Huge Irish art sale at Richard D. Hatch, Feb. 16-17 A treasure trove of modern Irish art -- about 40 paintings, expected to fetch up to $1 million or more -- will be sold February 16-17 by Richard D. Hatch & Associates in Flat Rock, North Carolina.
News-Antique.com - Nov 30,-0001 - TREASURE TROVE OF MODERN IRISH ART, EXPECTED TO BRING UP TO $1 MILLION
OR MORE, TO BE SOLD BY RICHARD D. HATCH & ASSOCIATES, FEBRUARY 16th-17th
(Flat Rock, N.C.) - A treasure trove of modern Irish art – about 40 paintings, expected to fetch up to $1 million or more – will be sold the weekend of February 16-17 by Richard D. Hatch & Associates. The trove comprises part of the living estate of Alan Breedon Malcolm Brush, born near Dublin, Ireland, in 1918. Along with his late wife, Meg, Mr. Brush was an active patron of the arts.
“It was an auctioneer's dream,” Richard Hatch said of the consignment. “I got a call from Mr. Brush's guardian, who wasn't fully aware of the extent of the collection. I drove to what I thought was a normal house call, not far from my showroom in Flat Rock. What I discovered was the finest collection of art I've seen in my 27 years in the business. This will be a hugely important sale.”
What Mr. Hatch found, covered with old paper and dust in a small storage locker, was quite possibly the finest collection of Irish art in public hands. Included were four rare 'Tinker period' watercolors by Louis LeBrocquy; two oil paintings by Jack B. Yeats; and works by Nathaniel Hone, Nano Reid, Gerald Dillon, Father Jack Hanlon, Sean McSweeney, Colin Middleton, Eric Patton; Kenneth Mahood; Patrick Pye; and Neville Johnston.
In addition, Mr. Hatch also discovered non-Irish treasures. A bronze statue of Pomona, the goddess of fruit and fruitfulness by the Italian artist Marino Marini, for instance, is expected to realize $100,000-$150,000. An abstract oil painting by Has Hartung is also expected to do well. There were even a few paintings by Meg Brush herself, who was known to put brush to canvas.
During the course of their interesting lives, Mr. And Mrs. Brush befriended many of Ireland's top artists of the mid-20th century. They were also close friends with the owners of the Victor Waddington Galleries in Dublin (since closed). Many of the pieces to be sold at the auction were purchased from the Galleries in the '40s and '50s; most still have their original exhibition catalogs.
The Brushes left Ireland for the United States in 1954. Today, Mr. Brush has Alzheimer's disease and resides in a nursing home. His guardian, a relative and Virginia resident, called Mr. Hatch about consigning the artwork, explaining the money was needed for Mr. Brush's continued care. “He asked me if I thought we might get $50,000 for it all,” Mr. Hatch said. “He's in for a pleasant surprise.”
The Irish artists represented in Mr. Brush's collection include:
*Louis Le Brocquy (b. 1916) - At 90, Mr. Le Brocquy (known as “the elder statesman of Irish art”) is still active and painting to this day. The four watercolors offered in the Hatch sale are from the artist's 'Tinker period' (1945-48). And, like the others, they are fresh-to-the-market. At a recent sale of
