A WEST Cork artist is set to auction a life-long collection of his work so he can continue living with his family on remote Heir Island.
This Easter Sunday, Ian Humphreys is to sell a collection of 80 paintings worth an estimated €290,000. There is no reserve. The collection spans his life’s work and includes paintings from each of his three years as an art student.
The paintings date from 1976 up to his current work and comprise his personal collection, which was housed until recently in his Heir Island studio. Works include a number of early self-portraits, a series of often haunting figures, seascapes, still lifes, watercolours and many abstract works.
Humphreys, who moved to the island 12 years ago, is selling his studio collection to clear space and raise funds to remain in the “idyllic” island setting.
“I have made a viable living until now, that’s part of the reason for the sale. In times of recession, luxury items go out the window. But I still believe . . . you have to feed the soul,” he said.
A father of two children aged six and nine – the first children to travel to the mainland to attend school in Lisheen for 30 years – Humphreys said he has been welcomed by the local community, which numbers 29.
“The indigenous people welcomed me . . . I have great friends here, they really look out for my kids,” he said.
The artist’s widely collected work is a response to living on the remote island, which provides inspiration. “Everything inspires, the old stories, the feel of the place . . . the latest paintings are like a slab of the island itself.”
Humphreys rented a cottage on the island before applying for planning permission to build the house in which he now lives.
“All the locals signed a letter of support for me to obtain planning, even the priest, so I had God on my side,” he said.
The art auction, taking place at Morgan O’Driscoll’s Showroom in Skibbereen at 11am on Sunday, is attracting keen interest from as far away as Australia, with art enthusiasts set to travel from Denmark and the UK.
“Interest is strong because it’s an interesting sell, with no reserve. People are hoping they can get one of his paintings at a very good price,” Morgan O’Driscoll said.
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