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
Paul Henry – In Connemara. UPDATE: THIS MADE 90,000 AT HAMMER
This oil on panel by Paul Henry with an estimate of €90,000-€120,000 is among the leading lots at Whyte’s sale of Irish and International art in Dublin on September 29. Painted in the open air three cottages viewed from above are located in the bottom third of the image. In a catalogue note Dr. Mary Cosgrove observes that: The freedom and spontaneity that this little sketch demonstrates was learnt by Henry in Paris. The technique derives from the ébauche stage of the academic system of painting that affected the practice of landscape painting in particular and led to the development of Impressionism. Henry’s genius lay in amalgamating his artist’s eye with this training whilst still leaving space for the emotion to dwell in. At the same time he was painting what he saw and what people recognised, a new realism in Irish art.
The Milk Cart by Paul Henry is among the highlights at Bonhams sale of British and Irish art in London next Wednesday (June 18). Painted in 1928-29 it is a rare composition by an artist whose focus was normally on a pure landscape arrangement. This work, exhibited in New York and Boston in 1930 and at the National Gallery of Ireland in 2003, offers a human element as the central focus. In a catalogue note to the 2003 exhibition the late art historian Dr. S.B. Kennedy commented: “Paul Henry defined a view of the Irish landscape, in particular that of the west, that remains as convincing to modern eyes as it was in his own time. Like Constable’s Suffolk and Cezanne’s Provence, once experienced it is difficult to see the landscape of the west other than through Henry’s eyes”. It is estimated at €140,000-€210,000. The auction of 74 lots will include works by Jack B. Yeats, Roderic O’Conor, Sir John Lavery, Norah McGuinness and Rowan Gillespie.
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
PAUL HENRY – ROAD TO CLIFDEN. UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD
One Yeats and two Paul Henry’s make for what Dolan’s describe as their best auction for years. The online art sale, which is now live, runs until May 26. The top lots are Man Running by Yeats (€120,000-150,000), Incoming Tide by Paul Henry (€90,000-130,000) and Road to Clifden (illustrated here) (€45,000-75,000). There is a selection of 20th century Irish and international artists along with some rare Irish whiskeys. The catalogue is online.
Connemara Hills, the catalogue cover lot for Morgan O’Driscoll’s Irish and International art auction on April 8, is described by Peter Murray in the catalogue note as one of Paul Henry’s best paintings. The former Crawford Gallery curator highlights how in this work – unusually for an artist who often depicted a low horizon and towering clouds – the mountains tower over the cottages almost shutting out the sky. Small in scale and depicting a little village in North Connemara it conveys accurately the awe inspiring landscapes of the region. Henry studied in Paris with Whistler and Mucha and influences from both can be found in the painting. A similar scene was used by Henry in 1925 to illustrate a poster for the London, Midland and Scottish Railway. The oil on canvas is estimated at €120,000-€160,000. The auction will be on view in Skibbereen from next March 28-31 and at the RDS in Dublin from April 4-7. The catalogue is online.
Paul Henry RHA (1876-1958)- LAKE AND MOUNTAINS IN CONNEMARA, 1933-6. UPDATE: THIS MADE 270,000 AT HAMMER
Viewing for Whyte’s sale of Important Irish Art on March 3 gets underway in Dublin today. The top lot, of 129, is Paul Henry’s Lake and Mountains, Connemara which is estimated at €250,000-350,000. A trio of works by Paul Henry lead the sale. West of Ireland Landscape (€150,000-200,000) and Cottages Connemara (€80,000-120,000) also feature. There is art by Rose Barton, Nano Reid, Mary Swanzy, William Leech, Colin Middleton, a collection of drawings by William Orpen from the collection of Alan and Mary Hobart, work by Sean Scully, Donald Teskey, John Shinnors, Edward Delaney, Rowan Gillespie and many more.
Jack Butler Yeats RHA (1871-1957) – THE DUST ON THY CHARIOT WHEEL, 1945 sold for €160,000
The Irish and International art sale at Whyte’s in Dublin on December 2 grossed over €1.2 million. The top lot was Paul Henry’s Killary Bay, Connemara which made a hammer price of €210,000 over a top estimate of €150,000. A 1945 Yeats, The Dust on They Chariot Wheel made €160,000 at hammer, The Turquoise Sea by Sir John Lavery made €58,000, The Long Memory by Colin Middleton made €30,000, Girl Feeding a tortoiseshell cat by Walter Osborne made €60,000, Hooker off Cork Harbour by Richard Brydges Beechey made €19,000 and Still Life with Plant and Bouquet by William Crozier made €14,000.
