Rowland Davidson - Irish Artist

Rowland Davidson has predominantly painted those around him - the people of Ireland, country fairs and markets, musicians and children at play, often using his grand daughters as models, conveying the unique bond between grandparent and child. He agrees with C.S. Lewis who said,"We sit down before a picture in order to have something done to us, not that we may do things with it. The first demand any work of art makes upon us is "Surrender. Look. listen. Receive." Born in Belfast in 1942, he studied Fine Art at Belfast College of Art. In 1968, he graduated and spent several years teaching Art and Design as Head of Department at a Belfast boys school, in 1975. In 1987 he gave up teaching in order to pursue art more fully, becoming one of Ireland's best-known figurative painters. This Irish art show displays the ongoing attitude Davidson has to his work - ie, a simple honest study of his subject, resulting in an uncontrived piece which, in his own words is,"More than the sum of its parts."
Gormleys Fine Art - Dublin - 20th Mar - 3rd Apr 2010
24 South Frederick St, Dublin 2 Tel: +353 (0) 1 6729031
Irish Art

Rowland Davidson- Irish Artist New Dublin show

Gormleys Dublin Gallery, 20th Mar - 3rd Apr 2010

Rowland Davidson has predominantly painted those around him - the people of Ireland, country fairs and markets, musicians and children at play, often using his grand daughters as models, conveying the unique bond between grandparent and child. He agrees with C.S. Lewis who said,"We sit down before a picture in order to have something done to us, not that we may do things with it. The first demand any work of art makes upon us is "Surrender. Look. listen. Receive." Born in Belfast in 1942, he studied Fine Art at Belfast College of Art. In 1968, he graduated and spent several years teaching Art and Design as Head of Department at a Belfast boys school, in 1975. In 1987 he gave up teaching in order to pursue art more fully, becoming one of Ireland's best-known figurative painters. This Irish art show displays the ongoing attitude Davidson has to his work ,ie, a simple honest study of his subject, resulting in an uncontrived piece which, in his own words is,"More than the sum of its parts." To see exhibition click the Headline).
Irish Art

‘Visions – Spectacular Art from the Ulster Museum’

‘Visions – Spectacular Art from the Ulster Museum’ (26 Mar-26 Oct 2010) features more than 170 works of major Irish artists of the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries including Hone, O’Conor, Osbourne, Lavery, Yeats, Henry, Dillon, Le Brocquy, Ballagh and O’Donoghue. One of the museum’s newest acquisitions, Ghost Story by Turner Prize Finalist Willie Doherty is shown as part of an exhibition exploring contemporary Irish art. The British and international highlights include work by JMW Turner, LS Lowry, Francis Bacon, Jean Dubuffet, Karel Appel, Bridget Riley, Gilbert & George, Graham Sutherland and Patrick Caulfield. A new publication by Ulster Museum’s Curators of Fine Art detais 100 of the best Irish works of art and is on sale at the museum. Tim Cooke, Director of National Museums Northern Ireland, says: “This new exhibition will build upon the success of the Sean Scully retrospective in re-establishing the Ulster Museum and Belfast as a venue for exceptional art exhibitions.” Unmissable show. Botanic Gardens, Belfast BT9 5AB Tel: +44 (0) 28 9042 8428. For full source and full article click the Headline).
Irish Art

Jack Pakenham - New Irish Art 2000-2008

Jack Pakenham
Recent Works McKenna Gallery
1st - 24th Apr 2010
31 Castle Street, Omagh
Tel: 028 8224 7105

Jack Pakenham was born in Dublin. He read French, Spanish and Philosophy at Queen's Universtiy Belfast. Following his graduation he spent a winter painting and writing on the Balearic Island of Ibiza before enrolling as a post graduate at Stranmillis College Belfast. Having worked for almost 30 years teaching English at a Belfast secondary school, Pakenham now works full time as a painter. He has held over 35 solo exhibitions and his irish art work forms part of numerous private and public collections including The Irish Museum Of Modern Art, the Arts Council Of Northern Ireland and the Ulster Television collection. Pakenham is perhaps most well remembered for his 'Belfast Series' of images which emerged circa 1975. These reflect the increasingly turbulent political situation within Northern Ireland. The work emotes the feelings of tension, drama, horror and conflict that are all so apparent within a divided society. This new exhibition of irish art features paintings from 2000-2008. Well worth a visit. For full source and full article click the Headline).
For full source and full article click the Headline).
Irish Art

irish art auction in New York

rish Art Auction in New York on 23 March
Whyte’s return to the US market with a joint auction with Bloomsbury Auctions and Dreweatt’s. The Irish Sale held by Bloomsbury Auctions in association with Whyte’s is in New York on 23 March with viewing from 17-22 March. Bloomsbury Auctions, with salerooms in New York, London and Rome are the leading antiquarian books auctioneers in the world, and have joined forces with Dreweatt’s - the UK’s fourth largest fine art auction house. Dreweatt’s have salerooms in Bristol, Newbury and other prime locations in the south of England. Whyte’s were active players in the US market but when demand at home outstripped supply, export sales dwindled. With the downturn in the economy here and the faster recovery in the US, Whyte’s return to their former largest customer base with further auctions with Bloomsbury/Dreweatt in New York, London and Dublin over the coming months. Catalogues at www.bloomsburyauctions.com or www.whytes.ie.

