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Gerard Dillon
THE SPACE CIRCUS
Lot 70
Price Realised:
€5,000
Estimate:
€5,000 - €7,000
Gerard Dillon, 1916 - 1971
THE SPACE CIRCUS
Oil on canvas, 36" x 50" (91.5 x 127cm), signed; signed and inscribed verso.
Exhibited: Municipal Gallery of Modern Art, Jan-Feb 1973, Cat. No. 86 (label verso).
In the mid 1950's Dillon exp...
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Lot 70
Gerard Dillon
THE SPACE CIRCUS
Lot 70
Gerard Dillon
THE SPACE CIRCUS
Estimate:
€5,000 - €7,000
Gerard Dillon, 1916 - 1971
THE SPACE CIRCUS
Oil on canvas, 36" x 50" (91.5 x 127cm), signed; signed and inscribed verso.
Exhibited: Municipal Gallery of Modern Art, Jan-Feb 1973, Cat. No. 86 (label verso).
In the mid 1950's Dillon experienced the significant changes in the vibrant art scene in London which saw representational art being replaced by colour and gesture to evoke strong emotions. Post war anxiety had passed and a new era of confidence saw an unleashing of various art movements with many new artist's styles vying for media attention. The tragic death in 1956 of the Avant- garde American Expressionist painter, Jackson Pollock(1912-1956) from an automobile accident catapulted American Abstraction into the media spotlight which helped to shift focus of the art world from Europe to the United States. Dillon's friend Gerard Keenan suggested to this writer that Dillon's style in the early 1960's was most likely influenced by the proliferation of different positions and movements that emerged from European and American abstract painters such as Jackson Pollock at that time.
Exhibited at the Irish Exhibition of Living Art in 1962, The Space Circus was among a number of works painted in Dillon's basement studio at Abbey Road in London in preparation for his solo exhibition at the Dawson Gallery in in Dublin in Spring, 1962 which included 29 listed works and several others but were too late to be included in the catalogue. The Space Circus and three other works were probably held back around this time to be included in the annual exhibition of Irish Exhibition of Living Art (IELA) a few months later.
The Space Circus seems centered on the balance of floating shapes on cut material pointing to the influence of Lucio Fontana's' 'slash series' which Fontana developed from the mid 1950's when he used egg shapes and open cuts to create a sense of illusion and depth. In The Space Circus the egg shape on the right, circles, paint spots, and the illusion of a slashed canvas may be a play on Fontana's 'Spatial Concept.' Coincidentally, Fontana and 11 other Italian painters exhibited with Dillon at the 1962 IELA exhibition. These abstract paintings allowed Dillon to plunge himself into the spontaneous act of creativity and abandon imposed principles or rules in painting or what he described as the 'formality of a painting' which had characterised his Connemara landscapes. Dillon's success between 1960-1962 resulted in his work being shown at the Guggenheim International Award in Washington in 1960 and in Rome at the Marzotto International exhibition in 1962 where he represented Ireland alongside William Scott and Louis le Brocquy.
(Ref. Karen Reihill, extracts from deVeres, June 2020)
THE SPACE CIRCUS
Oil on canvas, 36" x 50" (91.5 x 127cm), signed; signed and inscribed verso.
Exhibited: Municipal Gallery of Modern Art, Jan-Feb 1973, Cat. No. 86 (label verso).
In the mid 1950's Dillon experienced the significant changes in the vibrant art scene in London which saw representational art being replaced by colour and gesture to evoke strong emotions. Post war anxiety had passed and a new era of confidence saw an unleashing of various art movements with many new artist's styles vying for media attention. The tragic death in 1956 of the Avant- garde American Expressionist painter, Jackson Pollock(1912-1956) from an automobile accident catapulted American Abstraction into the media spotlight which helped to shift focus of the art world from Europe to the United States. Dillon's friend Gerard Keenan suggested to this writer that Dillon's style in the early 1960's was most likely influenced by the proliferation of different positions and movements that emerged from European and American abstract painters such as Jackson Pollock at that time.
Exhibited at the Irish Exhibition of Living Art in 1962, The Space Circus was among a number of works painted in Dillon's basement studio at Abbey Road in London in preparation for his solo exhibition at the Dawson Gallery in in Dublin in Spring, 1962 which included 29 listed works and several others but were too late to be included in the catalogue. The Space Circus and three other works were probably held back around this time to be included in the annual exhibition of Irish Exhibition of Living Art (IELA) a few months later.
The Space Circus seems centered on the balance of floating shapes on cut material pointing to the influence of Lucio Fontana's' 'slash series' which Fontana developed from the mid 1950's when he used egg shapes and open cuts to create a sense of illusion and depth. In The Space Circus the egg shape on the right, circles, paint spots, and the illusion of a slashed canvas may be a play on Fontana's 'Spatial Concept.' Coincidentally, Fontana and 11 other Italian painters exhibited with Dillon at the 1962 IELA exhibition. These abstract paintings allowed Dillon to plunge himself into the spontaneous act of creativity and abandon imposed principles or rules in painting or what he described as the 'formality of a painting' which had characterised his Connemara landscapes. Dillon's success between 1960-1962 resulted in his work being shown at the Guggenheim International Award in Washington in 1960 and in Rome at the Marzotto International exhibition in 1962 where he represented Ireland alongside William Scott and Louis le Brocquy.
(Ref. Karen Reihill, extracts from deVeres, June 2020)
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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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