EXTERIORS:An artist was flown in from Hamburg to brighten up the back of this house in Dublin's embassy belt, writes ALANNA GALLAGHER
A BLOOMING marvellous development deep in Dublin’s embassy belt should put a smile on even the most recession-worn faces.
A work of art, a mural the size of a house – in fact painted on the back of a house – might just be the floral tribute we all need to help lift the collective mood.
Redbrick to the front, the house is poppy red, pastoral green and sky blue in colour topped with white fluffy clouds at the back. The photorealistic montage also includes a Tuscan ruin on the second floor.
A German businessman renting the house commissioned Hamburg artist Lennart Lamoller to come to Dublin and make-over what Lamoller describes as a very ugly back wall.
The 24-year-old Lennart has established a reputation as a graffiti artist in Hamburg, and has an exhibition of his work on display in the Auftragsarbeit Museum für Volkerkunde, a municipal art museum in the city.
The result is an exercise in dexterity. The artist has spent the last week in acrobatic compositions, hanging out of windows and off the fire escape using poles with brushes attached to reach the furthest corners of the house.
Dulux Weathershield was his only material. The residents say there’s been very little dissent from the neighbours but the back of the house is secluded on all sides by high hedging.
Does a bold style statement like this add value to the property? Someone incredibly famous, such as Keith Haring or Banksy, would help the value, admits Simon Ensor, director at Sherry FitzGerald, but it’s difficult to quantify by how much, he says.
Sherry FitzGerald has on its books a large Victorian house on half an acre that includes in its list of features a mural by Irish artist Norah McGuinness.
The mural takes up one wall of a sunroom and comes complete with artist’s signature.
Though paintings by McGuinness regularly sell for between €20,000 and €40,000 with gouaches selling for less, one of her paintings made €210,000 at at an Adam’s auction at the peak of the market in 2006.
However, according to Sherry FitzGerald, the signed mural has not been factored into the asking price for the house, which is €2.6 million.A client might be delighted when the piece is pointed out to them, says Ensor. “Do they pay in excess of what they would pay anyway? Probably not.”
If you fancy making a similarly bold style statement on the back of your home, Lennart is available for commissions, although his plan is to travel presently to Venezuela to study art.
His rate is a mere €10 per hour, plus materials and expenses, which would include return flights from Hamburg and a place to stay. This mural was completed in a week.
But whatever you decide to do let the neigbours in on your plans.
For further information on the artist see www.lennarts.net
