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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  • Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) Abstract by Night Oil on Masonite, 122 x 183cm (48 x 72'') Signed; inscribed verso 'FOR IRISH EXHIBITION OF LIVING ART' and numbered '24'
    Mar. 26, 2025

    Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) Abstract by Night Oil on Masonite, 122 x 183cm (48 x 72'') Signed; inscribed verso 'FOR IRISH EXHIBITION OF LIVING ART' and numbered '24'

    Est: €8,000 - €12,000

    Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) Abstract by Night Oil on Masonite, 122 x 183cm (48 x 72'') Signed; inscribed verso 'FOR IRISH EXHIBITION OF LIVING ART' and numbered '24' Provenance: Sake, Christie's, London, 18 February 1988, Lot 200, where purchased by the current owner *Subject to Import VAT - see p.9, note no.3. Although painted in style of abstraction, this work still maintains some representational elements, and its title Abstract by Night gives us some indication of a setting and timeframe. Working in a strong palette of colours, the stark shifts between the white and black backgrounds, heightens the intensity of the composition. The crescent shaped moon is set against an inky black sky along with diamond shaped yellow stars, shining brightly. Painted on a significant scale, it is a visually impressive work and one that is rich with symbolism. There are two distinct forms running both horizontally and vertically across the canvas. Visually, they appear, if viewed from above, as if we are looking down on a warren of streets in a town. A patchwork pattern of blocks of colour separated by weaving grey spirals. There is also an element of Celtic imagery at play here, with Dillon using motifs of spiral and circular forms, reflecting the archaeological and ancient history of Ireland. Imagery which is also evident in his earlier West of Ireland scenes. In the work Dillon is experimenting with geometric forms, line and colour, aspects that dominated modernist art of the 1920s abstract expressionism of 1950s. He has sectioned off areas of the composition, with clear lines separating elements from each other, while at other moments they overlap and interweave. From 1960s onwards he had adopted an abstract manner of painting, and in these works, texture was an important feature, using various different materials including sand. He represented Ireland at the Guggenheim International in 1960 with an oil and sand abstract work entitled Masquerade. The work is inscribed on the back ‘FOR IRISH EXHIBITION OF LIVING ART,’ an annual exhibition that aimed to highlight the modernist art movement in Ireland. Abstract art emerging in the 1920s did not reflect the approach adopted by the newly independent Irish Free State focusing on promoting a unique and traditional ‘Irish style’ of art. Dillon exhibited many times at IELA, from the inaugural exhibition in 1943 until his own death in 1971. Unfortunately, we do not know definitively if this work was included in the exhibition as the title does not match with records of his exhibited works. Niamh Corcoran, March 2025

    Adam's
  • GERARD DILLON (1916 -1971)
    Mar. 18, 2025

    GERARD DILLON (1916 -1971)

    Est: €3,000 - €5,000

    Mountain Village. Watercolour. Signed bottom right. Framed PICTURES AND PRINTS Tuesday 11th March 2025 Approximate Time 14:10:24

    Sheppards
  • Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) CAT IN COTTAGE INTERIOR
    Mar. 03, 2025

    Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) CAT IN COTTAGE INTERIOR

    Est: €3,500 - €4,500

    Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) CAT IN COTTAGE INTERIOR watercolour signed lower right h:10  w:15 in. Provenance: Acquired directly from the artist; de Veres, 15 June 2010, lot 100; Private collection

    Whyte's
  • Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) WEST OF IRELAND LANDSCAPE
    Mar. 03, 2025

    Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) WEST OF IRELAND LANDSCAPE

    Est: €6,000 - €8,000

    Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) WEST OF IRELAND LANDSCAPE oil on board signed lower left h:10  w:14 in. Provenance: Acquired directly from the artist by the father of the present owner The father of the present owner was a close friend of the 'Belfast Boys' (Arthur Armstrong, George Campbell and Gerard Dillon).

    Whyte's
  • Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) CLOWNS
    Mar. 03, 2025

    Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) CLOWNS

    Est: €3,000 - €5,000

    Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) CLOWNS pastel and collage elements signed lower right; inscribed on reverse h:11.25  w:15.75 in. Provenance: Allen & Tiwnsend Auction, circa 1985; Private collection

    Whyte's
  • Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) THE OLD ABBEY, DROGHEDA, COUNTY LOUTH
    Dec. 02, 2024

    Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) THE OLD ABBEY, DROGHEDA, COUNTY LOUTH