The Window with a view of the town by Jack B Yeats at Adams. UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD AT THE AUCTION AND SOLD LATER FOR €250,000
The record for an Irish artwork sold in 2024 was broken three times in quick succession at Sotheby’s and Christie’s this month. It was a similar story on the global market. Expectations around sales of Irish art at Whyte’s, Adams and Bonhams next week are high.
First Orpen’s portrait of Evelyn St. George made £720,000 (€864,010) at Sotheby’s, then The Thinker on the Butte de Warlencourt by Orpen made £756,000 (€907,210) at Christie’s followed later in the sale of the Hobart collection by O’Connell Bridge by Jack B Yeats which made £886,000 (€1,063,210).
The art market is proving to be robust in the face of two years of downturn and continuing global uncertainty. The global market breached the $100 million barrier only once this year when Magritte’s Surrealist masterpiece L’empire des lumieres made $105,000,000 ($121,160,000 with fees) at Christie’s last week. The more conservative and resilient Irish market got a million euro plus artwork in 2024.
On the home front the combined top estimate of €2.5 million for the top four lots at the James Adam sale of Important Irish Art in Dublin on December 4 speaks volumes about the current state of the Irish art market. The four, three by Yeats and one by Orpen, are from the collection of Jacqueline and Vincent O’Brien. Horsemen (1947) (€500,000-€800,000) and He Reads a Book (1952) (€500,000-€700,000) both feature horses, a subject by Yeats that is particularly prized by collectors.
Old John’s Cottage, Connemara by Sir William Orpen at Adams depicts an American wake in 1908. UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD AT THE AUCTION AND LATER SOLD FOR €250,000
There is much excitement around these works, and no wonder. They are from the collection of Ireland’s greatest trainer, voted the greatest influence in horse racing history in a worldwide poll in 2003. Orpen’s Old John’s Cottage, Connemara is estimated at €300,000-€500,000 as is another Yeats from their collection, The Window with a view of the Town from 1951.
John Joseph Tracey (1813-1873) – THE IRISH PEASANT’S GRAVE, 1843 AT WHYTE’S. UPDATE: THIS MADE 9,000 AT HAMMER
Paul Henry and Jack B Yeats share the top billing at Whyte’s sale of Irish and International art in Dublin next Monday evening (Dec 2). Killary Bay by Paul Henry and The Dust on thy Chariot Wheel by Yeats are each estimated at €100,000-€150,000. A self portrait by Roderic O’Conor has an estimate of €70,000-€90,000.
The sale at Whytes includes nine lots from the Bank of Ireland collection including Colin Middleton’s Evening Star, Clonelly, Co. Fermanagh from 1970 (€18,000-€22,000). There is art by Maurice MacGonigal, William Crozier, Michael Farrell and Peter Collis. Amongst other lots Walter Osborne’s Girl Feeding a tortoiseshell cat is estimated at €60,000-€80,000 and the sale offers art by Nano Reid, Flora Mitchell, Letitia Hamilton and many more artists. The large sculpture section includes work by Rowan Gillespie, John Coll, Eamonn O’Doherty and Linda Brunker.
The Irish Sale: Vision and Voice online at Bonhams until December 5 features work by Sir John Lavery, Mainie Jellett, Mary Swanzy, John Doherty, Dan O’Neill and a collection of 20 works by Norah McGuinness consigned by her family.
The Long Memory (Westerness Series) by Colin Middleton at Whyte’s. UPDATE: THIS MADE 30,000 AT HAMMER
In New York last week Standard Station – Ten cent Western being torn in half by Ed Ruscha sold for $68.5 million at Christie’s. A monumental Water Lilies by Claude Monet made $65.5 million at Sotheby’s.
The question now is will more records be broken in Ireland in December?
Paul Henry RHA (1876-1958) – KILLARY BAY, CONNEMARA, c.1910-15. UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR 210,000 AT HAMMER
Killary Bay, Connemara by Paul Henry comes up as lot 27 at Whyte’s sale of Irish and International Art on December 2. Weekend viewing is now underway at Whyte’s on Molesworth St. in Dublin. The auction, at 6 pm on December 2, will be both live in room and online at Freemason’s Hall, Molesworth St. Major works by Jack Butler Yeats, Paul Henry, Roderic O’Conor, Sir John Lavery, Walter Osborne, Aloysius O’Kelly, Richard Brydges Beechey, George Russell, Letitia Hamilton, Flora Mitchell, Louis le Brocquy, Daniel O’Neill, Nano Reid, George Campbell, Colin Middleton, William Crozier, Tony O’Malley and many others are included. International artists include Arthur Rackham, Harold C. Harvey, Massimo Campigli, Sir Frank Bowling and Albert Irvin. The catalogue is online.
