Gerard Dillon Sold at Auction Prices

Painter

Born in Belfast, Ireland in 1916, artist Gerard Dillon left school in his early teens to become a painter and decorator. He briefly studied at the Belfast Technical School and then moved to London to pursue a career as an artist. Over the next several years, artist Dillon displayed his artwork in London and Dublin, and had his first solo exhibition at the Country Shop of Dublin in 1942.

He gained worldwide acclaim as a figurative artist and landscape painter in the late 1950s after representing Ireland at the Guggenheim International Show in New York and Great Britain at the Pittsburgh International Exhibition. Some of his most well-know oil and watercolour paintings include Disused Brickfield, Italian with Fowl, The Widow Woman, and Connemara Lovers.

Gerard Dillon's paintings and prints were influenced by several artists, including Sean Keating and Marc Chagall. He has oil and watercolour paintings for sale and on display throughout Ireland and international galleries. Vintage watercolor paintings for sale at Invaluable encompass every theme, from landscape to figural, so you'll easily find a piece to suit your tastes.

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sold
Sep. 27, 2023
Gerard Dillon (1916 - 1971) Masked Figure and Nude Oil on board, 86.5 x 122.5cm (34 x 48) Signed; also signed, inscribed with address '3 Greville Road, London', and title in the artist's hand verso Sometime in 1967 Dillon joined a lif
Est: €15,000 - €20,000
Gerard Dillon (1916 - 1971) Masked Figure and Nude Oil on board, 86.5 x 122.5cm (34 x 48) Signed; also signed, inscribed with address '3 Greville Road, London', and title in the artist's hand verso Sometime in 1967 Dillon joined a life drawing glass at the Sarah Siddons School, Paddington Institute in London and from that point onwards nudes became more prominent in his work. He often incorporated them into strange and dreamlike landscapes with Pierrot figures. Such as Red Nude with Loving Pierrot or Once Upon a Wavelength. While we may not consider this a nude in the traditional sense, the flesh tones replaced with a striped black and green body, it is still a distinct rendering of the female form. The work is highly graphic, emphasised by the sharp lines of Pierrots body, echoed in the flat rectangular bed on which the nude figure lies. It appears as if it is floating above a blue sea, which Dillon has painted loosely, with quick criss-crossing strokes of colour. The figure appears slightly afraid, as if she is a trying to break free of the striped ties of the bed that she is lying on. While above her an unusual arrow points down as if orientating the viewer within the composition. The masked Pierrots or clown figures were also a common trope in Dillons work from the mid-1960s onwards. As is well documented, the death of his brother Joe in 1962, to whom he was very attached, had profound impact on Dillon. The idea of the clown representing a satirical sinister element, shown here with a coy smile upon its face, can be seen in other works from the period. Dillon acknowledged them in his work saying I think its natures way of letting you know that you are on the way out. (James White, Gerard Dillon: An Illustrated Biography, Dublin 1994, p. 90) The figure in this work, with the black mask and piercing green eyes, is very similar in style those in Entertaining Friends, 1968, (Institute of Public Administration, Dublin). Three figures, whose bodies are decorated in leafy vegetation, sit in a circle before the kneeling white Pierrot. The work also employs the decorative use of stripes, in the cloth on the ground on which a tea party has been set and in the striking blue and green colour palette. It is often remarked of his Pierrot works, that Dillon was using them to represent himself within the paintings, allowing him to adopt a role without being immediately identifiable. Towards the end of his life, he took a more free and lyrical approach to his painted works, embracing the abstract and moving into an imagined world inhabited by his masked characters. Niamh Corcoran, September 2023
Adam's
sold
Sep. 27, 2023
Gerard Dillon RHA RUA (1916 - 1971) Island Cottage Interior Ink and colour wash, 19.4 x 26cm (7¾ x 10¼) Signed
Est: €800 - €1,200
Gerard Dillon RHA RUA (1916 - 1971) Island Cottage Interior Ink and colour wash, 19.4 x 26cm (7¾ x 10¼) Signed
Adam's
