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An image of the acclaimed Irish playwright Samuel Beckett by Louis le Brocquy is the top lot in Whyte’s upcoming Irish and International Art Sale.
Samuel Beckett, 1980, which has an estimate of €100,000-€150,000, is from his famous series Portrait Heads, of literary figures, in which he sought to capture the essence of the individual rather than a more traditional portrait.
Le Brocquy (1916-2012) was one of Ireland’s foremost painters and his work is held in collections including the Guggenheim in New York, the Tate in London and the National Gallery of Ireland.
Tinker Children at a Fair (1946) is another contrastive le Brocquy painting (€15,000-€20,000), which attracted attention on the international market towards the end of his life. Some of his striking black-and-white lithographic brush drawings for Thomas Kinsella’s 1968 translation of the Táin Bó Cúailnge are also for sale at Whyte’s auction.
Ian Whyte, chairman at Whyte’s, says that le Brocquy works are extremely good value now. “They are between 35 per cent to 50 per cent off the peak prices in the Celtic Tiger years between 1995-2008,” says Whyte. He suggests there has been an increase in demand for le Brocquy lately as collectors realise the opportunity to acquire his works at more reasonable prices.
“We have noticed good interest in le Brocquy’s prints – particularly the Táin series of the 1970s – amongst young collectors, who weren’t even born when these were made.“
Other featured artists at the Whyte’s sale include Paul Henry, Roderic O’Conor, William Orpen and Mainie Jellett.
Going to see the painting – in the flesh, as it were – is important to get a good sense of the brushstrokes and the condition of the piece.
Viewing continues today and tomorrow from 1pm-5pm and Monday from 10am-4pm in Whyte’s galleries on Molesworth Street, Dublin. The sale will be held on Monday, September 29th in the Freemason’s Hall, Molesworth Street, Dublin 2.
Meanwhile, deVeres Irish Art online auction closes on September 30th. The works are on view at 35 Kildare Street, Dublin 2, Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.
[ Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton’s silver tea service up for saleOpens in new window ]
For those who can’t attend viewings beforehand online or in-person auctions, the tech tool Art Realizer allows you to project a painting on to a wall at actual size to see how it would fit in with your surroundings. Whyte’s Fine Art offers customers access to Art Realizer.
Reputable auctioneers will also tell you how the works of different artists are selling now, compared to the past. Subscription websites such as Artnet will give you past auction prices for particular works of art.
Ultimately, the purchasing decision is yours, and novice and seasoned art collectors have a broad range of landscape, still life and portrait paintings to choose from this week.
Gormley’s Irish and International online Art Sale on Tuesday, September 30th, has a broad range of landscapes and still life paintings. These include Belfast-born Colin Davidson’s Mourne Mountains (€6,000-€8,000). Davidson is renowned worldwide for his portraits of public figures and his outstanding Silent Testimony portraits of people affected by the 30-year conflict in Northern Ireland. He has also made tremendous cityscapes and landscape paintings.
Basil Blackshaw’s painting Grey Cob (€6,000-€8,000) is another standout piece in the sale. The Antrim-born artist specialised in animal paintings, portraits and landscapes. The son of a professional horse trainer, he had early access to animals and his style evolved from a more traditional one to a more gestural expressionist or abstract style.
Forsythia, a still life painting by Scottish-born, Belfast-based, Ellen Brown Workman McCready (1883-1972) – estimate €180-€300 – embodies the calmness one associates with still-life paintings. A member of the Royal Hibernian Academy and the Ulster Academy of Arts, she exhibited at the Paris Salon and the Fine Art Society in London as well as at the Glasgow Institute of Fine Arts and the Royal Academy.
Finally, Charles Harper’s painting, Escape (€2,400-€3,200), is one of several of the Valentia Island-born painter at Dolan’s Irish Art, Rare Whiskeys and Collectibles auction, which ends on Monday, September 29th, from 6.30pm.
Harper studied at the Limerick School of Art and the National College of Art (precursor to the National College of Art and Design). He was a founder member of the artists’ association Aosdána and the EVA International exhibition in Limerick city. This year’s EVA International exhibition continues in various venues in Limerick until October 26th.
What did it sell for?
The Lady of the Decoration, Harry Clarke
Estimate €60,000-€80,000
Hammer price €110,000
Auction house Adam’s
Illustration for edition of Goethe’s Faust, Harry Clarke
Estimate €40,000-€60,000
Hammer price €65,000
Auction house Adam’s
Still Life with Cheese and Vegetables, Niccolo d’Ardia Caracciolo
Estimate €2,000-€3,000
Hammer price €2,000
Auction house Adam’s
Love, Rowan Gillespie
Estimate €12,000-€18,000
Hammer price €12,000
Auction house Adam’s
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