Norah McGuiness Paintings & Artwork for Sale | Norah McGuiness Art Value Price Guide

May. 27, 2026
Norah McGuinness HRHA (1901-1980) Woodland Scene Oil on canvas, 64 x 76cm (25 x 29¾'') Provenance: From the Artist's Estate
Est: €5,000 - €7,000
Norah McGuinness HRHA (1901-1980) Woodland Scene Oil on canvas, 64 x 76cm (25 x 29¾'') Provenance: From the Artist's Estate
Adam's
May. 27, 2026
Norah McGuinness HRHA (1901-1980) Still Life with Fruit Oil on board, 30 x 40cm (11¾ x 15¾'') Signed with initials Provenance: From the Artist's Estate
Est: €3,000 - €5,000
Norah McGuinness HRHA (1901-1980) Still Life with Fruit Oil on board, 30 x 40cm (11¾ x 15¾'') Signed with initials Provenance: From the Artist's Estate
Adam's
May. 27, 2026
Norah McGuinness HRHA (1901-1980) Still Life Oil on board, 76 x 51cm (29¾ x 20'') Provenance: From the Artist's Estate
Est: €6,000 - €8,000
Norah McGuinness HRHA (1901-1980) Still Life Oil on board, 76 x 51cm (29¾ x 20'') Provenance: From the Artist's Estate
Adam's
May. 25, 2026
Norah McGuinness HRHA (1901-1980) HOUSE THROUGH WOODED LAND
Est: €2,000 - €3,000
Norah McGuinness HRHA (1901-1980) HOUSE THROUGH WOODED LAND watercolour signed lower right h:11.75 w:18.75 in. Provenance: Bought from Waddington Galleries by the father of the present owner; Thence by descent
Whyte's
Feb. 24, 2026
NORAH MCGUINNESS HRHA (1901 - 1980)
Est: €3,000 - €5,000
Title: Gossip (1948) Medium: Watercolour and Gouache Signature: Signed Lower Left and Inscribed on Taylor Galleries Label Verso Provenance: The Artist, thence by family descent; Private Collection, UK Bonhams, London, The Irish Sale - Vision and Voice; Private Collection Exhibited: Norah McGuinness Exhibition, Taylor Galleries, Dublin, 9 - 27 November, 1982, Catalogue No. 55 Framed PICTURES AND PRINTS Tuesday 24th February 2026 18:24:00
Sheppards
Dec. 11, 2025
NORAH MCGUINNESS HRHA (1901 - 1980)
Est: €1,000 - €1,500
Title: Lady Seated in a Blue and White Sundress Medium: Watercolour Signature: Signed Lower Right Provenance: Private Collection Framed A refined and expressive watercolour portrait in which McGuinness captures a seated woman in a light summer dress, positioned in a sunlit garden setting. The artist’s modernist sensibility is evident in the confident linear treatment, rhythmic composition, and harmonious interplay of warm and cool tones. The work exudes poise and quiet elegance, reflecting McGuinness’s mastery in combining figurative clarity with her distinctive decorative style. PICTURES AND PRINTS Thursday 11th December 2025 18:31:44
Sheppards
Nov. 26, 2025
Norah McGuinness HRHA (1901-1980) The Four Courts from the South Quays, Dublin (1944) Gouache, 43 x 55cm (17 x 21¾) Signed and dated (19)'44 Provenance: with Taylor Galleries, Dublin, 1979 as 'The Custom House' (sic); Private Collection, D
Est: €4,000 - €6,000
Norah McGuinness HRHA (1901-1980) The Four Courts from the South Quays, Dublin (1944) Gouache, 43 x 55cm (17 x 21¾) Signed and dated (19)'44 Provenance: with Taylor Galleries, Dublin, 1979 as 'The Custom House' (sic); Private Collection, Dublin
Adam's
Sep. 24, 2025
Norah McGuinness HRHA (1901 - 1980) Street Scene with Figures, Kinsale, Co. Cork Gouache, 42 x 57cm (16½× 22½”) Signed
Est: €2,000 - €3,000
Norah McGuinness HRHA (1901 - 1980) Street Scene with Figures, Kinsale, Co. Cork Gouache, 42 x 57cm (16½× 22½”) Signed
Adam's
Sep. 24, 2025
Norah McGuinness HRHA (1901-1980) Wooded Lake Scene Gouache, 38 x 50.8cm (14¾ x 20'') Signed Provenance: The Collection of Ib Jorgensen
Est: €2,000 - €3,000
Norah McGuinness HRHA (1901-1980) Wooded Lake Scene Gouache, 38 x 50.8cm (14¾ x 20'') Signed Provenance: The Collection of Ib Jorgensen
Adam's
Sep. 24, 2025
Norah McGuinness HRHA (1901-1980) The Cineraria Watercolour, 28 x 22cm (11 x 8½'') Signed and dated (19)'55 Provenance: The Collection of Ib Jorgensen
Est: €2,000 - €3,000
Norah McGuinness HRHA (1901-1980) The Cineraria Watercolour, 28 x 22cm (11 x 8½'') Signed and dated (19)'55 Provenance: The Collection of Ib Jorgensen
Adam's
Sep. 24, 2025
Norah McGuinness HRHA (1901-1980) Seaweeds on Dublin Bay Oil on canvas, 38 x 50cm (15 x 19¾) Signed; with title inscribed verso Provenance: with The Dawson Gallery, Dublin; Collection of L. C. Vaughan; Private Collection, Dublin
Est: €7,000 - €10,000
Norah McGuinness HRHA (1901-1980) Seaweeds on Dublin Bay Oil on canvas, 38 x 50cm (15 x 19¾) Signed; with title inscribed verso Provenance: with The Dawson Gallery, Dublin; Collection of L. C. Vaughan; Private Collection, Dublin In Seaweeds on Dublin Bay, Norah McGuinness distils the familiar Dublin coastline into a scene of striking rhythm and clarity. Three ducks, likely observed at Booterstown, animate the foreground where warm ochre and pink seaweed and tidal pools are crisply described, the uprights below, perhaps being a reference to the rugby pitches at Williamstown. Beyond, the view opens out across the bay towards the distinctive Martello tower at Sandymount, a landmark that anchors the horizon.　 McGuinness, a founding member of the Irish Exhibition of Living Art, brought a modernist eye to the Irish landscape, transforming everyday motifs into bold, decorative compositions. Here, her assured handling of colour and form conveys both the vitality of the shoreline and the graphic elegance for which she was celebrated.　 A fine example of her mature work, Seaweeds on Dublin Bay combines natural observation with a stylised vision that remains instantly recognisable as McGuinness at the height of her powers.