sold
Sep. 27, 2023
Gerard Dillon (1916 - 1971) Couple on a Cart Oil on board, 33 x 42.5cm (13 x 16¾) Signed Gerard Dillons Couple on a Cart is a beautifully rendered painting featuring a couple seated upon a cart that is just out of view of the compositi
Est: €30,000 - €40,000
Gerard Dillon (1916 - 1971) Couple on a Cart Oil on board, 33 x 42.5cm (13 x 16¾) Signed Gerard Dillons Couple on a Cart is a beautifully rendered painting featuring a couple seated upon a cart that is just out of view of the composition, in a moody west of Ireland landscape. A particularly intimate scene, there is an intensity and undeniable tension between the couple. Although we dont know for certain the couples relationship, we could infer from Dillons title that they may be romantic partners. There is an intensiveness to their gazes, one of weariness and tiredness. With the moody sky in the background, Dillon may be depicting the couples journey home after a long day working. The blue-grey sky he has painted gives an ominous feeling to the composition, further adding to the overall tension in this painting. The west of Ireland held a special place in Dillons life, becoming a constant motif within his oeuvre, a concept he often revisited time and time again. The west of Ireland had a magnetic pull upon artists, writers and travellers, having its own history, mythology and even its own sense of dress. Its natural beauty inspired countless artists, who, like Dillon, often spent time painting and depicting the landscape for the rest of Ireland, and the world, to appreciate. Born into a large working class family in West Belfast, Dillon moved to London at the age of 18 to escape the societal restrictions placed upon him in Belfast. Although he spent most of his time between Belfast, Dublin and London, Dillon often returned to the west of Ireland, lured back by its incredible beauty that could not be found within these urban cities. Dillon often depicted snapshots into the way of life in the west of Ireland, from domestic scenes in The Yellow Bungalow (1954) and Kitchen Interior (1957), to workers working in the fields in Potato Pickers (1944) to depictions of the ethereal landscapes, as seen in West of Ireland Landscape (c. 1945) and The Black Pond (1957). Dillons application of paint in Couple on a Cart shows us how strong and competent a painter he was. His rendering of the background, from the cottages to the stone walls, both often found throughout the west of Ireland, have been done with quick, confident and deliberate marks which have then been built up further to give the appearance of stone work. His brushstrokes also give a sense of depth to the painting, allowing us to feel as if we ourselves are experiencing the rolling hills the couple have just travelled over. There is a Madonna-esque quality to the pose of the female figure, her head tilted as she gazes upon her companion. Dillon often included religious iconography in his paintings as reference to his Catholic upbringing. Both figures in the painting wear traditional west of Ireland clothing. The female figure, with a lightweight shawl draped over her head, with her male companion dressed in traditional fisherman garb, with his waistcoat over his Aran jumper, named after the islands off the coast of Galway, which have been beautifully rendered by Dillon. Interestingly, Dillons colour choice helps us understand the relationship between the two figures, with the red of the shawl and the green of the Aran jumper. In colour theory, red and green are complimentary colours, opposite on the colour wheel. In depicting both figures in these complimentary colours, Dillon is not only creating a sense of unity and visual harmony for the viewer but a sense of unity amongst the figures. Patrick Hickey August 2023
Adam's
sold
Sep. 13, 2023
Camille Souter Retrospective. 2001; In Time of Shaking. Contemporary visual
Est: €50 - €90
Camille Souter Retrospective. 2001; In Time of Shaking. Contemporary visual art in Ireland. 2004 in dj; Gerard Dillon. 1916-1971 Retrospective Exhibition; The Delighted Eye Irish Painting and Sculpture; Tom Carr retrospective; Sean Scully and Roderic O’Conor by Bebington in dj. 8 attractive books
Purcell Auctioneers
sold
May. 31, 2023
Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) Boy and Small Fields (1971) Etching, 24 x 34cm (9½ x 13½) Signed, inscribed and no. 1/24 Provenance: With Tom Caldwell Gallery, Belfast, label verso; Exhibited: Dublin, Municipal Gallery of Modern Art, Jan/Feb 1973
