This year, Sotheby's annual sale of Irish art including ownership of the collection of Sir Michael Smurfit has the highest combined presale value since the reintroduction of dedicated Irish art sales in London in 2015. Made up of 60 lots and with an appeal from the most loved and esteemed names in the field, amongst a strong selection of works by contemporary artists, the sale is estimated to bring in the region of £3,2 million. Before the auction in London on 9 September 2020, public exhibitions were held at the Royal Hibernian Academy in Dublin from 27 to 30 August, by appointment, and in New Bond Street galleries from 4 September.
Sir Michael Smurfit's collection
Eighteen works from Sir Michael Smurfit's collection are distinguished by Louis le Brocquy's Traveling Woman with Newspaper (estimate £700.000-1.000.000), one of the artist's most significant works, and a number of exceptional paintings by Jack B. Yeats, Sir John Lavery and Sir William Orpen. Last sold at auction, at Sotheby's twenty years ago, where it was bought by Sir Michael, Le Brocquy's masterpiece set an auction record for the artist, with a price that has remained unbeaten until Today. Over thirty years, Sir Michael has assembled a series of Irish artworks to furnish his K Club luxury golf resort and hotel resort, and private residence, in Co Kildare. From the outset, he has sought out the best examples available on the market, to the extent that his collection features not only many of Ireland's most famous artists, but also some of their finest paintings.
Kerry Fisherman by Jack B. Yeats is the quintessential Yeats image making its first appearance at auction, having been in a private family collection in Canada for over fifty years. The fisherman's strong features and confident demeanor offer a heroic figure, typical of the artist's depiction of men of the sea. Yeats' wonder and admiration for such figures was instilled in him during his childhood growing up on the docks of Sligo. Dating from the late 20s, the painting anticipates the loose brushwork, dissolved forms and liberally applied color of Yeats's later work.
Property of the Yeats family
Following Sotheby's successful sale of the Yeats Family Collection in 2017, the sale opens with a small tranche of 12 family-consigned lots, featuring a series of works on paper by John Butler Yeats, a fascinating selection of watercolors and ink by Jack B. Yeats and a portrait by PS O'Hegarty of Harry Kernoff. Together, they are estimated to make a combined sum in the region of £25.000.
Cover artwork:
SIR JOHN LAVERY, RA, RSA, RHA | TENNIS UNDER THE ORANGE TREES, CANNES
Estimate: £300.000 – £500.000