Adam's
Sep. 16, 2025
NORAH MCGUINNESS HRHA (1901 - 1980)
Est: €3,000 - €5,000
Title: Portrait of the Artist's Mother Medium: Oil on Canvas Signature: Unsigned Provenance: The Family of the Artist; Private Collection, UK; Bonhams, The Irish Sale - Vision and Voice, 5th December 2024, Lot 16; Private Collection Framed Lot Description: Norah McGuinness HRHA (1901–1980), The Artist’s Mother, oil on canvas, signed lower left. A striking modernist portrait of McGuinness’s mother, seated formally beside a small table with a vase of bold, abstracted flowers. The composition is defined by the artist’s vibrant palette, decisive linework, and sense of interior intimacy. Rendered with emotional directness and stylistic clarity, the work captures both the character of the sitter and the artist’s unique vision. Framed in a gilt frame with off-white mount. PICTURES AND PRINTS Tuesday 16th September 2025 21:26:40
Sheppards
Jun. 18, 2025
Norah McGuinness H.R.H.A. (Irish, 1901-1980) Bog Hole in the Heather 40.8 x 50.9 cm. (16 1/8 x 20 1/8 in.)
Est: £6,000 - £8,000
Norah McGuinness H.R.H.A. (Irish, 1901-1980) Bog Hole in the Heather signed 'NMcGuinness' (lower right) oil on canvas 40.8 x 50.9 cm. (16 1/8 x 20 1/8 in.)
Bonhams
May. 28, 2025
Norah McGuinness HRHA (1901-1980) A View of Newtown Park House Oil on board, 57 x 72.5cm (22½ x 28½) Signed and dated (19)'49 Provenance: Collection of Senator Edward McGuire, Newtownpark House, Blackrock, thence by descent
Est: €3,000 - €5,000
Norah McGuinness HRHA (1901-1980) A View of Newtown Park House Oil on board, 57 x 72.5cm (22½ x 28½) Signed and dated (19)'49 Provenance: Collection of Senator Edward McGuire, Newtownpark House, Blackrock, thence by descent
Adam's
May. 26, 2025
Norah McGuinness HRHA (1901-1980) INTERIOR WITH GEORGE JOSEPH FURLONG
Est: €1,500 - €2,000
Norah McGuinness HRHA (1901-1980) INTERIOR WITH GEORGE JOSEPH FURLONG gouache bearing studio stamp upper left; titled on reverse h:9.50 w:12.50 in. Dr George Furlong was appointed Director of the National Gallery of Ireland in 1935 and at that time was the youngest and most academically qualified person to hold the position. He had studied at the Sorbonne and the universities of Grenoble, Munich and Vienna, was fluent in French and German and had worked in both the Tate and National Galleries in London prior to taking up his post. His acquisitions and achievements during his tenure were innovative but his ambitions for the gallery were ultimately stifled by politics and prudery and led to disillusionment and his resignation in 1950. It was Dr Furlong who selected Norah McGuinness and Nano Reid to represent Ireland for the first time at the Venice Biennale in 1950. For further reading see Whyte's, 3 March 2025, lot 35.
Whyte's
May. 14, 2025
NORAH MCGUINNESS HRHA (1901-1980)
Est: €2,000 - €3,000
Title: Corn Fields. Medium: Mixed media on card. Signature: Initialled lower right. Provenance: The Artist, thence by family descent; Private Collection Framed. Description In Corn Fields, Norah McGuinness combines linear precision with rhythmic form to depict a stylised landscape. The bold outlines and interplay of pattern and texture are signature elements of McGuinness’s work, showcasing her modernist vision and deep appreciation for the Irish countryside.
