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Louis le Brocquy HRHA (b.1916) HEAD sig

Currency:EUR Category:Everything Else / Other Start Price:NA Estimated At:30,000.00 - 40,000.00 EUR
Louis le Brocquy HRHA (b.1916) HEAD sig
Louis le Brocquy HRHA (b.1916) HEAD signed and dated [3 March 1961] lower left; with original exhibition label on reverse watercolour and bodycolour on paper 53 by 38cm., 21 by 15in. Provenance: Gimpel Fils, London; Private collection, Dublin Exhibited: ’Louis le Brocquy’, Gimpel Fils, London, Septemebr 1961, catalogue no. 25; Show toured to the Galerie Charles Lienhard, Zurich Le Brocquy included several of his early “heads” paintings in his 1961 exhibition, including Head and Horizon (Hugh Lane Gallery, Dublin) and the present work. In a letter to the owner of this work, le Brocquy expressed thanks for receiving a photograph of the piece, commenting: “I was most interested to see your photo of the early head, which I had almost forgotten, but think well of”. In response to a query as to whether the work was possibly a self-portrait he answered: “I cannot say I had myself in mind when I painted it, but then the artist’s identity seems often to be evident in his works, as has been remarked even in my painting images of others such as Yeats and Joyce!”. He continued by commenting that it was most likely the only profile head he ever painted. A copy of the letter is included with lot. This work is recorded as W.13 in the artist's archive.