Est: €500 - €800
Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) Boy and Small Fields (1971) Etching, 24 x 34cm (9½ x 13½) Signed, inscribed and no. 1/24 Provenance: With Tom Caldwell Gallery, Belfast, label verso; Exhibited: Dublin, Municipal Gallery of Modern Art, Jan/Feb 1973 - 'Gerard Dillon Retrospective' - Cat. No. 104
Adam's
sold
May. 31, 2023
Gerard Dillon RHA RUA (1916-1971) Norah and Johnny Conneely Resting Oil on board, 61 x 77cm (24 x 30) Signed; inscribed with title verso Nora and Johnny Conneely Resting is a stunning oil painting on board by Dillon, featuring an idyllic, inti
Est: €80,000 - €120,000
Gerard Dillon RHA RUA (1916-1971) Norah and Johnny Conneely Resting Oil on board, 61 x 77cm (24 x 30) Signed; inscribed with title verso Nora and Johnny Conneely Resting is a stunning oil painting on board by Dillon, featuring an idyllic, intimate snapshot into life in the west of Ireland. Both figures sit with their legs stretched out on the field after what appears to be a long day working. Johnny Connelly sits smoking a cigarette with his back against a dry stone wall, which is synonymous with rural Ireland, along with the cottages that appear in the background of the painting. The figure of Nora Conneely fills the front of the composition, framing her partner and the wheat field to the right of the painting. She chews upon the stem of a wheat stalk taken from the field they are working in, her forlorn expression in contrast to that of Johnnys, who gazes directly at the viewer. The west of Ireland represented a place of wonder and awe for Dillon, who spent many periods there, observing, sketching and painting. Born in Belfast, and living in London from the age of 18, the west of Ireland offered Dillon a sanctuary away from the red brick cities. For many artists, the west of Ireland was alluring. Due to the isolated, hard-to-reach nature of the west, the people here developed their own way of life through their sense of dress, history and mythology, and so forth, which lent itself to the appeal of outsiders. Dillon, along with many other artists, saw this region and its inhabitants as a true representation of what it meant to be Irish. The west of Ireland became a recurring theme in Dillons oeuvre, featuring in many of his paintings from the 1940s onwards, such as West of Ireland Landscape (1945) and The Cottage Gable (c. 1950). Even when he began to experiment visually, with paintings such as The Brothers (1968), Dillon often included visual motifs or reminders of the west of Ireland, like the stone cottages found throughout the region, not unlike the one in our picture. Dillons application of paint is quite striking, which makes the painting all the more intriguing. Johnny Conneelys clothes and the grass which the figures sit upon have been painted with thinned layers of oil paint, giving them a translucent appearance and quality. This is in striking contrast to Nora Conneelys dress, which has been painted with a deliberate thickness and heaviness, not dissimilar to the texture of the stone wall. Similarly, the sky itself is painted in a similar manner, in a flat cool blue colour. Dillons application of the paint is interesting, it is almost as if he is carving out, with paint, the contours of the cottages and the dry stone wall. There is a deliberateness to the marks Dillon makes, doing so in such a quick and confident manner. The bundles of wheat stems to the right of Johnny give an insight into the realities of the west of Ireland, as agriculture played a massive role in the way of life in this region, in particular the Aran Islands, where Dillon was known to travel and spend time there. Dillon often depicted similar scenes of daily life in this part of the world, a seen in such scenes as Potato Pickers (1944) or Island People (c. 1950). Patrick Hickey May 2023
Adam's
sold
May. 31, 2023
Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) Sleeper in Spare Room Oil on board, 38 x 40cm (15 x 15¾) Signed Provenance: With Tom Caldwell Galleries, Belfast One of five Dillons on offer in this auction, and the smallest, Sleeper in Spare Room is an in
Est: €15,000 - €20,000
Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) Sleeper in Spare Room Oil on board, 38 x 40cm (15 x 15¾) Signed Provenance: With Tom Caldwell Galleries, Belfast One of five Dillons on offer in this auction, and the smallest, Sleeper in Spare Room is an intimate and peaceful work. Sleep or more accurately sleeping figures often appear in Dillons work, the landscape around them becoming visual representations of their dreaming worlds, which at times, can take on a more ominous atmosphere. In this example, the background is simple and restrained, with only a small section of the room visible to us. The composition is dominated by the colour combinations of the burnt red blanket, the cold black metal bedframe topped with bright yellow dabs of paint and the varying tonal blue background. Using a tightly framed composition there is a strong interplay between the vertical and horizontal elements in the painting. The bed running parallel along the wall is countered by the uprights of its metal frame. Dillon uses strong linear aspects of block colour to differentiate the floor from the skirting board and wall behind. The softer features are beautifully captured by Dillon in the white sheet falling loosely over the edge of the bed, or the plump feathered pillows sagging slightly under the weight of the mans head. There is a certain sense of vulnerability to the work, we are at our most exposed while sleeping, unbeknownst that we are being observed. With the covers pulled up to the mans chin and only his head and shock of black hair visible on the starched white pillows, he looks almost childlike. In the foreground lie his slippers, placed in opposing positions, as if cast off quickly before getting into bed. With the Sleeper one thinks of course of the colour tones used in Van Goghs well-known work The Bedroom painted in his yellow house in Arles in 1888 which also has a similar red woollen blanket and blue walls (although apparently these were purple originally but have become discoloured over time). Dillon uses the simplicity of the room and its furniture to create a sense of calm and repose, our attention solely focused on the mans deep and restful slumber. Niamh Corcoran, May 2023
Adam's
sold
May. 31, 2023
Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) Pierrot Mixed media collage, 106 x 70cm (41¾ x 27½) Signed
Est: €8,000 - €12,000
Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) Pierrot Mixed media collage, 106 x 70cm (41¾ x 27½) Signed
Adam's
sold
May. 31, 2023
Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) Happiness in a Red Landscape Mixed media collage, 38 x 56cm (15 x 22) Provenance: With Tom Caldwell Gallery, Belfast, label verso
Est: €4,000 - €6,000
Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) Happiness in a Red Landscape Mixed media collage, 38 x 56cm (15 x 22) Provenance: With Tom Caldwell Gallery, Belfast, label verso
Adam's
sold
May. 18, 2023
Gerard Dillon (Irish, 1916–1971) Turn Your Money
Est: $20,000 - $30,000
Gerard Dillon (Irish, 1916–1971) Turn Your Money oil on canvas signed G. Dillon (lower left) 26 x 12 inches. We are grateful to Karen Reihill for her kind assistance with the cataloguing of the present lot. Exhibited: New York, Associated American Artists Galleries, Contemporary Irish Paintings, March 3 - 22, 1947, no. 59, illustrated on the cover (also traveled to Chicago, Ottawa, and Beverly Hills, California) Literature: James White, Gerard Dillon: An Illustrated Biography, Dublin, 1994, p. 54 Karen Reihill, George Campbell and the Belfast Boys, Dublin, 2015, p. 44 (Associated American Artists Galleries exhibition cover illustrated) Karen Reihill, O'Neill: Romanticism and Friendships, Dublin, 2020, p. 192 (Associated American Artists Galleries exhibition cover illustrated) Lot note: Whatever you have in your hand when you see the new moon first; you will have plenty of that before the next new moon comes Turn Your Money by Gerard Dillon is a visual amalgamation of Irish folk tales and myths. The present artwork depicts two women who stand in a country lane and gaze upward at the crescent moon in an inky black sky. The lane is lined on each side with traditional stone walls and at its end stand three white-washed cottages. The younger of the two women, with a black cat by her bare feet, clutches her left hand to her chest. The title, Turn Your Money, refers to an Irish country tradition that with the coming of the new moon, people would pray for health, wealth, and good fortune. It was also thought to be bad luck to see the