Irish art on show prior to €15m sale

Around €15m worth of art, due to go under the hammer next month, is this week on show to the public.

Works by Lavery, Lowry, Munnings, and Turner are among the pieces in the free exhibition in Dublin's Merrion Hotel tomorrow and Friday.

The items are all part of Christie’s 10th Anniversary Sale of Irish Art to be held in London on May 12.

Highlights on show include Louis le Brocquy’s portrait of Samuel Beckett, which is expected to fetch up to €120,000 and a watercolour of James Joyce worth up to €25,000.

The Blue Rigi by Turner is expected to fetch in excess of €2.8m, The Honeymoon by Lavery is priced at €1.1m and a Munnings piece has been given the price tag of up to €2m.

The exhibition and auction includes British, Irish, Impressionist and Sporting pieces alongside sculptures by Breon O’Casey, son of famous playwright Sean O’Casey.

“People love seeing the works on tour,” said contemporary specialist Johanna McDonald.

“It always goes down really well and people enjoying coming to see all the pieces.

“It is a good opportunity for people to see these things that they wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity to see.

“It is especially good for artists like Breon O’Casey whose sculptures are already in the Tate Gallery in London, but we can develop their action market.”

The tour will exhibit in the Clandeboye Courtyard in Belfast on April 25 and at Christie’s, King Street, London, from May 7 – 11.

Bernard Williams, head of sales, said: “It is good to show them to an optimum audience and taking the art to Dublin and Belfast helps that.

“A lot of what we gather is from elsewhere and it will eventually hopefully finish up here. It is important to see the pieces in the flesh and not just in a catalogue. Some times things look better in a catalogue than they are and vice versa.”

“We always get a good audience here,” continued Mr Williams. “This is the tenth year we have held the event so collectors know we are around.

“A lot of hard work goes into organising the event. I have been to Canada, America and South Africa gathering for this one. Irish art is so rare. But most of the pieces we sell do come back to Ireland.”