Exhibition heralds Irish art auction

WORKS by some of Ireland’s most celebrated artists are on display in Dublin just weeks before going under the hammer.

Sourced from private collections all over the world, almost 170 pieces will be auctioned at the annual Irish Sale at Christie’s in London on May 8.

Images by Le Brocquy, Lavery and Paul Henry, form part of a touring exhibition open to the public at Dublin’s Merrion Hotel today and tomorrow.

Valued at €10 million, the display of 52 works also features highlights from the company’s forthcoming auctions of Old Master, British Impressionist, and Sporting art sales. Among them is LS Lowry’s Manchester City v Sheffield United, expected to fetch £1m (€1.2m) at British Art Week in June.

A rich array of 20th century works also feature in the sale, including pieces by Lavery, Le Brocquy, and Yeats, whose work is consistently sought after by collectors, enjoying recognition on an international scale with prices breaking the £1m mark.

Since Christie’s staged its first annual sale dedicated to Irish Art in 1996, world record prices have been paid at auction for a number of leading artists including George Barret, Gerard Dillon, JB Yeats, Henry, Lavery and Thomas Roberts.