Winter Irish art sales to start in earnest next week

There will be auctions by Morgan O'Driscoll, de Veres, Gormley's, James Adam and Whyte's next week

'Provence' by William Crozier will be up for auction at Gormley's on Tuesday.

Yeats, Henry, O'Conor, Clarke, O'Malley, Teskey, Jellett, Swanzy, Luke and other acclaimed Irish artists offer Ireland's growing band of collectors an array of tempting choices at auction in the run-up to Christmas.

The major winter sales of Irish art get underway in earnest next week with evening auctions by Morgan O'Driscoll on Monday, November 24, de Veres and Gormley's on Tuesday and James Adam on Wednesday. The sale of Important Irish Art at Whyte's is on December 1.

There is something for all levels of the market at auctions, where estimates range from €200 to €300,000. It is all art — teasing, lovely, intriguing, home- and life-enhancing. 

Even if the important c1890 Paysage aux Arbes (Landscape with Trees) by Roderic O'Conor at de Veres (€200,000-€300,000) is beyond the budget, these sales offer plenty of options at price points within the range of many of us. 

O'Conor made this work at a key turning point in his career. The suggestion of striping in the foliage is a precursor to this feature in many of his later paintings.

A Coastal landscape with Galway Hookers by Paul Henry at Adams (€150,000-€200,000) was in the collection of late Taoiseach John A Costello. Believed to have been purchased directly from the artist in the 1930's it is making its first ever appearance at auction.

Morgan O'Driscoll

An oil on canvas board by Yeats, Low Water, Spring Tide, Clifden (1906) leads Morgan O'Driscoll's sale. The estimate is €40,000-€60,000. 

'Still Life with Frying Pan and Eggs' (1973) by William Scott is up for auction at Morgan O'Driscoll.

Morning Painting, Bahamas from 1983 by Tony O'Malley (€30,000-€50,000), Untitled by Sean Scully (€35,000-€45,000), Cardboard Leaves by Basil Blackshaw and St. Jean d'Acre entering Cork Harbour in 1853 by George Mounsey Wheatley Atkinson are among the top picks in an online sale of 271 lots.

de Veres

The collection of former government minister Gemma Hussey and her husband Derry will form part of the offering of 132 lots at de Veres. 

Bad News by the Dublin artist Patrick Tuohy (1894-1930) from their collection is estimated at €14,000-€18,000. The artist was educated at St Enda's School, established by Padraig Pearse, and did illustrations for the school magazine. 

'White Wings and White Water' by Norah McGuinness is part of de Veres' auction.

Distant Bird Song (€15,000-€25,000) and Self Portrait, Physicianstown (€1,500-€2,000) both by Tony O'Malley, Fair Day, Slovakia by Mary Swanzy (€10,000-€15,000), and Portrait of a Woman by Mainie Jellett (€2,000-€4,000) are all from the Hussey collection.

Gormley's

Provence by William Crozier (€15,000-€25,000), Morons by Banksy (€15,000-€20,000) and Le Marche Flottant and Evening Drag by Arthur Maderson (€12,000-€18,000) are the leading lots at Gormley's.

James Adam's

The 150 lots at James Adam on Wednesday range from the late 19th century to the present day. 

In a Dublin Waxworks by Yeats (€70,000-€100,000), dated 1912 was previously in the collection of Garech Browne at Luggala. The Dublin Waxworks on Henry St. opened in 1893 and was a popular venue until it was burnt down during the 1916 Rising. 

An illustration by Harry Clarke from the 1925 publication of Goethe's Faust (€30,000-€50,000) is one of 90 illustrations the artist made for the publishers George Harrap and Co. There is a similar estimate on Lighthouse by Donald Teskey which dates to 2017.

'Cubist Landscape' by Mary Swanzy will be for sale at Adam's.

An Aubusson tapestry of Cuchulainn in Warp Spasm by Louis le Brocquy at Adams is estimated at €25,000-€35,000, as is Training Five Souls on Board, an oil on paper by Camille Souter (1929-2023). The artist had learned to fly aeroplanes and produced some of her best work on this theme. 

A Cubist Landscape by Mary Swanzy, Night Cargo by Hughie O'Donoghue and a bronze by Rowan Gillespie are all estimated at €20,000-€30,000. Night Cargo is the catalogue cover lot.

Whyte's

The sale of important Irish art at Whyte's on December 1 will be led by The Great Sugarloaf, Co. Wicklow by Paul Henry and The Dead Tree by John Luck. Each is estimated at €100,000-€150,000.