Self portrait by Patrick Hennessy at Whyte's. (click on image to enlarge) UPDATE: THIS MADE 2,200
A brace of portraits by Patrick Hennessy RHA (1915-1980) grace Whyte’s Irish and British art sale at the RDS in Dublin on March 14. One is a self portrait from 1936 exhibited at a Birmingham exhibition sponsored by Winsor and Newton Ltd. It is inscribed with an exhibition label with the artist’s address [9 Bridge Street, Arbroath, Angus] and price [£7-7-0] on reverse. It is now estimated at €2,500-€3,500.
The second is a 1939 portrait of Liv Hempel, daughter of the German Ambassador to Ireland. It was made at De Vesci Terrace in Dun Laoghaire, the ministerial residence of Eduard Hempel (1887–1972) who was Adolf Hitler’s representative in Dublin between 1937 and 1945. During his eight year tenure Hempel sent thousands of reports to Berlin by telegraph and shortwave radio. He had to surrender the transmitter in December 1943 at the insistence of the Department of External Affairs, and under pressure from the United States and United Kingdom. Hempel was granted asylum in Ireland at the end of the war. He returned to Germany in 1949. This portrait is estimated at €2,000-€3,000.
Liv Hempel by Patrick Hennessy at Whyte's. (click on image to enlarge) UPDATE: THIS MADE 4,800
The artist Patrick Hennessy was born in Co. Cork. He won a scholarship to Dundee College of Art and a further scholarship allowed him study in Paris and Rome. In 1939, he exhibited a self-portrait and a still-life at the Royal Scottish Academy and returned to Ireland as a professional painter, dividing his time between Cork and Dublin. In 1956, Hennessy had his first solo exhibition in London, displaying nearly 40 paintings, including several portraits. In 1957, the Ritchie Hendriks Gallery staged an exhibition of his flower paintings. More shows followed in Dublin, Chicago and Cork. Meantime, Hennessy continued to make trips abroad. He made regular visits to Paris, Normandy, the Dordogne, as well as Belgium, Holland and Spain. He also toured Italy and Greece.
Farewell to Ireland by Patrick Hennessy which shows President John F. Kennedy boarding Air Force One at Shannon Airport on June 29th, 1963 after a visit to his ancestral homeland is currently on sale at the M.S. Rau Gallery in New Orleans priced at $98,950.
His work is in a number of public and private collections, including: University College, Dublin; Hugh Lane Art Gallery; Irish Museum of Modern Art; National Gallery of Ireland; Office of Public Works; Crawford Art Gallery; Limerick City Art Gallery and Limerick University National Self-Portrait Collection.
(See antiquesandartireland.com post for January 27)
UPDATE: THE PAINTINGS SOLD FOR 2,200 AND 4,800 RESPECTIVELY.