new moon first through glass, so people would ensure that they stepped outside to view the planetary object in its beginning phase and not accidentally see it through a window. The black cat is another reference to an Irish folktale of the black bog cat, a mysterious creature who is said to have prowled around the shores of Lough Neagh, a lake in Northern Ireland. Cunning, swift, and unusually large, this mythical cat is rumored to bring great wealth and happiness to those lucky enough to run into it. Born in the industrial city of Belfast, Dillon was fascinated with Ireland's mythical rural life and often portrayed locals in their everyday existence in Donegal, the Boyne Valley, and the west of Ireland in the 1940s and 50s. This region, so far from the strife and conflict of Belfast, was to be important to the development of his career. Dillon was a mostly self-taught artist, and his discovery of the Irish countryside during a cycling trip with a friend in the summer of 1939 was a revelation in terms of his subject matter. He saw in the area and the people a freshness and simplicity, as "visual symbols of the country he had dimly dreamt of and idyllically desired to belong to" (James White, Gerard Dillon, An Illustrated Biography, Dublin, 1994, p. 34). The artist valued openness and honesty and he consciously adopted a primitive style, once declaring he wanted to paint with "a child's directness" (J. White, ibid., p. 59). Using thick impasto and broad brushstrokes, along with simple outlines and bold color contrasts, his depictions of Western Ireland ignore perspective and realism to chronicle a way of life that had been virtually unaffected by World War II. During the war, Dillon settled in Dublin, as southern Ireland remained neutral. He became part of a thriving artistic community, which included Irish artists such as Louis le Brocquy, Patrick Hennessy, and Daniel O'Neill. It was as part of this group that Dillon participated in a 1946 exhibition with other Irish artists at the Leicester Gallery in London. The success of this exhibition led to this group of painters to be invited to show at the Associated American Artists' Galleries in New York. The exhibition, Contemporary Irish Paintings, opened on March 3, 1947, and included Jack Butler Yeats, Colin Middleton, Nano Reid, Norah McGuinness, George Campbell, Le Brocquy, and Dillon. Turn Your Money was the cover illustration for the exhibition catalogue. Dr. Theodore Goodman, art critic for the Irish monthly magazine, Commentary, wrote in a review that "the subject matter is typically Hibernian in its poetic often mystic quality. One example of this is Gerard Dillon's Turn Your Money which shows two women looking at the new moon over their left shoulders. It is done in somber, quiet tones..." (J. White, ibid., p. 54). Through its strong sense of narrative, the present painting evokes the traditional beliefs of rural Ireland. The impression of innocence is further emphasized by the artist's deliberately naive execution, with its bold lines that delineate the women's faces, the rocks in the walls, and the traditional cottages. Perspective is modified at will by Dillon, with the wall behind the young woman seeming to lean backward with her body as she gazes at the moon, yet the road on which the two figures stand leads into the darkness through the use of traditional perspective. A moody and mysterious scene, Turn Your Money chronicles the artist's admiration of the captivating simplicity of western Ireland.
Hindman
sold
May. 10, 2023
Queen of the May
Est: €6,000 - €8,000
Gerard Dillon 1916 - 1971 Queen of the May signed Gerard Dillon (lower left) wax crayon on paper unframed: 48 by 38cm.; 19 by 15in. framed: 66 by 56.5cm.; 26 by 22½in. Executed circa 1960. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gerard Dillon 1916 - 1971 Queen of the May signé Gerard Dillon (en bas à gauche) crayon de cire sur papier sans cadre: 48 by 38cm.; 19 by 15in. avec cadre: 66 by 56.5cm.; 26 by 22½in. Exécuté vers 1960.
Sotheby's
sold
Apr. 25, 2023
Gerard Dillon (Irish, 1916-1971)
Est: £1,000 - £1,500
Gerard Dillon (Irish, 1916-1971) ▴ Gerard Dillon (Irish, 1916-1971) 'Dancing at the Crossroads' signed 'Gerard Dillon' and inscribed with title verso, watercolour 19 x 26cm Condition Report: Framed: 46.5 x 53cm Time staining to the paper with some light handling creases to the extreme upper left corner.
