€1,600
Super Star Lot: Tony O'Malley HRHA (1913-2003) An original Tony O'Malley HRHA (1913-2003) gouache over pencil and ink with gold paint on paper painting titled 'Swiss Armoire, 1973'.
Portrays an 'armoire' characterising a nostalgic theme of memories. Features a semi-abstract painting, part of O'Malley's period of exploration into unconventional subjects, with a style evocative of folk art. Signed lower left and dated '1973' in pencil. Housed in a white wooden frame behind glass. With framing label of Porthmeor Gallery St. Ives, Cornwall along with 'Arts Council 1984' label to verso.
In 1973 Tony O’Malley married Jane Harris, a Canadian artist. Their meeting had a significant effect on the artist, whose palette brightened dramatically from this point onwards. This change in direction, coupled with their trips to the Caribbean, spawned O’Malley’s most popular series of Bahamian works from the early 1970s.
MM: 40 x 50 cm including frame
Tony O'Malley is a highly respected artist with works fetching into the thousands at Adam's.
Kilkenny born painter Tony O’Malley began painting full time in 1958 having worked as a Bank Clerk previously while painting in his spare time. He is best known for his paintings done in Cornwall, where he lived for thirty years after visiting St Ives in 1955 and returning to settle there in 1960. While he was strongly influenced by the St Ives artistic community, his relationship was one of engagement rather than direct participation, although he did meet and work with Peter Lanyon and Patric k Heron. He spent winters in the Bahamas, which had a further strong influence on his art, which became more vibrant and colourful. His work has been exhibited at the RHA, Taylor Galleries, Coram Gallery in London and he represented Ireland at ROSC ‘80. An honorary member of the RHA (elected 1990), he was elected Saoi of Aosdana in 1993 and the following year received an Honorary Doctorate from Trinity College Dublin. The Irish Museum of Modern Art held a major retrospective of his work in 2005. Tony O'Malley's work featured strongly in the sale of 'The Collection of Nancy Wynne-Jones and Conor Fallon: Ballard House' (June 2015), who were close friends of the artist from the St. Ives days. O'Malley sells very well at auction with Works at Whyte's selling as much as €66,000
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