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Tony O'Malley
STILL LIFE AND WINDOW
Lot 6
Price Realised:
€44,000
Estimate:
€25,000 - €35,000
Tony O'Malley HRHA, 1913-2003
STILL LIFE AND WINDOW
Oil on board, 36" x 30" (91.4 x 76.2cm), signed, inscribed and dated 1967 verso.
Provenance: Sotheby's, London, 16 May 1996, (lot 562); Whytes Auction, 21st September, 2004 (lot 33); P...
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Lot 6
Tony O'Malley
STILL LIFE AND WINDOW
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Lot 6
Tony O'Malley
STILL LIFE AND WINDOW
Estimate:
€25,000 - €35,000
Tony O'Malley HRHA, 1913-2003
STILL LIFE AND WINDOW
Oil on board, 36" x 30" (91.4 x 76.2cm), signed, inscribed and dated 1967 verso.
Provenance: Sotheby's, London, 16 May 1996, (lot 562); Whytes Auction, 21st September, 2004 (lot 33); Private Collection.
Tony O'Malley's paintings, some more abstract than others, very often give us a sense of 'place', drawing on the artist's emotional and sensory experiences. In 1960 he moved from Ireland to Cornwall and, after a visit to Ireland in 1967, moved to the Ship Studio in St. Ives, where he lived and worked. It's likely that Still Life and Window was painted here, conveying a frosty interior bathed in a luminous, silvery half-light, undoubtedly obscured by cloud. The room narrows, the space is compressed and the window is high up: the composition suggesting the cramped, isolated austerity of the painter's studio in winter. Even so, there is an underlying spirit of jauntiness which is uplifting.
Since moving to Cornwall, O'Malley became part of a vibrant and influential circle of innovative artists, with his own work moving away from realism towards a more semi-abstract style. We can see it in this painting where, instead of 'natural' colours, we find a harmonious composition where delicious tones of blue have been arranged with restraint and subtlety.
The artist flattened the picture space and simplified the objects in his studio, playing with them as an abstract composition. These objects are deliberately 'orchestrated' so that they seem to dance around the picture. Even the window sways. The loose application of paint and the spontaneous quality of the incised lines carved into the surface reinforce the liveliness of the composition.
Dr Frances Ruane HRHA
October 2022
STILL LIFE AND WINDOW
Oil on board, 36" x 30" (91.4 x 76.2cm), signed, inscribed and dated 1967 verso.
Provenance: Sotheby's, London, 16 May 1996, (lot 562); Whytes Auction, 21st September, 2004 (lot 33); Private Collection.
Tony O'Malley's paintings, some more abstract than others, very often give us a sense of 'place', drawing on the artist's emotional and sensory experiences. In 1960 he moved from Ireland to Cornwall and, after a visit to Ireland in 1967, moved to the Ship Studio in St. Ives, where he lived and worked. It's likely that Still Life and Window was painted here, conveying a frosty interior bathed in a luminous, silvery half-light, undoubtedly obscured by cloud. The room narrows, the space is compressed and the window is high up: the composition suggesting the cramped, isolated austerity of the painter's studio in winter. Even so, there is an underlying spirit of jauntiness which is uplifting.
Since moving to Cornwall, O'Malley became part of a vibrant and influential circle of innovative artists, with his own work moving away from realism towards a more semi-abstract style. We can see it in this painting where, instead of 'natural' colours, we find a harmonious composition where delicious tones of blue have been arranged with restraint and subtlety.
The artist flattened the picture space and simplified the objects in his studio, playing with them as an abstract composition. These objects are deliberately 'orchestrated' so that they seem to dance around the picture. Even the window sways. The loose application of paint and the spontaneous quality of the incised lines carved into the surface reinforce the liveliness of the composition.
Dr Frances Ruane HRHA
October 2022
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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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