Sworders
sold
Apr. 18, 2023
Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) The End
Est: €20,000 - €30,000
Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) The End oil on board signed 'Gerard Dillon' lower right and titled verso h:45.80 w:58.50 cm. Provenance: Collection of George and Maura McClelland and on loan to IMMA from 1999-2004; Adams, Dublin 'Important Irish Art', 6 December 2010, Lot 113 where purchased by the present owner Exhibited: 'Irish Exhibition of Living Art', 1957, No. 46; 'Gerard Dillon, Art and Friendships Summer Loan Show' Adam's: Dublin, July 2013, Ava Gallery, Clandeboye, Co. Down, August 2013, No. 76. Literature: The Hunter Gatherer - Collection of George and Maura McClelland at The Irish Museum of Modern Art, fig.33, p.46; Karen Reihill, Gerard Dillon, Art and Friendships, (Adams: 2013), illustrated p. 88. A copy of this book accompanies this lot. In darkened clouds and lashing rain, the mood is somber as four men in dark suits shoulder a coffin decorated with bright wreaths. The placement of flower wreaths on a coffin or on a burial ground is traditionally the oldest act of mourning, as flowers are used to symbolize every aspect of the life cycle from birth to death. Dillon's orientation of the figures allows the viewer to be in the same physical space as the funeral party, and yet be excluded from it. In the distance, a graveyard is nestled high in the sand dunes indicating the burial ground known as Gorteen or Dogs Bay, north of Roundstone village. The crossed out title on the reverse Not Your Turn Yet may have been a reference to the shawled woman nearby, as she watches the men on their arduous journey indicating that it is not her turn yet. United in grief, Dillon suggests not only personal loss by the way of the men's hand gestures, but also a community by a populated graveyard. Dillon occasionally returned to the subject of funerals during his career often reflecting a humourous element such as Woman at a Wake, (1942) or Funeral in Connemara,(1957) but tragedy struck the painter in the 1960s following the deaths in quick succession of his three older brothers. Grieving, Dillon became preoccupied with his his own mortality by adopting a clown and later a masked pierrot figure as an alter ego to express his anxieties and fear of dying like his three brothers. The End was in the collection of Maura and George McClelland who had built up a vast collection of Irish art and sculpture. In an interview with this writer, George McClelland stated that he purchased early 1950s paintings from Gerard Dillon at his home when he visited him in 1970 where he discussed the idea with the painter of having an exhibition of his early west of Ireland paintings. For reasons unknown the exhibition "Early paintings of the West" did not take place with George McClelland in Belfast but instead was held in the Dawson Gallery in March, 1971. The End was executed after one of the painter's many visits to Roundstone in Connemara in the mid 1950s while he was resident at his sister Molly's house in London. Over many years, rooms in Molly's house in Abbey Road were rented out to Dillon's Belfast friends from literary, musical and visual backgrounds including the artist Noreen Rice and her brother Hal in 1957. This painting features in a home-made movie Gerard Dillon & Friends, Abbey Road London. Gerard Dillon appears holding The End outside Abbey Road with his friends. The film was shown during Noreen Rice's Retrospective at the Market House, Monaghan Town, from April to August 2009. Karen Reihill, November 2010 Edited February, 2023 This edited write up was reproduced by kind permission of Karen Reihill who is currently researching the life and work of Gerard Dillon.
Morgan O'Driscoll
sold
Mar. 06, 2023
Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) MUIREDACH'S CROSS, MONASTERBOICE
Est: €2,000 - €3,000
Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) MUIREDACH'S CROSS, MONASTERBOICE pen, ink and wash signed lower right; gallery label on reverse h:14 w:9 in. Provenance: Taylor Galleries, Dublin; Private collection; Whyte's, 19 September 2006, lot 11; Private collection Exhibited: 'Nano Reid and Gerard Dillon', Highlanes Municipal Art Gallery, Drogheda, 6 November 2009 to 10 January 2010
Whyte's
sold
Mar. 01, 2023
Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) Girl on Stilts Crayon, 55 x 25cm (21½ x 9¾) Signed verso
Est: €3,000 - €5,000
Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) Girl on Stilts Crayon, 55 x 25cm (21½ x 9¾) Signed verso
Adam's
sold
Nov. 28, 2022
Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) BIRD AND BONES
Est: €2,000 - €3,000
Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) BIRD AND BONES crayon and graphite on board signed lower right h:14.50 w:11 in. Provenance: Whyte's, 20 September 2005, lot 28; Private collection
Whyte's
sold
Nov. 28, 2022
Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) SPIRIT RIDER AND HORSE
Est: €4,000 - €6,000
Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) SPIRIT RIDER AND HORSE watercolour, crayon, oil on board inscribed on Dawson Gallery label on reverse h:12 w:17.25 in. Provenance: Phillip's, London, 25 November 1997, lot 167; Private collection
Whyte's
sold
Nov. 28, 2022
Daniel O’Neill (1920-1974) and Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) YOUNG WOMAN AND PIERROT
Est: €25,000 - €35,000
Daniel O’Neill (1920-1974) and Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) YOUNG WOMAN AND PIERROT oil on board inscribed on reverse by George McClelland h:27 w:19.50 in. Provenance: Purchased from Daniel O'Neill by George McClelland, 1972; Whyte's, 26 April 2005, lot 19; Private collection A collaborative work painted by both Dillon and O'Neill when they were living in London during the 1960s. George McClelland was O'Neill's gallerist after he left Waddington's in the mid 1960s.
