslin, Imogen Stuart, Robin Buick, Edward Delaney, Eamon O’Doherty, Selma McCormack and James McIntyre.
Paintings range from a self portrait by Augustus John (20,000-30,000) to an interior still life by Patrick Hennessy (7,000-10,000) and a seated model by Roderic O’Conor (30,000-40,000) to Battersea Boy by Louis le Brocquy (10,000-15,000). There is a bright Malaga work by William Crozier (5,000-8,000) and a photo realist painting by John Doherty of part of two houses at Eyeries in west Cork (5,000-7,000). There are landscapes, portraits and studies by artists ranging from Gerard Dillon, Peter Collis, Dan O’Neill, George Campbell, Peter Curling and William Conor to Percy French, Edwin Hayes, James Arthur O’Connor and William Sadler. The catalogue is online. Here is a small selection:
Oisin Kelly RHA (1915-1981) Children of Lir UPDATE: THIS MADE 36,000 AT HAMMER
Patrick Hennessy RHA (1915-1980) Interior, Still Life with a Vase of Flowers on a Chair UPDATE: THIS MADE 6,000 AT HAMMER
John Doherty – Eyeries, west Cork UPDATE: THIS MADE 4,600 AT HAMMER
Howard Helmich (1845-1907) – Reluctant Pupil UPDATE: THIS MADE 3,200 AT HAMMER
Brian Friel was a fan of the Cork artist Patrick Hennessy, one of whose paintings The Yew Walk was acquired by The National Gallery of Ireland at Sotheby’s in London last week for 9,794 euro. The playwright’s widow Anne Friel is donating the proceeds of the sale 23 paintings at James Adam in Dublin on September 26 to the Peter McVerry Trust which has been at the forefront of helping homeless people for many years.
Among them are four Hennessy’s including two major works featuring horses, Herding the Horses and Ruin and Horsemen. Estimates are around 7,000 and 6,000 respectively. Another highlight of the Anne Friel donation is Basil Blackshaw’s Game Cock bought as a gift for her husband as she thought the bird had the look of a survivor about it. Pictured here is Herding the Horses. UPDATE: THIS MADE 10,000 AT HAMMER
The Irish art market took a hit in the recession. It is recovering slowly, but there is still value to be had. One example of this is Kinsale by Letitia Marion Hamilton, which comes up at Morgan O’Driscoll’s auction on September 12. When it last appeared at auction at Whyte’s in 2002 it realised 7,500. This time around it is estimated at 4,000-6,000. One of Ireland’s best known women artists Hamilton, who died in 1964, studied under Sir William Orpen at the Dublin Metropolitan School of Art, with Frank Brangwyn in Belgium and at the Slade in London.
Among the other artists whose work will feature are Patrick Scott, John Shinnors, Tony O’Malley, Basil Blackshaw, Frank McKelvey, Daniel O’Neill, Hughie O’Donoghue, Patrick Hennessy and the sculptor John Behan. The sale of 135 lots is on view in Skibbereen on September 3, 4 and 5 and at the RDS in Dublin from September 9 to September 12. The catalogue is online and the auction will be conducted online.
Kinsale by Letitia Marion Hamilton RHA (1878-1964) (4,000-6,000) UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD
The Yellow Roses by Patrick Hennessey (1915-1980) (5,000-7,000) UPDATE: THIS MADE 6,000 AT HAMMER