A rare self-portrait of the late Graham Knuttel, who died in May, will spark interest among art afficionados when it comes to auction later this month.
The work, which is signed and has a high estimate of €3,250, is set to join eight Knuttel pieces at the Gormleys Autumn online art auction, which takes place from 7.30pm on Tuesday September 26.
The piece will feature among over 200 works, including a single owner collection of Markey Robinson pieces as well as works by William Conor, James Le Jeune, George Gillespie, Cecil Maguire, Mark O’Neill, Elizabeth Magill, Colin Davidson, George Callaghan, Ciarán Lennon, Tom Carr, Maurice C. Wilks and Julian Friers.
“Dubliner Knuttel was an intuitive figurative painter, with little patience for the intellectual processes and conclusions that were so much a part of abstract and conceptual art,” said Gerard Gormley of Gormleys.
“For Knuttel, to paint what one saw or felt or imagined around one’s self should be a simple affair, painted from the gut.
“He liked to paint the human predicament as he saw it, and his figures appear in an urban landscape of which he was a part.”
Also of interest to the art community at the auction is a single owner collection of interesting works by Irish artist Markey Robinson.
Eleven pieces by the Belfast-born sculptor and painter will feature at the auction, including Village By The Sea, which has a high estimate of €2,100.
“In his youth Markey boxed as ‘Boyo Marko’ Robinson, and he was also a merchant seaman and travelled extensively, while being influenced by the Incas and the Aztecs as portrayed in his authentic style of bold brush paintwork,” said Gerard.
“Markey also visited Spain and France on a number of occasions and assumed certain characteristics of artists such as Matisse, Derain and Picasso.
“He developed and simplified their ideas, making them his own with an open, almost childlike honesty, without moving into the realm of pure abstraction.
Markey has been described as a primitive painter, a colourful character and a man of great complexity over the years.
“For well over half a century, Markey produced significant works of art,” said Gerard.
“He painted from memory and mind and is best known for paintings of landscapes, still life, clown and figure studies. He travelled and exhibited widely until his sudden death in 1999.
“Markey continues to be a sought after artist and these works give buyers a good opportunity to purchase a variety of subject matter.
The auction also features artists such as Eileen Meagher, Kenneth Webb, Ken Hamilton, Tony Lynch, Frank McKelvey, J. P. Rooney, Colin Middleton, Martin Mooney, Louise Mansfield, Harry Kernoff, Norman J. McCaig, and Phyllis Del Vecchio among many others.
The Gormleys Autumn online art auction will take place from 7.30pm on Tuesday, September 26, with online and telephone bidding available.
For more information, and to participate, please visit gormleysartauctions.com.
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