Irish Art Auctioneer joins with USA Auctioneer

Whyte’s return to the US market with a joint auction with Bloomsbury Auctions and Dreweatt’s. The Irish Sale held by Bloomsbury Auctions in association with Whyte’s is in New York on 23 March with viewing from 17-22 March. Bloomsbury Auctions, with salerooms in New York, London and Rome are the leading antiquarian books auctioneers in the world, and have joined forces with Dreweatt’s - the UK’s fourth largest fine art auction house. Dreweatt’s have salerooms in Bristol, Newbury and other prime locations in the south of England. Whyte’s were active players in the US market but when demand at home outstripped supply, export sales dwindled. With the downturn in the economy here and the faster recovery in the US, Whyte’s return to their former largest customer base with further auctions with Bloomsbury/Dreweatt in New York, London and Dublin over the coming months. Catalogues at www.bloomsburyauctions.com or www.whytes.ie.
http://www.IrishArt.com

Belfast Landscape Art Show

‘Contemporary Irish Landscapes’ is a 3 person show sponsored by IrishArt.com celebrating the uniqueness of the Irish landscape, particularly in the North West corner of Donegal and Ulster. Ian Gordon, Pat Irwin and Hugh McIlfatrick interpret the landscape in their own unique ways through vibrant colour and light. Ian Gordon studied at Wimbledon School of Art, before moving to an abandoned farm in Donegal where he worked on conceptual art burying embroidery in beautiful places. Eventually he returned to more traditional painting through which he felt he could achieve the same aims and exhibits widely in Ireland and Europe. McIlfatrick is self taught and left his teaching career to become a full time painter drawing inspiration from the Donegal area. He has been involved in many exhibitions and was runner up in the Bass Irish Arts Award. Pat Irwin is also self taught and works in Limavady, a short distance from the northwest coast and its local scenery is a principal subject for nearly all of his paintings. Irish Landscapes | Gordon | Irwin | McIlfatrick | Square Space Gallery - Belfast - Oct 30th - Nov 28th 2008 34 Shaftesbury Square, Belfast Tel ; +44 (0) 2890 200850 http://www.sqspace.com

Middleton Fetches $71 K

An original oil painting by the renowned Irish artist Colin Middleton (1910-1983), titled Teresa and executed in 1947, sold for $71,500 at a multi-estate sale by Richard D. Hatch & Associates. Middleton was probably the most eclectic Irish painter of the 20th century, moving easily between Cubist, Surrealist and Expressionistic styles. He was self-taught and prolific, producing hundreds of works in the 1930s alone. At a Hatch auction held last year, two of Middleton’s works sold for $70,000 each. Teresa was expected to fetch about $50,000, but bidding was lively and competitive. ‘Considering the current state of the economy, compounded by a local gas shortage, this sale was nothing short of amazing,’ said Richard D. Hatch. ‘The turnout was wonderful. A pencil drawing by Louis Le Brocquy (Irish, b. 1916), titled Tinker Man (1946), soared to $38,500; and an original oil painting by Irish artist Neville Johnson titled Family that seemed a good buy for $5,500. At a sale of Irish art held recently by Sotheby’s, three watercolors by Le Brocquy finished in the top ten. (For full source and full article click the Headline).
Irish Art

In Praise of Hockney...

With his round face and owlish eyes, David Hockney is now almost as recognisable as his paintings, reports the Guardian. And that is saying something, since the best of his swimming-pool scenes and uneasy portraits are art images admired around the world. The artist, who turns 70 today, has a creative restlessness which has always led him to explore new forms. After art-school expressionism he pioneered British pop art, before turning his hand to set design, etched illustration and the photographic montages he dubs "joiners". His mastery of colour, though, is a constant, and is seen once again in his vibrant new set of oil landscapes, which follows the same patch of woodland over the seasons. There are abiding themes, too. One is a concern with how the human eye actually sees; another is art history: he remains a voracious student of the greats - his selection of Turners forms the heart of Tate Britain's current summer show. Through long years in California, he never forgot his Yorkshire roots, returning regularly, before finally coming back home; the biggest collection of his work remains in Saltaire, near Bradford, no distance from where he was born. An original on the canvas, his individualism also emerges in idiosyncratic theories about the reliance of the old masters on cameras. It shows itself, too, in his tirades against bossiness - which reached an almost demented pitch in resisting the smoking ban. Even as he enters his eighth decade, among British artists, it is still David Hockney who makes a bigger splash.
(For full source and article click the Headline).
Irish Art