Captivating Irish art at Dublin and London auctions
A large group of 17 paintings from Michael Smurfit’s collection are at the heart of Sotheby’s UK and Irish Modern Art and Irish Art online auctions in London on Tuesday 23 November. The 17 works benefit from a pre-sale estimate of 1.3 to 2 million euros.
Overall, Sotheby’s estimates that more than 70 Irish works, from the 19th century to the present day and ranging from painting to sculpture to ceramics, will fetch between 3 and 4.6 million euros.
Sotheby’s has run a global campaign to support these sales which feature Ireland’s most famous painters, Jack B. Yeats, Sir John Lavery, Sir William Orpen, Paul Henry, Louis le Brocquy and Gerard Dillon as well as contemporary artists like Jack Coulter. Most of these works are from private collections and many are making their first auction appearance.
The most esteemed Irish painting at the auction is a 1936 oil on canvas by Yeats titled (⬠412,000 – ⬠650,000).
From a private collection in Ireland, it was exhibited at a solo exhibition by Yeats in London in 1936 and at the National Gallery in 1942. Two Paul Henrys, (⬠177,000 – ⬠236,000) and (142,000 ⬠-212,000 â¬) come from a private American collection.
and , both by Yeats and the Smurfit collection, are estimated at ⬠177,000 – ⬠295,000 and ⬠236,000 – ⬠354,000, respectively.
Other strengths of Smurfit include by Sir John Lavery and by Louis le Brocquy. An oil on panel by Gerard Dillon from a private collection in Northern Ireland is titled and estimated between 94,500 and 142,000 â¬.
The online sale features a 1949 Yeats titled (⬠83,000 – ⬠119,000) and by Sean Keaing from 1919 (71,000 to 95,000 â¬), both from a British collection.
by Roderic O’Conor (95,000-142,000 â¬) and Sir William Orpen’s (59,000-83,000 â¬) are both from the Smurfit collection.
On the contemporary side, there is a bronze by Rowan Gillespie entitled (⬠47,300- ⬠71,000) and by Belfast artist Jack Coulter.
These two works were produced this year.
Outstanding Irish art in de Veres will be under the hammer next Tuesday night. It is also a very good sale with the best lots of Paul Henry estimated between 200,000 and 300,000 ⬠and works by Roderic O’Conor and William Orpen each estimated between 150,000 and 250,000 â¬.
On Wednesday, at the Bonhams sale of important British and Irish art in Bond Street in London, there are important works by William Scott, Paul Henry and John Luke. The Bonhams modern British and Irish art sale in Knightsbridge on Tuesday also features a number of Irish artists.
On November 29, Whyte’s could still steal the show this art auction season with a large-scale late painting by Yeats. , between 1.5 and 2 million euros, is the most esteemed Irish work of art ever to be auctioned. Morgan O’Driscoll will have an online sale on November 30th and James Adam will have a big sale on December 8th.