    Est: €2,000 - €3,000

    Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) THE OLD ABBEY, DROGHEDA, COUNTY LOUTH watercolour signed lower left h:10  w:10.50 in. Provenance: Adam's, 7 December 2005, lot 198; Private collection Exhibited: 'Nano Reid and Gerard Dillon', Highlanes Municipal Art Gallery, Drogheda, 6 November 2009 to 10 January 2010

    Whyte's
  • GERARD DILLON (1916-1971). Three Men in a Bog. oil on board 20 x 24 in. (50
    Nov. 19, 2024

    GERARD DILLON (1916-1971). Three Men in a Bog. oil on board 20 x 24 in. (50

    Est: £25,000 - £35,000

    GERARD DILLON (1916-1971). Three Men in a Bog. oil on board 20 x 24 in. (50.8 x 61 cm.).

    Christie's
  • Monasterboise Motif
    Nov. 15, 2024

    Monasterboise Motif

    Est: £5,500 - £7,500

    Gerard Dillon 1916-1971 Monasterboice Motif signed G Dillon (lower left); inscribed Monasterboice on the reverse mixed media on board unframed: 46 by 60cm.; 18 by 23½in. framed: 53.5 by 67.5cm.; 21 by 26½in. Executed in 1959. We are grateful to Karen Reihill for her generous assistance with the cataloguing of the present work.

    Sotheby's
  • Cows and Crows
    Nov. 15, 2024

    Cows and Crows

    Est: £25,000 - £35,000

    Gerard Dillon 1916-1971 Cows and Crows signed Gerard Dillon (lower right); titled (as Cattle and Crows) on the reverse oil on board unframed: 35.5 by 46cm.; 14 by 18in. framed: 56 by 66cm.; 22 by 26in. Executed in 1951. We are grateful to Karen Reihill for her generous assistance with the cataloguing of the present work.

    Sotheby's
  • Aran Islanders
    Nov. 15, 2024

    Aran Islanders

    Est: £25,000 - £35,000

    Gerard Dillon 1916-1971 Aran Islanders  signed G Dillon (lower right) oil on board unframed: 53 by 39.5cm.; 21 by 15½in. framed: 76.5 by 61.5cm.; 31 by 22¼in. We are grateful to Karen Reihill for her generous assistance with the cataloguing of the present work.

    Sotheby's
  • Gerard Dillon (1916 - 1971) Kitchen Dresser Ink and watercolour laid on card, 34 x 23.5cm Provenance: Purchased at his exhibition at the CEMA Gallery, 1950s
    Oct. 01, 2024

    Gerard Dillon (1916 - 1971) Kitchen Dresser Ink and watercolour laid on card, 34 x 23.5cm Provenance: Purchased at his exhibition at the CEMA Gallery, 1950s

    Est: €1,000 - €1,500

    Gerard Dillon (1916 - 1971) Kitchen Dresser Ink and watercolour laid on card, 34 x 23.5cm Provenance: Purchased at his exhibition at the CEMA Gallery, 1950s

    Adam's
  • Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) A STRANGE WORLD
    Sep. 30, 2024

    Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) A STRANGE WORLD

    Est: €6,000 - €8,000

    Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) A STRANGE WORLD oil on canvas signed lower left; titled on Dawson Gallery label on reverse h:16  w:20 in. Provenance: Dawson Gallery, Dublin; Private collection; Thence by descent to the present owner

    Whyte's
  • Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) PIERROT WITH A PAINTING OF A PHOENIX, c.1966
    Sep. 30, 2024

    Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) PIERROT WITH A PAINTING OF A PHOENIX, c.1966

    Est: €4,000 - €6,000

    Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) PIERROT WITH A PAINTING OF A PHOENIX, c.1966 crayon, watercolour, pen and ink signed lower left; inscribed on reverse h:20  w:16 in. Provenance: Dawson Gallery, Dublin; Private collection since 1979; Bell Gallery, Belfast; Private collection, Belfast; Whyte's, 21 September 2004, lot 16; Private collection Exhibited: (possibly) 'Gerard Dillon: Drawings and Collages', Dawson Gallery, Dublin, 1966, as Clown with a Bird Painting, catalogue no. 10 This work survived a bomb blast which destroyed the former premises of the Bell Gallery, Lisburn Road, Belfast.

