The phenomenon of large corporate bodies investing in art has never enjoyed widescale popularity here, although a couple of the larger Irish banks have built up their own collections. Otherwise, art buying has essentially been an activity for individuals rather than businesses. And given the relative scarcity of corporate collections, there must be a certain regret that one of the few in existence is to be sold next week, even though this event will give a lot of private buyers a chance to acquire work.
The collection in question was amassed during the 1980s by the Shannon-based GPA Group at a time when that body was at the pinnacle of its success. What makes the group of more than 120 pictures and sculpture so particularly interesting is that it gives an admirable snapshot of Irish art in one particular decade. Other than a couple of items, all the lots date from the same decade, the most striking exceptions being two oils by Gerard Dillon called Memory Pool and Space Circus and a pair of abstract still lives by William Scott.
These latter paintings, both dating from 1964, are very typical of Scott's later style and share the same luminous blue that was a feature of the artist's work. They are expected to fetch £12,000-£14,000 and £14,000-£18,000 while the figure for Space Circus is £6,000-£9,000. The first mentioned of the Dillon works looks like being the sale's best seller as it carries an estimate of £20,000-£30,000 and possesses an immediate and beguiling charm.
It also has the appeal of being a figurative picture, because if there is one theme running through the former GPA collection, it is a preference for the abstract. Given the customary Irish preference for landscape art, this must have been a brave choice and reflects well on the people responsible for assembling the body of work. Sometimes, they bought work by a living artist but from an earlier period, such as the untitled mixed media picture by Camille Souter which carries a pre-sale estimate of £4,000-£6,000 or, sharing the same figure, Patrick Scott's 1966 Gold Painting No 37. Later work by both these artists was then also bought: Souter's oil on paper Dreaming (£6,000-£9,000) and Scott's Chinese Landscape (£5,000-£7,000).
Scott and Souter were clearly favourite artists, since there are a further five and four pictures by each respectively in the auction with estimates varying between £800 and £6,000. Another name which turns up several times in the auction catalogue is that of John Shinnors, with the earliest work - Hobby Horse of 1974 - being expected to sell for £8,000-£12,000, the same figure as his later Bicycle. There are also two very fine oil examples of Tony O'Malley's work, one on board, Winter Lines, the other on paper, A Silence, both with the same estimate of £4,000-£6,000 and the same artist's Interior Paradise Island 2 is expected to fetch £6,000-£9,000.
Oddly, there is only one picture by Louis Le Brocquy, a brilliant-hued 1984 oil called Begonia Growing (£20,000-£25,000) and other artists to look out for here include Barrie Cooke - a large and handsome oil called White Rock Franey's (4,000-£6,000) - Charles Tyrell, Charles Brady and Richard Gorman.
Even if there is no intention to buy, it is certainly worth making time to view the collection over the next few days when the work will be on display at Dublin's RHA Gallagher Gallery.
Organised by De Veres Art Auctions, the sale takes place in the same venue on Tuesday starting at 6 p.m.
