Mainie Jellett painting fetches record price
There was great excitement at Whyte's art auction on Monday night when the Mainie Jellett painting Achill Horses, 1933, was sold to a private collector for €210,000. This is the highest price achieved for one of the Irish modernist painter's works to date, and the second-highest for a painting by an Irish woman. Sarah Purser's portrait of Constance and Eva Gore-Booth made €239,000 at the Lissadell House auction in 2003.
The Jellett painting, which had an estimate of €70,000-€100,000, was one of a series of more representational works by the artist created in the 1930s. Previously, the highest price achieved for a Jellett painting was €110,000 for The Land Eire 1940, at Whyte's in 2019. This latter painting is part of the current National Gallery exhibition,
Mainie Jellett and Evie Hone: The Art of Friendship
.
Garden calm
Thoughtfully designed and thoroughly maintained gardens are more relaxing for the mind and body, according to a new Japanese study. The researchers found a correlation between rapid gaze shifts and a reduction in heart rate and improved mood among students interacting with Kyoto's famous Murin-an garden, compared with a garden in the University of Kyoto.
READ MORE
Visitors to
Bloom
, the annual gardening festival in the Phoenix Park this weekend will no doubt be seeking inspiration on how to create moments of calm when viewing the 21 show gardens on display.
While many of the show gardens focus on naturalistic planting and biodiversity, there is also a nod to heritage. The Pot Gallery Garden's uses free standing and vertical pots to show how to create green spaces on terraces and balconies, and the Estate's Essence, a mini-walled garden inspired by garden designer Patrik Weisser's work on Abbeyleix House and Farm in Co Laois, are cases in point.
Victor Mee's Summer Garden sale in Co Cavan on Tuesday, June 10th and 11th, has been timed to follow Bloom, with the expectation that gardening enthusiasts will be keen to create new areas of interest in their green spaces after their visit to the country's largest and most popular gardening festival.
The 2025 Summer Garden sale at Mee's auction rooms has more than 1,000 lots. Outdoor sculptures are always of interest, but this year the bronze and cast-iron statuary features a range of wild and domesticated animals, including Irish hares, horses, sheep, ducks, pigs and red squirrels.
Two life-size bronze pigs (€600-€1,200) at Victor Mee's Summer Garden sale
Two bronze hares (€1,500-€2,500)
Two bronze geese (€600-€1,200)
Take for example, the two life-size bronze pigs (€600-€1,200), the two bronze hares (€1,500-€2,500), the two bronze geese (€600-€1,200) or the bronze galloping horse (€10,000-€20,000).
Peter Dowdall of the Irish Gardener says animal sculptures can do something quite magical in a garden. 'They catch the eye, spark curiosity and often bring a sense of playfulness or nostalgia,' he says.
There are also some larger pieces with the potential to become the centre pieces of a garden. These include a wrought-iron English Victorian-style glasshouse (€18,000-€22,000). And, then there is the usual mix of cast-iron tables, garden seats, bird baths, sundials and a good range of troughs in limestone and granite. The French wrought-iron entrance gates (€1,500-€2,500) might be exactly what a rural or urban homeowner requires to bring a dash of style to the entrance to their property.
Irish sculptor Bob Quinn's Best Night Ever (€47,000) will feature on the grounds of Cork's Castlemartyr resort
Irish sculptor Eamonn Ceannt's Happy Face III (€55,000) will feature on the grounds of Cork's five-star Castlemartyr resort
The five-star Castlemartyr resort in Co Cork is the venue again this year for Art and Soul, the touring art and sculpture exhibition run by Gormleys Fine Art Gallery. This is the third time that Oliver Gormley has opted to use one of Cork's most luxurious hotels as the sumptuous setting for his art and sculpture sale. With more than 350 works for sale, including pieces by world famous artists such as Andy Warhol, Damien Hirst, Banksy and Salvador Dalí, the show is an opportunity for people to view works – even if they can't afford to buy.
Ninety large sculptures and installations will be set throughout the 220-acre grounds of the 18th-century manor house estate. These include works by Irish sculptors Bob Quinn (Best Night Ever, €47,000) and Eamonn Ceannt (Happy Face III, €55,000). Both sculptors are renowned for their figurative work in bronze.
Following a career as a commercial artist and designer, Quinn became a full-time sculptor in 2002. His works can be seen in the National Botanic Gardens in Dublin, the Newman House garden on St Stephen's Green and on the University College Dublin sculpture trail. Similarly, Eamonn Ceannt turned to sculpture later in life, after a long career in the private and public sector. His work can be seen at Blarney Castle, Co Cork; Sligo town; Bewley's Cafe on Grafton Street; and on the UCD sculpture trail.
Art & Soul at Castlemartyr runs June 1st-29th, 11am-7pm daily, with guided tours at noon, 3pm and 5pm each day. There is also a series of talks by participating artists. Anyone keen to incorporate a visit into an overnight at the hotel can avail of the Art + Soul visit and stay package.
Finally, the biggest Vintage and Antiques Fair, run by Robin O'Donnell of Hibernian Antiques Fairs, goes ahead next weekend, June 7th and 8th, 11am-6pm at Limerick Racecourse. Admission €5 for adults and children go free.
Antique and vintage dealers will also gather to sell their wares in the Royal Marine Hotel, Dún Laoghaire, tomorrow (June 1st), 11am-5.30pm. Admission €3.50. And an Antiques, Vintage and Collectables fair will be held in the Abbeyleix Manor Hotel in Abbeyleix, Co Laois, on Sunday, June 8th, noon-5.30pm.
bordbiabloom.com
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victormeeauctions.ie
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gormleys.ie
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vintageireland.eu
What did it sell for?
West of Ireland Bog by Paul Henry
West of Ireland Bog, Paul Henry
Estimate
€120,000-€180,000
Hammer price
€125,000
Auction house
Whyte's
Anglesea Market, Dublin, 1933 by Harry Kernoff
Anglesea Market, Harry Kernoff
Estimate
€30,000-€50,000
Hammer price
€40,000
Auction house
Whyte's
Mid-18th-century limestone Medici lions
Mid-18th-century Medici lions
Estimate
€50,000-€70,000
Hammer price
€42,000
Auction house
Adam's
A life-size bronze horse by Anthony Scott.
Bronze horse, Anthony Scott
Estimate
€30,000-€50,000
Hammer price
€26,000
Auction house
Sheppard's
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