    Whyte's
  • Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) CONNEMARA
    Sep. 30, 2024

    Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) CONNEMARA

    Est: €2,500 - €3,500

    Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) CONNEMARA watercolour signed lower right h:9  w:13.50 in. Provenance: Property of Phil Rafferty (friend and fellow artist); Thence by descent

    Whyte's
  • Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) Self-Portrait with Painting on an Easel Ink, crayon and watercolour on paper, 40 x 50cm (15_ x 19_'') Signed
    Sep. 25, 2024

    Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) Self-Portrait with Painting on an Easel Ink, crayon and watercolour on paper, 40 x 50cm (15_ x 19_'') Signed

    Est: €3,000 - €5,000

    Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) Self-Portrait with Painting on an Easel Ink, crayon and watercolour on paper, 40 x 50cm (15_ x 19_'') Signed

    Adam's
  • Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) The Music Teacher (Portrait of Thomas Davidson) Oil on board, 51 x 37cm (20 x 14_'') Signed Provenance: Sale, Gormley's Fine Art, RDS, Dublin, 2006 where purchased by the present owner; By repute, the sitter's family
    Sep. 25, 2024

    Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) The Music Teacher (Portrait of Thomas Davidson) Oil on board, 51 x 37cm (20 x 14_'') Signed Provenance: Sale, Gormley's Fine Art, RDS, Dublin, 2006 where purchased by the present owner; By repute, the sitter's family

    Est: €20,000 - €30,000

    Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) The Music Teacher (Portrait of Thomas Davidson) Oil on board, 51 x 37cm (20 x 14_'') Signed Provenance: Sale, Gormley's Fine Art, RDS, Dublin, 2006 where purchased by the present owner; By repute, the sitter's family Dillon was introduced to Tom Davidson, renowned BBC Radio Ulster Pianist, initially through his brother Joe, who was also a musician. Tom was an important point of contact with other Ulster artists and writers who would become close friends of Dillon in the 1950s and 60s. During this period of time in DillonÕs life and career, there is a sense that he was part of a vibrant and tightknit community, made up of literary and artistic individuals who formed enriching friendships. GerardÕs sister Molly owned a house on Abbey Road in London and it would be become space, both physically and symbolically, for development of a community of artists and creative figures within the expat Belfast circle. Dillon lived on and off for the next 20 years in the house, a great entertainer, hosting gatherings with other Belfast artists, including George and Madge Campbell, Hugh Heanon and Arthur Armstrong. Tom came to stay in the house in the early 1950s, Molly rented him an upstairs room, and it is possible that this portrait was made during his stay. There is great photograph taken of Gerard and Tom sitting side by side on a couch, possibly in the house at Abbey Road. Gerard is looking to the camera, while Davidson dressed impeccably in shirt and tie looks side long at him. One immediately gets a sense of their close friendship, and it is as if they were interrupted mid-sentence while chatting away to each other on the sofa. Another work by Dillon entitled Man with Keyboard (Crawford Art Gallery, Cork) shows Davidson as the professional pianist with his slender, graceful fingers poised over the keys, ready to play. In The Music Teacher, Dillon offers a more personal depiction of his friend, and it represents Tom quite faithfully. He was an incredibly striking figure, with his shock of black hair styled in a deep parting, his prominent brow over beautiful almond shaped brown eyes, and long, elegant nose. There is a wonderful depth of expression captured in the eyes, suggesting a thoughtful presence. The striking red background is softened by the impastoed brushstrokes, adding texture and movement to the paint surface. These colours are picked up in TomÕs red and yellow turtleneck, framed by the opening of the bright blue cardigan, again painted with quick and swirling brushstrokes. A single red button is visible just at the edge of the picture plane. The house at Abbey Road was depicted many times by Dillon in works such as In the London Flat , Self Contained Flat and The Red Attic, often using that same colour palette of blue and burnt red. Portraits of male figures are quite common in DillonÕs work, depicted in a variety of forms, as strong west of Ireland farmers and labourers, as brothers including his own three siblings, as friends together in his small flat, in numerous self-portraits, and occasionally as lovers. They form an important part of his oeuvre in which he was able to celebrate their diverse and enduring role in his personal and artistic life, which in the case of Dillon, were one and the same. Niamh Corcoran, August 2024

    Adam's
  • Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) Evening Light Artist's Proof, Etching, 18 x 19cm (7 x 7_'') Signed, inscribed with title and A/P
    Sep. 25, 2024

    Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) Evening Light Artist's Proof, Etching, 18 x 19cm (7 x 7_'') Signed, inscribed with title and A/P

    Est: €500 - €800

    Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) Evening Light Artist's Proof, Etching, 18 x 19cm (7 x 7_'') Signed, inscribed with title and A/P

    Adam's
  • Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) Man and Dog Oil on canvas, 30 x 39cm (11.8 x 15.3'') Provenance: With Jorgensen Gallery label verso; Mercury Gallery, Cork Street, London, label verso Man and Dog forms part of a series of works that Dillon m
    Sep. 25, 2024

    Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) Man and Dog Oil on canvas, 30 x 39cm (11.8 x 15.3'') Provenance: With Jorgensen Gallery label verso; Mercury Gallery, Cork Street, London, label verso Man and Dog forms part of a series of works that Dillon m

    Est: €8,000 - €12,000

    Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) Man and Dog Oil on canvas, 30 x 39cm (11.8 x 15.3'') Provenance: With Jorgensen Gallery label verso; Mercury Gallery, Cork Street, London, label verso Man and Dog forms part of a series of works that Dillon made in memory of his brother Joe, following his premature death in 1962. This same series of paintings includes JoeÕs Bog; Moon Pool (sold in these rooms in 2014); Reflections and The Long Road. Joe was, of all his family members, the person to which Dillon was most attached. They were two of kind, Joe the musician, Gerard the painter. They shared a creative sensibility, and lives led in the pursuit of art. It is touching to see another image of the musician, Tom Davidson, a close friend of both Joe and Gerard, also represented in the sale in lot 82. The Pierrot character appeared in DillonÕs work in 1965 and remained a constant presence up to his last series of prints made in 1970. Different in character to the clown figure he had also used at the time, the masked Pierrot was an alter ego that allowed him to explore darker themes. During this period, Joe was also represented through the Pierrot figure and most often he is accompanied by a dog, as seen in a series of sketches Dillon made in an artistÕs catalogue. JoeÕs own pet was a dachshund named Heine, a constant and steadfast companion, particularly as a single man living alone in London. In this work Pierrot walks alongside the dog, his hands clasped behind his back, dressed in the traditional white smock and trousers. They walk on a landscape of striped fields, the floating brightly patterned ground reminiscent of a Van Gogh painting, the midnight sky filled with swirling green clouds. There is a great sense movement in the painting, as the two figures travel through this surreal and dreamlike environment. Despite the darker subject matter there is a lightness and vibrancy to the work. And so, the brothers might both be represented here in the image, in this moonlit place they are reunited, strolling together. They mimic each other in pace, each stepping forward, walking towards the edge of the picture plane. Their journey continues beyond the painting, and Dillon has brilliantly captured the facial expression of the dog as he looks up inquisitively at his companion, as if asking, ÒWhere toÓ Niamh Corcoran, August 2024

    Adam's
  • GERARD DILLON CONTEMPORARY ARTIST
    Sep. 24, 2024

    GERARD DILLON CONTEMPORARY ARTIST

    Est: €100 - €200

    Blasket Islands. Signed oil on board. From the artist's studio, Kerry. PICTURES AND PRINTS Tuesday 24th September 2024 Approximate Time 14:30:00

    Sheppards
  • Gerard Dillon, Ireland (1916-1971), Billy Goats Head Butt, Watercolour
    Aug. 26, 2024

    Gerard Dillon, Ireland (1916-1971), Billy Goats Head Butt, Watercolour

    Est: $1,000 - $2,000

    Gerard Dillon Ireland (1916-1971) Billy Goats Head Butt Watercolour Signed lower right

    Theodore Bruce Auctioneers & Valuers
  • Gerard Dillon (1916 - 1971) The Garden, Chelmsford Avenue, Dublin Watercolour, 23.5 x 35cm (19¼ x 19¾) Signed
    May. 29, 2024

    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
  • GERARD DILLON, R.H.A., R.U.A. (1916-1971): HARLEQUIN
    May. 22, 2024

    GERARD DILLON, R.H.A., R.U.A. (1916-1971): HARLEQUIN

    Est: £800 - £1,200

    GERARD DILLON, R.H.A., R.U.A. (1916-1971): HARLEQUIN GERARD DILLON, R.H.A., R.U.A. (1916-1971): HARLEQUIN Gouache, depicting a harlequin musician with guitar and a boy, signed lower left 'G. Dillon', framed and glazed, 49cm x 37cm, the frame 62cm x 49cm Provenance: The current vendor purchased the painting from a private collection in France, he was told that the family originally bought the painting in Belfast in the 1960's, after meeting Dillon and becoming friends in Italy and it had remained in their house ever since the 1960's.  Clowns, Pierrot and harlequin figures are common in Dillon's work, some have suggested they represent the artist himself. They often feature expansive and colourful landscapes in the background, such as in the present evocative and Surrealist scene.

