Bidding on this item has ended.
Louis le Brocquy
HEAD
Lot 17
Price Realised:
€38,000
Estimate:
€40,000 - €60,000
Louis le Brocquy HRHA, Irish, 1916-2012
HEAD (1971)
Oil on canvas, 40" x 40" (101.5 x 101.5cm), signed and dated '71, Opus No. 265.
Provenance: Gimple Fils Gallery, London (label verso)
Exhibited: Salon des Realites Nouvelles, Paris, ...
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Lot 17
Louis le Brocquy
HEAD
Lot 17
Louis le Brocquy
HEAD
Estimate:
€40,000 - €60,000
Louis le Brocquy HRHA, Irish, 1916-2012
HEAD (1971)
Oil on canvas, 40" x 40" (101.5 x 101.5cm), signed and dated '71, Opus No. 265.
Provenance: Gimple Fils Gallery, London (label verso)
Exhibited: Salon des Realites Nouvelles, Paris, 5 April - 20 May 1973.
The mid-'sixties marked a pivotal change in le Brocquy's work, propelled by his visit in 1964 to the Musee de l'Homme, where the artist saw ancestral Polynesian clay skull heads with cowrie shells for eyes. These heads were remarkably similar to ancient Celtic images, where the head was the embodiment of the human being. This sparked an interest in Celtic art and culture, with le Brocquy being drawn to the Celtic idea of the head as a magic box that contains the spirit. In Dorothy Walker's 1981 biography of le Brocquy, she quoted the artist: "For over fifteen years I have tried to draw from the depths of paper, or from the white canvas, a human face." He went on to explain that the aim was "…to make visible, a lurking image, to identify, to name some trace or aspect of reality…"
In 1969, Northern Ireland was rocked by intense political and sectarian rioting which developed into the" Troubles." Le Brocquy's terrified heads of the early '70s express this horror with a hand turned palm outwards ordering a halt to this sustained war. Executed in 1971, Head conveys the anguish and suffering of the people in Northern Ireland. The effect of a distressed face emerging slowly within two delineated squares has powerful emotional impact. The austerity of the cool background, with its shifting, carefully modulated light, is the perfect foil for the emotional intensity of the head, where all the vibrant colour is concentrated. Le Brocquy remains the master of subtlety and restraint.
Le Brocquy's paintings draw on our past associations with religious images for their solemnity and grandeur. There isn't the slightest hint of casual informality about them. The paintings have a formal symmetry, with an aura of light concentrated around the head in the tradition of medieval religious art. A hand pressing against the surface is a panic-stricken cry for help. The open mouth is a primal scream. The terror of the Northern Troubles is distilled so that we end up with its essence.
Dr Frances Ruane HRHA
HEAD (1971)
Oil on canvas, 40" x 40" (101.5 x 101.5cm), signed and dated '71, Opus No. 265.
Provenance: Gimple Fils Gallery, London (label verso)
Exhibited: Salon des Realites Nouvelles, Paris, 5 April - 20 May 1973.
The mid-'sixties marked a pivotal change in le Brocquy's work, propelled by his visit in 1964 to the Musee de l'Homme, where the artist saw ancestral Polynesian clay skull heads with cowrie shells for eyes. These heads were remarkably similar to ancient Celtic images, where the head was the embodiment of the human being. This sparked an interest in Celtic art and culture, with le Brocquy being drawn to the Celtic idea of the head as a magic box that contains the spirit. In Dorothy Walker's 1981 biography of le Brocquy, she quoted the artist: "For over fifteen years I have tried to draw from the depths of paper, or from the white canvas, a human face." He went on to explain that the aim was "…to make visible, a lurking image, to identify, to name some trace or aspect of reality…"
In 1969, Northern Ireland was rocked by intense political and sectarian rioting which developed into the" Troubles." Le Brocquy's terrified heads of the early '70s express this horror with a hand turned palm outwards ordering a halt to this sustained war. Executed in 1971, Head conveys the anguish and suffering of the people in Northern Ireland. The effect of a distressed face emerging slowly within two delineated squares has powerful emotional impact. The austerity of the cool background, with its shifting, carefully modulated light, is the perfect foil for the emotional intensity of the head, where all the vibrant colour is concentrated. Le Brocquy remains the master of subtlety and restraint.
Le Brocquy's paintings draw on our past associations with religious images for their solemnity and grandeur. There isn't the slightest hint of casual informality about them. The paintings have a formal symmetry, with an aura of light concentrated around the head in the tradition of medieval religious art. A hand pressing against the surface is a panic-stricken cry for help. The open mouth is a primal scream. The terror of the Northern Troubles is distilled so that we end up with its essence.
Dr Frances Ruane HRHA
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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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