Sale may elevate Northern artist posthumously

Anticipating keen interest, auctioneer John de Vere White has produced a handsome colour catalogue for his sale early next month of the late Arthur Armstrong's studio contents. Armstrong, who died in Dublin two years ago, never seemed to have been especially good at publicising his own talents and therefore he may not be as widely known as other members of his Northern Irish circle - Gerard Dillon, George Campbell and Daniel O'Neill.

He was some eight years younger than these three but for a period he shared a house with them in London. He also often visited Dillon when the latter lived in Connemara and exhibited with Campbell on a number of occasions.

John de Vere White expects this sale "to establish Armstrong as a better painter than many people might have imagined." Certainly, there are ample opportunities to do so, given the large number of works included.

The majority of them are from Armstrong's own hand, but since he also collected the works of his contemporaries, they are represented in the auction as well. From Dillon, for example, there are two papier mache masks, two abstract sculptures, a chalk portrait of Armstrong, a short story called The Banty Cock and more than 30 pictures. Many of these have no estimates, and nor do some of the Armstrong lots. The intention is to dispose of the studio contents, so this could be an opportunity to pick up a painting for very little money. Other artist friends of Armstrong who have pieces in this sale include Phil Rafferty - whose studio sale was successfully handled by the same auctioneer last March - George Campbell, Michael Cullen and Victor Lamb. But the core of the sale, of course, is art by Armstrong. Anyone with a home in Connemara will be interested in his many views of that area, to which he repeatedly returned. There are lots of west of Ireland landscapes and watercolours and drawings of Roundstone. A charcoal drawing of Roundstone, for example, has an estimate of £200-£400 and an oil on board of a west-of-Ireland coastal scene is expected to make £700-£1,000.

Other regularly occurring scenes are of studio interiors, Spanish villages (Armstrong was a hispanophile) and still lives. A particularly attractive oil of a pot and coffee grinder is expected to make £1,000-£1,500 and another oil of a bar interior has an estimate of £600-£900.

Armstrong's palette tends towards the brighter end of the spectrum, with highlights of bright red and green abounding. Almost all the work is figurative, often with a cubist spirit, especially for still lives and interiors. All the works have been smartly framed and glazed.

John de Vere White did unexpectedly well with the Rafferty sale last year and he is no doubt hoping to surpass that occasion, given that Armstrong is a much better-known artist. A selection of the lots was shown in Belfast last week and goes on view in the National Concert Hall from Sunday, February 1st. The sale itself takes place on Tuesday, February 3rd, starting at 2.15 p.m. rather than the usual 6 p.m. Prospective bidders would be advised to arrive early to secure a seat; after all, at the Rafferty studio sale almost 1,000 people were present.