Post-war Irish art draws big money at London auction

A watercolour by Louis le Brocquy fetched a record £153,600 (€229,000) at an auction of post-war Irish art in London yesterday.

The painting, Study of Francis Bacon, was purchased by a private Irish buyer and its price was the highest ever paid for a work by the artist on paper.

Two other pieces by le Brocquy, who celebrates his 90th birthday this year, also featured in the top 10 purchases at the Sotheby's auction. Study of Head from Memory, an oil on canvas, was sold for £96,000 (€143,150) and Still Life with Fruit, in pencil and watercolour, fetched £19,200 (€28,600).

Among other top earning paintings was an untitled acrylic work by Basil Blackshaw, sold to a private Irish collector for £66,000 (€98,500). And a watercolour and pencil work, Wall of Light by Dublin-born Seán Scully, earned twice its estimated value, selling for £57,600 (€85,900).

The painting is one of a series of works inspired by a visit to Mexico, where the artist became fascinated by the effects of light on crumbling stone surfaces.

Over £893,300 (€1.3 million) was earned at the auction yesterday, well in excess of the pre-sale estimate, and some pieces sold for double and triple their high estimates. Seven of the most expensive works were bought by private Irish collectors.

A portrait of Samuel Beckett in Paris, taken in 1946 by photographer John Minihan, sold at the auction for £7,200 (€10,700). The image shows the writer in Café Francais, on boulevard St Jacques.

New auction records were established for 26 artists, including John Noel Smith, Brian Maguire, Seán Shanahan, Elizabeth Magill and Ciarán Lennon. Records were also set for younger artists such as Darren Murray, Ian Charlesworth, Diana Copperwhite, Simon McWilliams and Colin Davidson.

Arabella Bishop, one of the specialists in charge of the sale, said they were thrilled with the results.

"Following a great reception of the sale's travelling exhibition to both Dublin and Belfast, we were especially pleased to see so much interest from collectors in London as well as from the Continent and the United States, many of whom have rarely come into contact with Irish art before," she said.