DUBLIN.- Whyte’s Important Irish Art auction on 25 May boasts an exceptional collection of works by some of the most significant names in the art market. The auction will take place at the RDS, Ballsbridge on Monday 25 May at 6pm. Viewing will be open to the public from Saturday to Monday 23 to 24 May, 10am to 6pm. Art aficionados can expect estimates from €80,000-€120,000 at the top end of the market as well as more affordable works under the €5,000 threshold.

PICTURE PERFECT
Two of the highlights of the May auction are striking portraits, the first of British stage and screen legend Gladys Cooper [lot 26, estimated at €80,000-€120,000] by Sir William Orpen. Gladys Cooper sat for Orpen in 1924 when both sitter and artist were at the height of their celebrity. Orpen was by that stage the most sought-after portraitist of his day and Cooper had progressed from chorus girl to West End leading lady having first stepped on stage in 1905. The painting is a testament to her beauty. She is depicted seated, arms folded and gazing off into the distance. Her long elegant neck is accentuated by her fashionable “flapper” hairstyle and a string of glittering beads on her neckline add a hint of glamour to her modest attire. The portrait is documented by both artist and sitter, in the former’s studio book (1925) and the latter’s autobiography, published in 1930. Cooper’s autobiography offers a fascinating insight into the artist’s thought process and includes a letter from Orpen to her in which he explains the inclusion of a shadow against her right arm; a nod to her title role in J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan. Orpen was clearly pleased with the portrait of Gladys Cooper because he selected it to represent his oeuvre at the Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy, London in 1926 and also at the Autumn Exhibition at the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool the same year. Orpen was shrewd enough to retain the copyright on the image, which was later reproduced in Cooper’s autobiography.

Cooper relocated to Hollywood in later life and was thrice nominated for an Academy Award. She is best-known for her roles in Alfred Hitchcock’s Rebecca and My Fair Lady and in 1967 she became Dame Gladys Cooper DBE. This beautiful portrait remained in the collection of the sitter’s family - unseen in the public domain since 1926 – until it sold privately in 2001. It is a testament to a Gladys Cooper’s legend and the skill of Sir William Orpen.

Sir John Lavery’s portrait, A Baccante, 1910 [lot 30, €60,000-€80,000] was an important portrait which aided his election to the elite Royal Academy. Set against a dark backdrop the arresting pale beauty - dressed as the priestess of Bacchus (God of wine) – seizes the viewer’s gaze with her hazel eyes. Broad brushes strokes in her cerise blouse contrast with the smooth rendering of her face. The palette is limited to deep reds and blacks with only hints of green in her luscious berry garland. The subject of this fabulous painting is Frances Vera Ruby Lindsay (1884-1951), who was a favoured cousin of Diana and Marjorie Manners, daughters of the Duke and Duchess of Rutland. In July 1909, Ruby Lindsay married a dashing member of the Diplomatic Service, Ralph Harding Peto at a ceremony for 600 guests at St Margaret’s Church, Westminster. She is thought to have been introduced to Lavery through his wife Hazel who moved in similar circles. This painting was variously exhibited in London between 1910 and 1912 at the Royal Society of Portrait Painters and the Coronation Exhibition, Shepherd’s Bush, in Liverpool at the Walker Art Gallery and later in the United States at The Lotus Club, New York.

A “FREUDIAN SWIFT”
Paintings from the 1950s by Patrick Swift are perhaps the most sought-after from his oeuvre and Girl in a Garden [lot 63, €20,000-€30,000] is a large impressive oil on canvas from this period. At this time, Swift was living in Hatch Street, Dublin with poet Anthony Cronin and formed part of an influential cultural set which included Patrick Kavanagh, Brendan Behan, Nano Reid and, the subject of the present work, American poet Claire McAllister. In 1949 Swift met perhaps the most influential British artist of the 20th century, Lucian Freud. By the 1950s, when Freud was in Ireland, their acquaintance was well developed and they were painting together at the Hatch Street address. His influence in this painting is unquestionable with its frugal palette of greens and greys. At first glance the subject appears somewhat ordinary but closer examination reveals an environment that is more surreal than natural and a subject that is imbued with tension and ambiguity rather than indifference. Claire sits perched on the edge of the garden steps slightly below the artist’s line of vision and somewhat dwarfed by an unearthly invasion of vegetation from a neighbouring garden. The rickety patio door hangs open and there is a sense of detachment in spite of their obvious proximity. Early examples such as this are rare to the auction scene and Girl in a Garden is likely to attract much attention from Swift aficionados who have been deprived of such superior examples on the secondary market.

