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Tony O'Malley-PEDRO BARBA - ISLA DE GRACIOSA, 1993

Currency:EUR Category:Art / General - Paintings Start Price:0.00 EUR Estimated At:20,000.00 - 30,000.00 EUR
Tony O'Malley-PEDRO BARBA - ISLA DE GRACIOSA, 1993

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Auction Date:2012 May 21 @ 18:00 (UTC+01:00 : BST/CET)
Location:Serpentine Hall, RDS, Anglesea Road entrance, Dublin, Dublin, ., Ireland
Tony O'Malley-PEDRO BARBA - ISLA DE GRACIOSA, 1993

oil on boardsigned with initials and dated lower left; signed again, titled and dated on reverse; also with artist's archival number [no. 2466] on reverse; with typed Taylor Galleries exhibition label on reverse
48 by 36in., 121.92 by 91.44cm.
Orientation of Image: P

Provenance: Taylor Galleries, Dublin

Exhibited: 'Tony O'Malley at 80. Recent Work', Taylor Galleries, Dublin, 21 October - 6 November 1993, catalogue no. 17 (illustrated on front cover of catalogue); 'An Advocate For Art : A Tribute To Jim O'Driscoll SC', Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin, 6 July - 15 August, 2010

Literature: Ed. Lynch, Brian, Tony O'Malley, Scolar Press in Association with the Butler Gallery, Kilkenny, 1996, p. 310 (full page illustration)

Notes: Pedro Barba, on the island of Graciosa, is close to Lanzarote in the Canary Islands. The island is surrounded by an uninhabited archipelago which is a nature reserve. It has formed the subject of another work by O'Malley's now in the collection of IMMA. The painting, like much of O'Malley later oeuvre, can be considered joyful in mood. This is largely due to the light tonality, bright colours and almost playful juxtaposition of forms that appear to float across the space of the wood. O'Malley preferred to paint on wood or board as opposed to canvas. The former enabled him to carve and scrap into the surface and to create almost sculptural work rather than being restricted to conventional painting. In Pedro Barba, Isla de Graciosa, O'Malley's interventions into the wood are very evident. He has drilled sequences of holes into various parts of the painting. For example such lines are visible in the large blue rectangular element in the upper part of the composition and along the edge of the yellow element in the lower right. The holes, which appear to be made by a screwdriver or nail are highlighted in different coloured paints. Elsewhere scratch marks make what could almost be described as existential marks which disrupt the painterly surface and introduce a more tangible quality into the work. Dr. Róisín Kennedy
April 2012
Jim O'Driscoll was a renowned barrister by profession but also a passionate patron of the arts with a keen eye for beauty. Director of the Fenton Gallery in Cork for ten years, he built lasting ties with the arts community buying regularly from galleries throughout Ireland as well as from artists directly. His strong connections with Cork in particular are reflected in both his subject choice and his support for its native artists, among them, Maurice Desmond and Pat Connor. He was an early supporter and friend of Tony O'Malley and the late William Crozier and their paintings within his collection are testament to his access to the very best from their respective oeuvres. All the masters in Irish art from the eighties and nineties are well represented here, although some, for example those by Patrick Collins and Gerard Dillon, come from an earlier generation. This outstanding collection represents the powerful imprint of a true collector who was guided not only by his trained eye for quality but by a passion for interesting and authentic artworks.