Irish art to headline Richard D. Hatch sale, Sept. 26-27 Four important, original works of art by noted 20th-century Irish artists will headline a two-day auction slated for September 26-27 by Richard H. Hatch & Associates in Flat Rock, North Carolina.
FOUR RECENTLY DISCOVERED AND IMPORTANT IRISH PAINTINGS WILL BE SOLD
AT AUCTION SEPTEMBER 26-27 BY RICHARD D. HATCH & ASSOC. IN FLAT ROCK, N.C.
(Flat Rock, N.C.) - In February 2007, Richard D. Hatch & Associates held a sale that most auction houses only dream about. It had been consigned a treasure trove of modern Irish art – about 40 pieces, from the estate of Alan Breedon Malcolm Brush, born near Dublin, Ireland, in 1918. The paintings sold for nearly $1.5 million, and the sale overall topped $2 million – a record for the firm.
So imagine Richard Hatch's delight when he was contacted about four more important Irish works belonging to Mr. Brush that had been left with a neighbor in Atlanta for safekeeping. The group includes Louis Le Brocquy's “Traveler Man” (1947); Colin Middleton's “Teresa” (1948); an abstract oil by Neville Johnston; and a painting by Thurloe Connolly. They will all be auctioned September 26-27.
“I feel like lightning struck twice in the same spot, and how often does that happen?” asked Mr. Hatch. He said the paintings were purchased at the Victor Waddington Galleries in Dublin, Ireland, prior to Malcolm and his wife Meg's moving to the United States in the early 1950s. Both were great patrons of the arts, befriending many of the top Irish artists of the period and purchasing their works.
Louis Le Brocquy, born in 1916 and still painting to this day, is known as “the elder statesman of Irish art.” In the February 2007 sale, four watercolors from the artist's 'Tinker' Period' (1945-1948) sold for a total of $317,500. At a recent sale of Irish art held by Sotheby's in London, three Le Brocquy watercolor paintings finished in the top ten lots. “Traveler Man” is expected to bring $30,000-$50,000.
Colin Middleton (1910-1983) was probably the most eclectic Irish painter of the 20th century. He moved easily between Cubist, Surrealist and Expressionistic styles. Mr. Middleton was largely self-taught and quite prolific, producing hundreds of works in the 1930s alone. At last year's Hatch auction, two of his works sold for $70,000 each. “Teresa” is expected to change hands for $30,000-$50,000.
The abstract oil painting by Neville Johnston is estimated to bring $4,000-$6,000, while the abstract oil by Thurloe Connolly is expected to fetch $3,000-$5,000. Many other items will be offered at the sale, too, including a collection of fine French antiques gathered by a former buyer for a major New York City store in the 1920s. Her trips to Paris yielded fine glassware, porcelains and objects d'art.
Also offered will be Russian art, bronzes, glassware by Tiffany, Baccarat, a fine terra cotta bust possibly of Marie Antoinette by Augustin Pajou (French Neoclassical sculptor, 1730-1809), Galle, Lalique, Moser, Steuben, Loetz, French Cameo, fine porcelains including Meissen, Sevres, Old Paris, Derby, lots of sterling silver, antique jewelry, clocks, rugs, furniture and other great pieces of artwork.
