Major Irish art sales at Morgan O’Driscoll’s and James Adam’s

The winter selling season for Irish art continues apace next week with major sales by Morgan O’Driscoll at the RHA Gallery in Dublin next Monday at 6pm and by James Adam on Wednesday at 6pm.

Adams describe this as one of their finest sales in some years, headed by Jack B Yeats’s Glory to the Brave Singer (1950) which featured on these pages last week and is estimated at €250,000-€350,000. It is one of four works by Yeats in the auction.

The 161 lots at Morgan O’Driscoll will cater to a wide range of artistic tastes, with two very fine works by Paul Henry, ‘Cottages Connemara’ (€120,000-€180,000) and ‘In the Western Mountains’ (60,000-80,000).

‘Festival’ by Banksy (€15,000-€20,000) and ‘Red Lamps 1990’ by Roy Lichtenstein (€35,000-€45,000) add an international dimension to a sale which includes Sean Scully’s ‘9.13.02’ (€20,000-€30,000), The Palladian Bridge, Wilton by John Lavery (€40,000-€60,000), ‘Study Towards an image of William Shakespeare’ by Louis le Brocquy (€20,000-€30,00), ‘Look Out’ (2005) by Basil Blackshaw (€20,000-€40,000) and ‘The Sage’ by Michael Flatley (€30,000-€50,000).

In the Western Mountains by Paul Henry is estimated at 60,000-80,000 at Morgan O’Driscoll.

Highlights at Adams include several work by William Orpen including his 1912 ‘Self Portrait’ (€100,000-€150,000) and his portrait of Mrs Edna Lewisohn, better known by her stage name of Edna May (€80,000-€120,000).

Both are from the Smurfit Kappa collection. ‘A Connemara’ landscape by Paul Henry is estimated at €40,000-€60,000 and ‘Etude du Nu’ (1914) by Roderic O’Conor is €50,000-€70,000.

Adams is expecting strong interest in four works by Patrick Hennessy after a successful exhibition by the late Cork-born artist at IMMA this summer. ‘The Bronze Horses of Saint Mark’s’ is one of only two works the artist exhibited at the Royal Academy in London. Women artists include Mildred Anne Butler, Evie Hone, Norah McGuinness, Mainie Jellett and Letitia and Eva Hamilton.

There is contemporary work by Louis le Brocquy, Tony O’Malley, Mark Francis, Donald Teskey and John Doherty.

Both sales are now on view in Dublin.

Pot Luck by Mildred Anne Butler is estimated at 10,000-15,000 at Adams.