Art lovers crowded the National Concert Hall yesterday evening in the hope of scooping, amongst others, a LeBrocquy, a Scully, a Bewick or a Blackshaw painting.

Over 100 pieces of art and sculpture were donated by Irish artists to this unique auction, which was organised by the Ireland Funds in aid of the 2003 Special Olympics World Games.

A staggering €300,000 plus was raised on the night, under the hammer of John de Vere White. "This was a tremendous achievement. The final sum is testament to the quality of the pieces on auction, with prices reaching up to €20,000 - the top figure of the evening, which was recorded for LeBrocquy's tapestry entitled Battle Field.

All the artists freely gave of their work for the Special Olympics fund, which resulted in a veritable 'who's who' of Ireland's incredibly vibrant artistic community, " de Vere White noted.

Artists who contributed to this unique fund-raising event included Bewick, Le Brocquy, O'Malley, Kingston, Scully, Blackshaw, Teskey, O'Donoghue, Knuttle, Kingerlee, Guggi and Shawcross.

Larry Powell, Board member of the Ireland Funds, art consultant and organiser of the auction, commented on the outcome, "The auction attracted unprecedented numbers. Great interest was displayed across the board. Blackshaw's painting Mr. Patterson's Saturday fetched €17,500; while John Kingerlee's painting sold for €10,500 - a record for his work. Patrick O'Reilly, previously a lawyer and now one of Ireland's top up and coming sculptors, achieved €5,000 for his work."

Commenting on this initiative Kieran McLaughlin, Director of the Ireland Funds, said "This auction follows in the wake of the Ireland Funds' announcement of $1 million contribution to the Special Olympics last week.

The money was raised through a series of co-ordinated events and donations across the Ireland Funds' world-wide network. Following on from the remarkable support we received for this unique sporting event, we are delighted to have assembled the support of Ireland's artists community for this worthy cause. We are very grateful for their tremendous generosity in response to this initiative."

And from The Irish Independant...

Art's top brass work in concert to raise €300,000 for Games

HUNDREDS of people went for a paddle in the National Concert Hall last evening. And it wasn't even sunny outside.

A case of burst pipes, perhaps? Trouble in the brass section? Actually, these paddles were of the auction house variety - cardboard bats with numbers - allowing for a spot of discreet twitching or ostentatious waving, depending on your interpretation of salesroom etiquette.

Organised by art collector Larry Powell and supported by The Ireland Funds, the sale of Irish art in the Carolan Room was in aid of the Special Olympics World Summer Games. About 120 works donated by artists and galleries went under the hammer, raising over €300,000.

"We're absolutely delighted with the result," said Larry, a board member of the Ireland fund. "It's a pat on the back for all the artists of Ireland, who willingly gave their pictures for free. I'm very proud of the artistic community of Ireland. They've done their bit."

The top price of the evening was for a Louis le Brocquy tapestry called "Battle Field", which was knocked down at €20,000. Other strong prices included Basil Blackshaw's "Mr Patterson's Saturday" which went for €17,500, and a Pauline Bewick work entitled "Dove and Pomegranates, Tuscany", which sold for €10,500.

The organisers hadn't expected such a huge crowd. By the time the sale began, all seats were gone and elderly bidders were sitting in the aisles.

"It's one of the best attended art auctions I've ever been at in Ireland," marvelled Larry, who said the sale was dedicated to the memory of Margaret McLaughlin (25), sister of Ireland Fund Dublin director Shane McLaughlin. Among the crowd was Senator Maurice Hayes, Agnes McCourt of Unislim and former Irish rugby captain Hugo McNeill.

Artists such as Graham Knuttel, Felim Egan, Rowan Gillespie, Sean Scully, Guggi, John Kingerlee and Charles Tyrell helped boost the final fundraising tally, while young artists sold particularly well.

A record €5,200 was paid for a painting by Donegal woman Jacinta Feeney. Another of her works won the Charles Bailey award after being entered at the annual RHA show.

© 6th June 2003 - Miriam Lord - The Irish Independant