Bidding on this item has ended.
Patrick Hennessy
BIRD ORACLE
Lot 5
Price Realised:
€14,500
Estimate:
€10,000 - €15,000
Patrick Hennessy RHA, 1915-1980
BIRD ORACLE
Oil on canvas, 24 1/2" x 34 1/2" (62.2 x 87.6cm), signed; inscribed verso.
Cork born, Hennessy is perhaps the most distinguished post-war realist painter among his Irish contemporaries. He was an uncom... Read more
Lot 5
Patrick Hennessy
BIRD ORACLE
BIRD ORACLE
Oil on canvas, 24 1/2" x 34 1/2" (62.2 x 87.6cm), signed; inscribed verso.
Cork born, Hennessy is perhaps the most distinguished post-war realist painter among his Irish contemporaries. He was an uncom... Read more
Lot 5
Patrick Hennessy
BIRD ORACLE
Estimate:
€10,000 - €15,000
Patrick Hennessy RHA, 1915-1980
BIRD ORACLE
Oil on canvas, 24 1/2" x 34 1/2" (62.2 x 87.6cm), signed; inscribed verso.
Cork born, Hennessy is perhaps the most distinguished post-war realist painter among his Irish contemporaries. He was an uncompromisingly academic painter whose work is marked by unrivalled technical virtuosity. However, the real strength of his paintings is not Hennessy's competent rendering of the familiar, but rather the way he transforms the familiar into something extraordinary.
There is something unsettling about Bird Oracle, with its incongruous juxtapositions. An intimate depiction of a Blue Tit bird perched on a conch shell is theatrically set within the embrace of a monumental Greco-Roman ruin. Hennessy often liked to play with contrasts, which in this picture can be seen in the disparity of scale and textures. He's created tremendous spatial tension by placing a few meticulously rendered objects in a vast uncluttered space. In Bird Oracle, the artist has created an imaginary scene, but has painted it as if it were absolutely real. By doing so, he's infused it with drama, ambiguity and tension.
Dr Frances Ruane RHA, May 2021
BIRD ORACLE
Oil on canvas, 24 1/2" x 34 1/2" (62.2 x 87.6cm), signed; inscribed verso.
Cork born, Hennessy is perhaps the most distinguished post-war realist painter among his Irish contemporaries. He was an uncompromisingly academic painter whose work is marked by unrivalled technical virtuosity. However, the real strength of his paintings is not Hennessy's competent rendering of the familiar, but rather the way he transforms the familiar into something extraordinary.
There is something unsettling about Bird Oracle, with its incongruous juxtapositions. An intimate depiction of a Blue Tit bird perched on a conch shell is theatrically set within the embrace of a monumental Greco-Roman ruin. Hennessy often liked to play with contrasts, which in this picture can be seen in the disparity of scale and textures. He's created tremendous spatial tension by placing a few meticulously rendered objects in a vast uncluttered space. In Bird Oracle, the artist has created an imaginary scene, but has painted it as if it were absolutely real. By doing so, he's infused it with drama, ambiguity and tension.
Dr Frances Ruane RHA, May 2021
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All maximum bids are confidential and not disclosed. The system will endeavor to purchase the lot for you for the least price. Bids are subject to buyer’s premium of 25% (incl vat), with no additional charges.
In the event of a tied bid, the preference will be given to the bid submitted first. The second bidder will receive immediate notification of being outbid.
PLEASE BID EARLY TO AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT.
In order to allow rival bidders the opportunity to respond to a late bid the following extensions will apply:
IF A BID IS RECEIVED WITHIN THE FINAL 45 SECONDS OF THE COUNTDOWN THE CLOCK WILL RESET TO 60 SECONDS.
At any point you can leave a maximum bid, representing the highest price you are prepared to pay for a particular lot. Bidding only advances when there is competition from a rival bidder. In that case the system bids on your behalf, only up to the maximum if required. All bids are relayed to you be email, along with notification if you have been outbid.
All maximum bids are confidential and not disclosed. The system will endeavor to purchase the lot for you for the least price. Bids are subject to buyer’s premium of 25% (incl vat), with no additional charges.
In the event of a tied bid, the preference will be given to the bid submitted first. The second bidder will receive immediate notification of being outbid.
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