LANDSCAPES
For the traditionalists examples by Paul Henry, Frank McKelvey and James Humbert Craig are sure to appeal. An iconic view of Maam Valley, Connemara by Paul Henry is lot 18 [€30,000-€40,000 illustrated]. This painting was exhibited several times in Dublin, Belfast and London in the 1940s and 1950s and is typical of his icon scenes of the West. Lot 17, Donegal Coast by McKelvey guides €4,000-€6,000 and shows his skill for communicating in oil the ever-changing light of the North West coast. Similarly tumultuous skies can be seen in J.H. Craig’s Rain Storm, Co. Antrim [lot 16, €4,000-€6,000] shown at the RHA, Dublin in 1920. Works in watercolour by Percy French have enduring appeal at auction and three examples by him, including an Alpine scene, are offered in this sale, [lots 38, 40 & 41, estimates from €1,000 to €3,000]. A selection of topographical scenes of Dublin are led by Walter Frederick Osborne’s Near St. Patrick’s Close, c. late 1890s [lot 31, €10,000-€15,000]. Painted in a muted palette this evocative work captures the hustle and bustle of bygone years in the capital. Similarly, a collection of six works [lots 32 to 37, €2,000-€3,000 each] in watercolour by Alexander Williams serve as important visual records to lost city streets. Gordon Ledbetter - author of Privilege & Poverty - The Life & Times of Irish Painter & Naturalist, Alexander Williams– offers an insight into these lots in his catalogue note.

MODERN IRISH
Indecision by Daniel O’Neill [lot 59, €20,000-€30,000 illustrated] was shown at the Irish Exhibition of Living Art in 1950 which was established seven years previous to address the need for wider exploration of contemporary Irish art. Indecision appears to show a Belfast street scene and is an extremely ambiguous and emotionally charged painting. It reveals both his ambition and his awareness of his contemporaries and was painted not long after he had travelled to Paris. This is a substantial work by O’Neill that commands attention and is sure to capture the imagination of bidders when viewed prior to sale.

Other important Modern examples in the auction include, Nude in the Studio by Roderic O’Conor [lot 43, €30,000-€40,000] a quietly contemplative work painted in his studio in rue du Cherche-Midi in the Montparnasse quarter of Paris, where he lived and painted for thirty years. Duet, 1961 by Colin Middleton [lot 71, €8,000-€10,000] is a Cubist work inspired by jazz music and the work of Picasso and Braque. It was shown at the IELA in 1964. May Guinness’ Still Life with Green Bottle [lot 44, €6,000-€8,000 illustrated] is a tribute to her exposure to Cubism and was included in IMMA’s acclaimed ‘Analysing Cubism’ exhibition which toured Ireland in 2013. Gerard Dillon is represented with a delightful gouache and collage titled, Decorated Canoe [lot 56, €4,000-€6,000] and a more traditional West of Ireland scene, Hens and Thatched Cottage [lot 60, €2,000-€3,000]. An ethereal view in oil of Toledo by George Campbell [lot 66, €6,000-€8,000] shows the artist’s love of Spain while Basil Blackshaw pays homage to County Down in lot 67, €3,000-€5,000. A large collection of paintings by Belfast born Markey Robinson are also offered [lots 161 to 176], estimates from €600 to €5,000]

Contemporary highlights include a complete Táin Portfolio by Louis le Brocquy [lot 81, €12,000-€15,000] as well as several examples from the later Human Images series. Patrick Scott is represented with his cool carborundum and gold leaf prints [lots 86-92, estimates from €1,000]. A striking seascape by Donald Teskey titled Watersedge XVII, 2007 is lot 110 and guides €10,000-€15,000. Other names to look out for in this sale include Jack Yeats, George Russell, Nano Reid, William Scott, John Behan, Patrick McElroy, Peter Collis, Liam O’Neill, J.B. Vallely, Harry Kernoff, William Leech, Norah McGuinness, Kenneth Webb among others.

VIEWING for this auction will be at the RDS, Anglesea Road entrance, from Saturday to Monday, 23 to 25 May 10am to 6pm daily. The auction will take place in the same venue on Monday 25 May at 6pm, and will be broadcast live at www.whytes.ie A superbly produced and expertly researched catalogue is available complimentary during the viewing or by post for €10.