The biggest selling Irish artists – and how to start investing

Born in Dublin in 1945, Scully only just makes Art Price’s criteria for a “contemporary” artist (born after 1945). He identifies as Irish but his career has been international and his auction prices top the Irish list by a long stretch. Scully’s lifetime auction record is for the painting Song (1985), which fetched $2,046,500 at Sotheby’s New York in 2022. His Irish record is for Raval Rojo (2004), which fetched €580,000 at Morgan O’Driscoll’s in 2023. Most recently, Landline Dark Blue (2017) sold for $1,512,000 at Phillips New York in May 2025.

Arabella Bishop, independent art advisor and former senior director of Sotheby’s, describes Scully as a top-level international artist. “He’s one of the most recognised abstract artists of his generation and he’s been very careful about managing his market. A really good Sean Scully oil painting will cost around €1 million but works on paper, in pastel or watercolour, often sell for tens of thousands.”

All are substantial investments and likely to hold their value over time. He’s represented by the Kerlin Gallery in Dublin.

The next Irish artist on the Art Price list (no. 202) is Graham Knuttel (1954-2023). In February 2025, Adam’s held an auction of his works. It was a “white glove sale”, meaning that everything sold, but the highest price of the year came in March, when The Wedding Gone Wrong sold at Adam’s for €16,000. Knuttel’s auction record is held by Whyte’s, where his Planet Hollywood fetched €20,000 in 2021.

Knuttel’s aesthetic isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. Bishop describes his works as having a broad appeal. “People relate to the characters in his work. They tell a story.”

While the market for his works remains slow and steady, it’s unlikely to see a big hike in prices. Knuttel’s shifty-eyed characters are reminiscent of Ireland’s Celtic Tiger years and his work has famously been collected by the American actors Robert de Niro and Sylvester Stallone.

De Niro also collects work by Liam O’Neill (no. 376 on the Art Price list). The Kerry artist (b.1954) is known for lively nostalgic scenes of Irish rural life, painted in a thick impasto style. O’Neill’s auction record is held by Whyte’s, where Two Horses fetched €35,000 in March 2023.

“His work appeals to an Irish audience and those with an Irish connection,” Bishop says. “It’s well composed, easy to look at, and has suddenly jumped in price. Anyone who bought his work prior to 2023 will have seen a great return on their investment.” The highest price paid for O’Neill’s work last year was for Bringing Home the Turf, which sold at Whyte’s for €26,000 in February 2025.

The youngest Irish artist on the list, Genieve Figgis (b.1976), comes in slightly above O’Neill at no. 350. Based in Co Wicklow, Figgis is a truly international artist. Her auction record is for Debutants Ball, which sold for $638,691 in Christie’s Shanghai in 2022. Figgis rose to suddenly fame when the American artist Richard Prince discovered and championed her work on Twitter.

Many of her works are based on historic paintings, typically in the Rococo style, reimagined in spectral, melting impasto. They seem to reveal a hidden darkness within classic paintings. “I think she has longevity as an artist,” Bishop says. “Her work is well-represented in international collections and consistently sells for more than $200,000.”

At no. 402, Donald Teskey (b. 1956) is the fifth Irish artist on the Art Price list. He’s a landscape artist best known for paintings of the western seaboard. “His work is hugely atmospheric with a strong sense of place. It has an international appeal.”

Teskey’s Docklands VII sold for €46,000 at Whyte’s in 2023 but Sea and Shore, which fetched €44,000 at Morgan O’Driscoll’s in 2024, is more representative of his work. Teskey is represented by Oliver Sears Gallery.

Interestingly, Teskey’s work often fetches more at auction than it would cost to buy a new painting. “If you want to invest, talk to his dealer,” Bishop says. The art market is subtle, complex, and hard to navigate. For those with a substantial amount of money to invest in art, it can pay to hire an independent advisor. “I’d often start by walking a client around the auctions to get a feel for their budget and what they like.”

See arabellabishop.com.