Whytes

Irish art sales rated as ‘very good’ despite some supply challenges as private collectors wait to consign

In Ireland, Adam’s of Dublin held 32 auctions over the course of 2023, raising a hammer total of €13.8m (£12m) which was up from €12.6m in 2022.

The last 18 months has produced something of a resurgence in the market for Paul Henry (1876-1958).

The Irish art market produced lively action just before new Covid-19 rules came into effect.

In 1916 around 500 copies of the historic ‘Proclamation of the Irish Republic’ were printed, of which today just 30 or so survivors are recorded.

The linocuts produced by artists from the Grosvenor School provided an ideal medium to portray speed and movement in the inter-war machine age – and were perfect for sport subjects too. Those created by Sybil Andrews, such as her classic speedway image, are the best known on this theme.

The ROSC art exhibitions – ‘rosc’ being an Irish word roughly translated as ‘the poetry of vision’ – were the first major series of large-scale international art shows in Ireland.

A sensitive portrait of a First World War soldier by the Irish painter William Orpen (1878-1931) was among a series of valuable lots chased by bidders at art sales in Dublin.

Cubist work by often-overlooked artist fuels keen bidding before heading to California.

Irish art market makes a sedate journey back to strength as local buyers dominate.

Our weekly selection from salerooms and dealerships.

Representing just a fraction of the international art market and often overshadowed by the demand for 2D art, Irish sculpture has undergone a quieter recovery.

While demand is encouraging, a scarcity of high-quality work is hitting the supply side

Gracing the catalogue cover of Whyte’s Irish & International Art auction in Dublin on October 1 is this work by Séan Keating (1889-1977).

Though their output was dwarfed by their male counterparts, talented 20th century Irish female artists pack a punch in the saleroom when their art does appear at auction.

John Magnier, the Irish horse breeder and art collector, reportedly made a five-fold return on his Amadeo Modigliani reclining nude when it sold at Sotheby’s New York last month for $139m (£102.2m).