    Curated Auctions
  • Aran Islanders
    May. 02, 2024

    Aran Islanders

    Est: €20,000 - €30,000

    Gerard Dillon 1916 – 1971 Aran Islanders signed G. Dillon (lower right); also signed Gerard Dillon and titled on the reverse oil on board unframed: 54 by 39.5 cm.; 21 ¼ by 15 ½ in. framed: 76.5 by 61.5 cm.; 30 by 24 ¼ in. --------------------------------------------------- Gerard Dillon 1916 – 1971 Aran Islanders signé G. Dillon (en bas à droite); aussi signé Gerard Dillon et titré au revers huile sur carton sans cadre: 54 by 39.5 cm.; 21 ¼ by 15 ½ in. avec cadre: 76.5 by 61.5 cm.; 30 by 24 ¼ in.

    Sotheby's
  • 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
    Mar. 27, 2024

    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

    Est: €8,000 - €12,000

    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 Pierrot’s 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 Dillon’s 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 a 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 it’s nature’s 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 to 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

    Adam's
  • Gerard Dillon RHA RUA (1916 - 1971) At The Water's Edge Oil on canvas, 41.5 x 50.5cm (16¼ x 19) Provenance: Sale, deVeres, November 2016, lot 150
    Mar. 27, 2024

    Gerard Dillon RHA RUA (1916 - 1971) At The Water's Edge Oil on canvas, 41.5 x 50.5cm (16¼ x 19) Provenance: Sale, deVeres, November 2016, lot 150

    Est: €5,000 - €8,000

    Gerard Dillon RHA RUA (1916 - 1971) At The Water's Edge Oil on canvas, 41.5 x 50.5cm (16¼ x 19) Provenance: Sale, deVeres, November 2016, lot 150

    Adam's
  • Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) BATHERS
    Mar. 11, 2024

    Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) BATHERS

    Est: €2,000 - €3,000

    Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) BATHERS watercolour signed lower left h:9.50  w:12.50 in. Provenance: de Veres, 27 November 2013, lot 76; Private collection

    Whyte's
  • Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) DROGHEDA, COUNTY LOUTH
    Mar. 11, 2024

    Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) DROGHEDA, COUNTY LOUTH

    Est: €1,500 - €2,000

    Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) DROGHEDA, COUNTY LOUTH watercolour signed lower left h:10.50  w:13.75 in. Provenance: Gifted by the artist to the family of the previous owner, 1948; Adam's, 4 December 2007, lot 129; Private collection

    Whyte's
  • Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) NANO REID SKETCHING AT ROUNDSTONE, CONNEMARA
    Mar. 11, 2024

    Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) NANO REID SKETCHING AT ROUNDSTONE, CONNEMARA

    Est: €1,500 - €2,000

    Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) NANO REID SKETCHING AT ROUNDSTONE, CONNEMARA watercolour signed lower left; titled on Dawson Gallery label on reverse h:9  w:12 in. Provenance: de Vere's, 17 June 2000, lot 98b; Private collection

    Whyte's
  • Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) SAILOR
    Mar. 11, 2024

    Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) SAILOR

    Est: €2,000 - €3,000

    Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) SAILOR watercolour signed lower right h:14.25  w:9.50 in. Provenance: Whyte's, 30 April 2007, lot 22; Private collection

    Whyte's
  • GERARD DILLON
    Mar. 06, 2024

    GERARD DILLON

    Est: €200 - €300

    Abstract figures. Signed pencil sketch. Image size: 26 x 61 cm.; framed: 42 x 76 cm. PICTURES AND PRINTS Approximate Time 16:56:00

    Sheppards
  • GERARD DILLON
    Mar. 05, 2024

    GERARD DILLON

    Est: €80 - €120

    Galway Shawlie, Connemara. Oil on board. Signed. Framed. Image size: 17 x 23 cm.; framed: 34 x 42 cm. PICTURES AND PRINTS Approximate Time 14:31:32

    Sheppards
  • Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) ABSTRACT
    Dec. 04, 2023

    Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) ABSTRACT

    Est: €1,200 - €1,800

    Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) ABSTRACT mixed media with collage element signed lower right; inscribed with provenance on reverse h:22  w:15 in. Provenance: Adam's, Dublin, July 1984; Private collection; de Veres, 5 February 2006, lot 49; Private collection

    Whyte's
  • Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) THRESHING IN CONNEMARA, 1944
    Dec. 04, 2023

    Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) THRESHING IN CONNEMARA, 1944

    Est: €1,000 - €1,500

    Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) THRESHING IN CONNEMARA, 1944 watercolour signed and dated lower left; with Taylor Galleries label on reverse h:6.75  w:9.50 in. Provenance: Taylor Galleries, Dublin; Private collection

    Whyte's
  • Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) ON THE BEACH, c.1950
    Dec. 04, 2023

    Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) ON THE BEACH, c.1950

    Est: €20,000 - €30,000

    Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) ON THE BEACH, c.1950 oil on canvas signed lower left; inscribed 'Sun Bathers' on reverse h:12  w:18 in. Provenance: Adam's, 4 December 2007, lot 128; Private collection Literature: James White, Gerard Dillon - An Illustrated Biography, Wolfhound Press, Dublin, 1994, p. 57 (illustrated) Using the faux naïve composition which he favoured and under the influence of Marc Chagall, the artist places the figures not on a flat picture plane but an upright horizontal or tiered format which he was to use in many of the later Clown and Burial works in order to create an immediate foreground. The artist takes advantage of adopting the twin compositional strands of Chagall with its floating world and the Japanese influence of giving several perspectives to create variable outlines and modified by internal passages of painting to give internal volume and using the linear structure to create an external sense of form and shape. Tilting the composition enables the painter to use forms of cubist figurative construction to convey his sense of the moment. On this sunny Connemara day the foreground figure is the artist himself in his middle 30s and he is demonstrating a point of discussion with his typical splayed fingers when he was picking off the arguments at his disposal. The upper male figure appears in many of his works especially his famous "The London Flat" where he is posed wearing a uniform. The sitter also appears in a number of other works, especially those painted in and around the island of Inishlacken and the wider Roundstone area to which the artist was to return over the 1950s and early 1960s with another artist, the Drogheda born Nano Reid. The background which is beautifully painted in a more narrative style, looking from the northern part of the Island towards Gortín on the mainland. The composition replicates his later works of figures in the grave, given that the composition has the stones bounding the foreground and the crashing waves on the island framing the internal construction, almost as a precursor to the later burial works. The skeletal boat in the middle distance is a reminder of the themes much favoured by the painter from a very young age those of the "memento mori". The period of the early 1950s is when he, with fellow northern artists George Campbell, Arthur Armstrong and James McIntyre rented a house on Inishlacken Island and formed, for a short but important period, an island "school" of painting. This "school" formed an important segment of the semi cubist style of painting which was much exhibited in and admired at the annual exhibitions of the Irish Exhibition of Living Art and also in Victor Waddington's South Anne Street gallery and then in the Ritchie Hendriks Gallery (later renamed the David Hendriks Gallery) on 1 St. Stephens' Green later moving to Stephens' Green West in Dublin. Many of Dillon's best and most important works were based in the Inishlacken and Roundstone areas and the typical subjects were activities in the landscape: fishing, farming, turf cutting and footing, island interiors and some which can be called 'fancy subjects'. He moved through various techniques to obtain a surface effect including papiers collès, impastoed sand surfaces and graphics, often mixing all the techniques to give his work their unique feel and sentiment. This is a work of immense charm and sunny in its compositional thrust and representing that moment of self realisation by a painter in a most successful and delightful figurative landscape of a long ago summer's day on an Island in Connemara. Ciarán MacGonigal

    Whyte's
  • Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) MASQUERADE, 1960
    Dec. 04, 2023

    Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) MASQUERADE, 1960

    Est: €8,000 - €12,000

    Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) MASQUERADE, 1960 oil and sand on board signed lower left; signed and titled on reverse h:36  w:48 in. Provenance: Hendriks Gallery, Dublin; Private collection; Whyte's, 29 November 2005, lot 105; Private collection Exhibited: Guggenheim International Exhibition, New York, 1960; ’New Work by Gerard Dillon’, Dawson Gallery, Dublin, March to April 1962, catalogue no. 1; ’Gerard Dillon 1916-1971: A Retrospective Exhibition’, Droichead Arts Centre, Drogheda, 24 January to 20 February 2003 and the Linen Hall Library, Belfast, 27 February to 21 March 2003 This work was awarded the Guggenheim International Award in 1960.

    Whyte's
  • Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) FARMER'S WIFE, CONNEMARA, 1970
    Dec. 04, 2023

    Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) FARMER'S WIFE, CONNEMARA, 1970

    Est: €2,000 - €3,000

    Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) FARMER'S WIFE, CONNEMARA, 1970 colour etching with Dawson Gallery label on reverse h:10  w:13.50 in. Provenance: Dawson Gallery, Dublin; Taylor Galleries, Dublin; Whence purchased by the previous owner in November 1980; Whyte's, 10 December 2005, lot 146; Private collection Exhibited: 'Gerard Dillon', Arts Council of Northern Ireland and An Chomhairle Ealaíon, Ulster Museum, Belfast, November - December 1972 and the Municipal Gallery of Modern Art, Dublin, January - February 1973, catalogue no. 102 (lent by Mr and Mrs Gerard Dillon, Belfast)

