Hazel Lavery's pencil drawing of Michael Collins among artworks for auction
Clockwise from top left, Yayoi Kusama's 'Red Pumpkins'; Hazel Lavery's 'Portrait of Michael Collins', 1922; 'Still Life', 1984, by William Crozier; 'Still Life on White with Beans' by William Scott; all at Morgan O'Driscoll.
Green beans on a white plate inspired William Scott in 1978; a red pumpkin was all that world-renowned Japanese contemporary artist Yayoi Kusama needed. These are revolutionary artworks, while the subject of a 1922 drawing by Hazel Lavery is a revolutionary. Her pencil portrait of Michael Collins was made in May of 1922, just a few months before his assassination at Beal na mBlath.
All these works feature at Morgan O'Driscoll's sale of Irish and International Art on Tuesday week (April 21), on view in Skibbereen until Monday and at the RDS in Dublin from April 17-20. The catalogue cover lot is William Scott's Still Life on White with Beans (€120,000-€180,000).
In a note about the painting, Peter Murray remarks that, since the 1930s, perhaps more than any other Irish artist of the 20th century, apart from Jack Yeats, Scott's work has been exhibited worldwide.
The work Still Life on White with Beans contains the essential elements of abstraction for which he became renowned, Murray writes: "The square format suited his search for simplicity. Colour has been reduced to the simple monochrome tones of grey, white and green." First shown at Gallery Moos in Toronto in 1978, the oil-on-canvas measures 24" x 24".
There are two other works by William Scott in the auction: and . Each gouache of paper dates to 1975 and each is estimated at €15,000-€25,000.
Kusama's is a playful painted cast resin piece published by Benesse Holdings, Naoshima, Japan. Stamped on the base and in a box, it is estimated at €400-€600.
Hazel Lavery is best known nowadays as the subject of numerous portraits painted by her husband, John Lavery. She, too, was a talented artist who had studied in America and France. It is not known when the Laverys first met Michael Collins, who moved to London in 1906.
After the Easter Rising, the Laverys used their social connections and friendship with Collins to facilitate negotiations between Ireland and Britain. Hazel Lavery made this head and shoulders portrait of Collins in three-quarter profile when he was leading the Irish delegation negotiating the Treaty. It is signed and dated May 1922.
The sale offers 156 lots of great variety. The painting Mrs Harrington's Horses by Peter Curling (€7,000-€10,000) shows six chestnut racehorses from Jessica Harrington's Commonstown Stud near Moone in Co Kildare being exercised.
The focus of (1984) by William Crozier (€3,000-€5,000) is flowers in a vase against an arresting blue and yellow background.
Paul Henry's (€25,000-€35,000) is a small, spirited oil on panel, probably painted on Achill and P2.05 (2005) by Charles Tyrrell (€1,000-€1,500) is an abstract rectangular oil on aluminium.
There is a selection of sculptures by John Behan, Patrick O'Reilly, Rowan Gillespie, Ana Duncan, Imogen Stuart and others.
Many of Ireland's favourite painters, including artists Percy French, Arthur Maderson, Sean Scully, Sean MacSweeney, Hughie O'Donoghue, Jack B Yeats, Colin Middleton, Letitia Hamilton, Donald Teskey, Louis le Brocquy, John Shinnors, Richard Gorman, Dan O'Neill, Mainie Jellett, William Leech, Graham Knuttel and Roderic O'Conor, are in the auction.
On the international side, Willem de Kooning, Andy Warhol, Mr Brainwash, Damien Hirst, Jacob Epstein, and Salvador Dali all feature in a catalogue that is brimful of interest and online too. Lots from Morgan O'Driscoll's upcoming auction of jewellery on April 22 will also be on view at the RDS.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