Whyte's
sold
Nov. 16, 2022
Gerard Dillon,Irish (1916-1971) "Abstract Head," watercolour, approx. 24cms x 17cms (91/2" x 6 1/2")
Est: €350 - €450
Gerard Dillon,Irish (1916-1971) "Abstract Head," watercolour, approx. 24cms x 17cms (91/2" x 6 1/2") signed lower right, mounted on cloth, Dawson Gallery label on reverse. (1)
Fonsie Mealy Auctioneers
sold
Nov. 16, 2022
Gerard Dillon, Irish (1916-1971) "Abstract Landscape," oils, gouache and sand, signed lower left,
Est: €2,000 - €3,000
Gerard Dillon, Irish (1916-1971) "Abstract Landscape," oils, gouache and sand, signed lower left, approx. 92cms x 86cms (36" x 32"), arched top, wooden frame (1) Provenance: Whytes - Lot 52 (2nd October, 2017)
Fonsie Mealy Auctioneers
sold
Sep. 28, 2022
Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) Clown Dreaming Oil on board, 41 x 51cm (16 ¼ x 20) Signed, inscribed verso Provenance: With The Dawson Gallery, Dublin, label verso A fantastically imaginative and slightly surreal work, Dillon has placed his sl
Est: €20,000 - €30,000
Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) Clown Dreaming Oil on board, 41 x 51cm (16 ¼ x 20) Signed, inscribed verso Provenance: With The Dawson Gallery, Dublin, label verso A fantastically imaginative and slightly surreal work, Dillon has placed his sleeping clown atop of what appears to be the traditional striped roof of a circus tent. It spreads out around him enveloping him in a strange floating landscape. The bird perched on a nest of twigs offers an injection of colour within the otherwise grey environment of the painting. Its yellow and black body is reflected in the waxing circular orb rising above it, potentially the sun being overtaken by the moon and darkness setting in. Or is it an offering of hope by the artist, of the coming dawn which will awaken our sleeping protagonist? Clowns were very common in Dillon’s work from the 1950s onwards and he often depicted them in states of slumber such as Dreaming (sold in Whytes in 2018) or the watercolour Face in Sky sold in these rooms in 2020 as part of the McClelland Collection which depicts a harlequin figure awake while the clown dreams. In his works he adopted the traditional figure of Pierrot, the commedia dellarte character dressed in all white, wearing his typical pointed hat. Usually, the landscapes around the sleeping figures are expansive and filled with colour but in this instance, it is a much more constrained composition. The only suggestion of something beyond this scene is the bird enclosed within a frame, as if looking through a window out onto another world, into the subconscious mind of our dreaming subject. The darker palette and more sombre colour tones of this work may suggest the proximity to the danger or fear within our dreams. Works of this period are often associated with the traumatic events occurring simultaneously in Dillon's personal life, most notably the premature passing of his brother. Through sombre and somewhat haunting compositions, they are imbued with a sense of desolation and sorrow. It has also been suggested that Dillon adopted the clown as an alter ego, a persona that he could express his own emotions and fears, and it is true that in some works he even depicted them as artists. In The Artist, sold in these rooms in 2017, the protagonist stands before an easel painting an unseen canvas, potentially creating the larger composition forming behind him. In this work the sleeping figure holds something aloft in his hand, his arm outstretched and reaching triumphantly into the air. Is it an instrument of his trade, a prop used to entertain? Or could it be a paint brush, the essential tool of Dillon’s own trade, referencing his vital role within the creation of the work. Niamh Corcoran, August 2022
Adam's
sold
Sep. 28, 2022
Gerard Dillon (1916 - 1971) Man on a Chair (Self-Portrait) Oil on canvas on board, 35.5 x 50.7cm (14 x 20) Signed; inscribed verso with title Provenance: With The Oriel Gallery, Dublin, label verso The self-portrait is usually based o
Est: €50,000 - €80,000