    Whyte's
  • Old Man and Oil Lamp
    Nov. 22, 2023

    Old Man and Oil Lamp

    Est: £20,000 - £30,000

    Gerard Dillon 1916 - 1971 Old Man and Oil Lamp signed G. Dillon (lower right); titled (on the reverse) oil on board unframed (board): 41 by 25.5cm.; 16 by 10in. framed: 58 by 43cm.; 22¾ by 17in. Executed in the mid-1960s. We are grateful to Karen Reihill for her kind assistance with the cataloguing of the present work.

    Sotheby's
  • Stones in the West
    Nov. 22, 2023

    Stones in the West

    Est: £12,000 - £18,000

    Gerard Dillon 1916 - 1971 Stones in the West signed G. Dillon (lower right); titled and inscribed (on the reverse) unframed: 35.5 by 45.5cm.; 14 by 18in. framed: 50.5 by 60.5cm.; 20 by 23¼in. Executed in the mid-1950s. We are grateful to Karen Reihill for her kind assistance with the cataloguing of the present work.

    Sotheby's
  • The Cottage Door
    Nov. 22, 2023

    The Cottage Door

    Est: £12,000 - £18,000

    Gerard Dillon 1916 - 1971 The Cottage Door signed Gerald Dillon (lower right); titled (on the reverse) oil on board unframed: 50.5 by 40.5cm.; 19¾ by 16in. framed: 65.5 by 54.5cm.; 25¾ by 21½in. Executed circa 1956. We are grateful to Karen Reihill for her kind assistance with the cataloguing of the present work.

    Sotheby's
  • The Clothes Line
    Nov. 22, 2023

    The Clothes Line

    Est: £6,000 - £8,000

    Gerard Dillon 1916 - 1971 The Clothes Line oil on board unframed: 91.5 by 122cm.; 36 by 48in. framed: 102 by 132.5cm.; 40 by 52in.

    Sotheby's
  • Turin Shroud
    Nov. 22, 2023

    Turin Shroud

    Est: £4,000 - £6,000

    Gerard Dillon 1916 - 1971 Turin Shroud signed Gerard Dillon (lower left) ink, pastel and wax crayon on board unframed: 38 by 21cm.; 15 by 8¼in. framed: 48.5 by 31cm.; 19 by 12¼in.

    Sotheby's
  • Boats on the Shore; A Village Scene
    Nov. 22, 2023

    Boats on the Shore; A Village Scene

    Est: £4,000 - £6,000

    Gerard Dillon 1916 - 1971 Boats on the Shore; A Village Scene one signed Gerard Dillon (lower left); inscribed Irelanda (lower right); the other signed Gerard Dillon (lower right) both watercolour, pencil, wash and ink on paper one unframed (window): 24 by 32cm.; 9½ by 12½in.; framed: 38 by 45.5cm.; 15 by 17¾in. the other unframed (window): 27.5 by 37.5cm.; 10¾ by 14¾in.; framed: 52 by 67.5cm.; 20½ by 26½in.

    Sotheby's
  • Connemara Cottages; A Tree in the West
    Nov. 22, 2023

    Connemara Cottages; A Tree in the West

    Est: £4,000 - £6,000

    Gerard Dillon 1916 - 1971 Connemara Cottages; A Tree in the West one signed Gerard Dillon (lower left) and inscribed Madge (on the reverse); the other signed Gerard Dillon (lower right), titled and dated 1940 (on the reverse), also dedicated 'To Madge' and dated 1940 (on a card affixed to the reverse) both watercolour on paper one unframed (sheet): 25 by 35cm.; 10 by 13¾in.; framed: 41 by 50.5cm.; 16¼ by 20in. the other unframed (sheet): 11.5 by 16.5cm.; 4½ by 6½in.; framed: 21 by 25.5cm.; 8¼ by 10in.

