Gloomy day for Irish art in London

Prices were light years away from the boom when 57 lots by Irish painters and sculptors went under the hammer at Sotheby’s

SOTHEBY’S SALE OF British and Irish Art in London on Thursday afternoon was rather overshadowed by the company’s sale the previous evening, in New York, of a Francis Bacon painting titled Figure Writing Reflected In Mirror for $44.8 million (€34.5 million).

The price was the second-highest ever paid at auction for a work by the Dublin-born artist who died in 1992. The record price remains the €86.3 million (€66.6 million) paid in 2008, also at Sotheby’s, New York, for Bacon’s three panel painting Triptych, 1976, which was reputedly bought by Roman Abramovich, the Russian billionaire oligarch and owner of Chelsea Football Club.

In stark contrast, the prices achieved on Thursday in London’s New Bond Street saleroom, where 57 lots by Irish painters and sculptors went under the hammer, were rather sobering after the Manhattan excess.

As expected, the top lot was Portrait of Rose, Fourth Marchioness of Headfort by Sir William Orpen, which five bidders – two in the room and three on the telephone – chased up to £577,250 (€718,071). Sotheby’s said it was bought by London fine art dealer Guy Morrison on behalf of an unnamed private collector. Orpen’s companion portrait of Rose’s husband, the 4th Marquis of Headfort, failed to sell.

Overall, it was a tough day for Irish art and prices were light years away from the boom. Of the 57 lots, 30 were unsold. There was ominous news for collectors of Louis le Brocquy as both his paintings failed to sell in the first major auction featuring his work since he died last month.

Another big casualty was Daniel O’Neill – all four of his paintings failed to find a buyer. Even the big names stumbled. Although they both made the top five list (see below), two of five paintings by Roderic O’Conor failed to find a buyer as did one by Paul Henry. Two of four lots by Jack B Yeats also failed to sell.

And the traditional lack of interest in Irish sculpture was confirmed when all five pieces in the auction were left on the shelf.

The top five at Sotheby's

Top five Irish paintings at Sotheby’s, London on Thursday (artist/ title/price/estimate):

1 Sir William Orpen: Portrait of Rose, Fourth Marchioness of Headfort, £577,250 (£300,000-500,000)

2 Roderic O’Conor: L’Approche De Lezaven, Pont-Aven £151,250 (£70,000-100,000)

3 Paul Henry: A Connaught Fishing Village, £145,250 (£120,000-180,000).

4 Paul Henry: Among The Twelve Pins, Connemara, £115,250 (£ 100,000-150,000)

5 Paul Henry: The Edge of the Lake, £115,250 (£80,000-120,000)