Gerard Dillon (1916 - 1971) Man on a Chair (Self-Portrait) Oil on canvas on board, 35.5 x 50.7cm (14 x 20) Signed; inscribed verso with title Provenance: With The Oriel Gallery, Dublin, label verso The self-portrait is usually based on a mirror image but there is nothing usual about this Gerard Dillon painting, Man on a Chair, which has always been thought of as a self-portrait. The setting is the West of Ireland, which Dillon first visited in 1939, and four figures are included in this outdoor scene. Dillon himself is seated on a sturdy kitchen chair. In the background a fisherman figure on the quay goes about his business, another figure is seated in a currach, a rope links both. But it is the fourth figure, a young man, by a stone wall and the relationship between him and Dillon that interests and intrigues. They gaze intently at each other and though both are fore-grounded they are separated by a low stone wall. That the wall divides them invites questions. Is the actual wall also symbolic Is this a casual conversation Or do they know each other well Beyond the wall the land falls away towards the sea meaning that the young man could be standing or kneeling but, whether kneeling or standing, he is portrayed as a still presence. Both of the central characters in this quiet drama have clasped hands and the focus of Dillons attention is clearly on a youth beyond the stone wall. That wall could be said to be a divide between youth and age or a younger self and older self. Both man and boy seem absorbed with each other. The seated figure looks intently, the object of his gaze seems equally engaged. Lower left, Dillon lets the curled-up, sleeping cat lie, its anthropomorphic face adds a delightful detail as do the patterned quayside, the striped shirt, the two cottages, the blue sea and sky all rendered in thinly-applied paint with assured brushwork. James White [in Gerard Dillon, An Illustrated Biography] says the most important development in his life as an artist was his discovery of Connemara . . . with its remoteness , its delightful stonewall fields, mountains, lakes and seacoast, and above all islands like Inislacken where he could cut himself off for a spell and live in a tiny cottage . . . all this gave him a feeling of having found a land free of all the restrictions and suggestions of oppression which he had come to accept as being there to offend him. In 1955, Dillon wrote [in Ireland of the Welcomes, May/June 1955] Connemara is the place for a painter. The stony parts are the parts for me . . . . The light is wonderful here. Rocks, stones and boulders change colour all the time and in July 1964 he said My numerous stays in Connemara have always been heaven, even when the bottom of heaven fell out and about us drenching everything around. Dillon thought the people there a race apart, very friendly and polite, they never intrude. This is clearly a personal painting by Dillon who, born in Belfast in 1916, the youngest of eight children, left school at fourteen and worked as a painter and decorator. He attended evening classes at Belfast College of Art but moved to London [1934-1941], then to Dublin, to London again [1945-1968] but painted in Inislacken and Roundstone in the late 1940s and 1950s. The small harbour and pier in Man on a Chair suggest Roundstone and most likely this work dates from the 1950s. His interest in Irelands folklife and countyside life featured in many of his paintings but as Catherine Marshall observes there is also a strong sense of alienation, which may derive from perceptions of his difference as an artist, and also from his homosexuality in a repressive Roman Catholic environment. Dillon had several solo exhibitions in Belfast and London and his work was shown in Paris, Rome, Boston, Washington and New York. He represented Ireland at the Guggenheim International and Britain at Pittsburg International Exhibition. In a letter to the Irish Times, dated 20 August 1969, at the outbreak of the Troubles, Dillon asked other artists to join him in his refusal to be included in the Belfast Living Art Exhibition in protest, as he out it, against the persecution of the Irish people by a planter Government in the Six Counties of Ulster. Dillon died two years later, in 1971, aged fifty-five. Writing of Dillons lasting impact, Dorothy Walker [in Modern Art in Ireland] says Dillon was a genuine primitive, a self-taught painter whose early work of the forties and fifties . . . are delightful. Man on a Chair is one such work but it not only delights, its quiet narrative puzzles, intrigues and draws the viewer in. Niall MacMonagle, August 2022
Adam's
sold
Sep. 28, 2022
Gerard Dillon (1916 - 1971) The Garden, Chelmsford Avenue, Dublin Watercolour, 23.5 x 35cm (19¼ x 19¾) Signed
Est: €2,000 - €3,000
Gerard Dillon (1916 - 1971) The Garden, Chelmsford Avenue, Dublin Watercolour, 23.5 x 35cm (19¼ x 19¾) Signed
Adam's
sold
Sep. 26, 2022
Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) INISHLACKEN, GALWAY
Est: €2,000 - €3,000
Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) INISHLACKEN, GALWAY watercolour signed lower right; signed, titled and with dedication on reverse h:9.25 w:11 in.
Whyte's