    Sotheby's
  • Gerard Dillon - A Retrospective Exhibition at Belfast and Dublin in Novembe
    Oct. 11, 2023

    Gerard Dillon - A Retrospective Exhibition at Belfast and Dublin in Novembe

    Est: €50 - €70

    Gerard Dillon - A Retrospective Exhibition at Belfast and Dublin in November 1972/February 1973. Oblong folio. Quarto. Illustrated and William Conor exhibition catalogue 1968. Illustrated. 2 scarce catalogues of renowned Belfast painters (2)

    Purcell Auctioneers
  • Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) THE CURRACH, KILRONAN
    Oct. 02, 2023

    Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) THE CURRACH, KILRONAN

    Est: €60,000 - €80,000

    Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) THE CURRACH, KILRONAN oil on canvas signed lower right; inscribed on artist's label on reverse; also with Waddington Galleries label on reverse h:20  w:30 in. Provenance: Purchased from the Waddington Galleries, Montreal, February 1962; Private collection Gerard Dillon was originally from Belfast, a painter and decorator by trade, he became an artist largely by way of self education , as did fellow extant northern artists Dan O'Neill, George Campbell and Colin Middleton: all of whom exhibited at the Waddington Gallery in Dublin. They shared thematic interests and It may be noted that while they developed their distinctive styles there were pictorial exchanges between them. Before the Second World War modernist developments in Europe filtered through to Ireland and during the Emergency period, as Brian O'Doherty has recognised, isolation and the displacement of war, allowed them to be examined and related to local needs and temperament: 'An artificial situation - deprivation - was, by accident, turned into one of natural and leisurely assimilation.' It may be noted that Dillon lived and worked for periods in London with all the gallery viewing opportunities the city offered. Dillon worked in a variety of styles. At times, the artist favoured a 'storey- board' presentation of serial mages influenced by high crosses, such as those at Monasterboice, Co. Louth; collages of mixed materials; his 'Pierrot, more symbolist series and an extensive body of more naturalistic 'figure and landscape' paintings. The figurative paintings of Dillon, Dan O'Neill and Middleton often carry tensions that now, in retrospect, seem somewhat ominous and foreboding. With Middleton, a woman can frantically attempt to measure the sky, with Dillon a Pierrot figure carries the duality of the comic/tragic. During the 1940s Dillon spent time with George Campbell in Connemara. On a holiday visit to Aran Mór, Dillon made a number of paintings celebrating the life and dislocated culture of the Island. In a letter to Madge Connolly it is clear he relishes the desolate, primitive nature of the landscape and crashing seascapes. He declares to her: 'My God, It was the most glorious holiday I've ever had'. The letter included eleven drawings, with one of Kilronan village, originally a fishing village. A currach has traditionally been used in the West and South West of Ireland to transport goods and animals between islands, as well as fishing. It takes its form when animal skins are stretched over a wooden frame. As such its design has a natural, sensual, primitive and somewhat atavistic presence. The artist painted a number of works which included currachs, such as 'Harbour Wall, Kilronan, Inishmór, Aran Islands' (1944) with upturned currach. In 'The Cottage Window' we also glimpse through the window two men carrying a currach over their heads like an extended communal hat. The location of the painting under review is again the village of Kilronan in the 1940s. Unlike the earlier painting which is bright, there is here something of a foreboding atmosphere. There is a contrast between the quotidian activity among the background figures, in more native dress, and the three figures in the foreground. We witness the gangly elongated youth in bare feet with eyes lowered but also the apprehension in the two female figures in the boat, Summer visitors judging by their short-sleeved blouses. The colours are sombre; the mainland in the distance dark and the sea lapping the shore becoming choppy - perhaps indicating an imminent storm and calling for a decision whether or not to push off shore. The oval composition, delineated by the sweep of the shoreline, contributes to the introspective atmosphere; the somewhat cubistic ascending village houses with their 'window' eyes, looking on. As demonstrated by this painting, the West of Ireland sparked his imagination, allowing him to purposefully re-frame the original visual impulse into a more intriguing scenario. Dillon's paintings are represented in numerous public collections, including the Irish Museum of Modern Art, the Ulster Museum, Belfast, the National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, The Crawford Gallery Cork and the Arts Council of Ireland. Prof. Liam Kelly September 2023

    Whyte's
  • 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
    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 Pierrot’s 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 Dillon’s 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 it’s nature’s 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
  • Gerard Dillon RHA RUA (1916 - 1971) Island Cottage Interior Ink and colour wash, 19.4 x 26cm (7¾ x 10¼) Signed
    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
  • Gerard Dillon (1916 - 1971) Couple on a Cart Oil on board, 33 x 42.5cm (13 x 16¾) Signed Gerard Dillon’s 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
    Sep. 27, 2023

    Gerard Dillon (1916 - 1971) Couple on a Cart Oil on board, 33 x 42.5cm (13 x 16¾) Signed Gerard Dillon’s 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 Dillon’s 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 don’t know for certain the couple’s relationship, we could infer from Dillon’s 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 couple’s 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 Dillon’s 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. It’s 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). Dillon’s 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, Dillon’s 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
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