Lot 11 Patrick Collins

Patrick Collins HRHA 1910-1994 ACHILL COAST, 1984 Oil on canvas, 16'' x 20'' (41cm x 51cm), signed and dated. Provenance: Tom Caldwell Gallery (label verso). I was lucky enough to know Collins after he returned to Ireland from France in the early 1980s. I was given the job of trying to find an apartment for him in Dublin. Things were chaotic in his life at this time and money troubles etc. made life difficult, yet when in the mood Collins could paint in a truly magical way. Noted art critic Frances Ruane, was taken by the quality of Collins' work at an early stage and she worked very hard to get him the recognition he so richly deserved. Another art critic, Brian O'Doherty, described his art as ''perilous and strange; the product of a rare imagination'' . A perfect description. John deVere White