Sheppards
Dec. 04, 2024
Norah McGuinness HRHA (1901-1980) Storm in Limerick Oil on board, 44.5 x 59.5cm (17½ x 23½'') Signed Provenance: Sale, these rooms, 5 December, 2006, lot 95. Exhibited: London, The Leicester Galleries 1951 This highly atmospheric
Est: €20,000 - €30,000
Norah McGuinness HRHA (1901-1980) Storm in Limerick Oil on board, 44.5 x 59.5cm (17½ x 23½'') Signed Provenance: Sale, these rooms, 5 December, 2006, lot 95. Exhibited: London, The Leicester Galleries 1951 This highly atmospheric image creates a clear sense of foreboding as the oncoming storm approaches, with the scene set in the precarious moments before the full force of the weather front is felt. McGuinness is well known for her vivid and expressively coloured landscapes, and she painted several examples of Limerick city and the ports and harbours of other main cities. The composition here looks be depicting the bridge and buildings along the canal and harbour in the city. The single arched stone bridges can be seen at several intervals along the waterways in Limerick. The industry and commercial use of the canals are evident in the barge visible just to the right of the composition, the two warehouse buildings on left, and a wooden dock for unloading, that now looks precariously placed amongst the rushing waters. However, this trade and transport link was coming close to the end when McGuinness painted this scene, Limerick’s commercial canal network was shut down entirely in early 1960. As the water level rises, a lone figure can be seen peering over the edge of the stone wall watching the crash and flow of the river below. The sky darkens ominously in the background, creating a dramatic backdrop for the scene. The trees sway forcibly in the wind and her use of use of soft brushstrokes creates a blurring effect, giving a sense of the surface of the painting in motion. The confident use of bright colour tones, reds, yellows and greens become even more dramatic against the grey sky. The darkened, rain laden clouds are mirrored in the surface of the water, rushing over the river bed. The gates of the lock are visible just beyond the arch of the bridge, and we can imagine the torrent of water falling on the other side.
Adam's
Dec. 04, 2024
Norah McGuinness HRHA (1901-1980) Still Life Oil on canvas, 50 x 35cm (19½ x 13¾'') Signed
Est: €3,000 - €5,000
Norah McGuinness HRHA (1901-1980) Still Life Oil on canvas, 50 x 35cm (19½ x 13¾'') Signed
Adam's
Sep. 30, 2024
Norah McGuinness HRHA (1901-1980) THE SUGAR LOAF, COUNTY WICKLOW, 1956
Est: €8,000 - €12,000
Norah McGuinness HRHA (1901-1980) THE SUGAR LOAF, COUNTY WICKLOW, 1956 oil on board signed and dated lower right h:17.50 w:23.75 in. Provenance: Whyte's, 29 May 2017, lot 45; Private collection
Whyte's
Sep. 25, 2024
Norah McGuinness HRHA (1901-1980) The Cineraria (1955) Watercolour, 28 x 22cm (11 x 8.75) Signed and dated (19)'55
Est: €2,000 - €3,000
Norah McGuinness HRHA (1901-1980) The Cineraria (1955) Watercolour, 28 x 22cm (11 x 8.75) Signed and dated (19)'55
Adam's
Sep. 25, 2024
NORAH MCGUINNESS
Est: €5,000 - €7,000
Swans Over The Bay. Oil on canvas. Framed. PICTURES AND PRINTS Wednesday 25th September 2024 Approximate Time 10:30:00
Sheppards
Jul. 27, 2024
Norah McGuinness (Irish, 1901-1986), Boats in a Harbor, Signed and dated '49 in pencil lower left, Watercolor on paper, Image-7 1/4" x 10", Framed-15" x 16 1/2"
Est: $600 - $800
Norah McGuinness (Irish, 1901-1986), Boats in a Harbor, Signed and dated '49 in pencil lower left, Watercolor on paper, Image-7 1/4" x 10", Framed-15" x 16 1/2"
Auction Gallery of the Palm Beaches
May. 29, 2024
Norah McGuinness (1901-1980) The Urn at Newtown Park House Watercolour, 30 x 46cm (11¾ x 18'') Signed with artists studio stamp
Est: €1,000 - €1,500
Norah McGuinness (1901-1980) The Urn at Newtown Park House Watercolour, 30 x 46cm (11¾ x 18'') Signed with artists studio stamp
Adam's
May. 29, 2024
Norah McGuinness HRHA (1901 - 1980) Kitchen Lamp Oil on canvas, 61 x 30.4cm (24 x 12) Signed Provenance: With The Dawson Gallery Dublin, label verso
Est: €4,000 - €6,000
Norah McGuinness HRHA (1901 - 1980) Kitchen Lamp Oil on canvas, 61 x 30.4cm (24 x 12) Signed Provenance: With The Dawson Gallery Dublin, label verso
Adam's
May. 12, 2024
IRISH LANDSCAPE GOUACHE PAINTING BY NORA MCGUINNESS
Est: $100 - $150
Nora Norah McGuinness, Irish, English, American, 1901 to 1980, gouache painting on paper depicting a rural landscape. Signed lower left. Framed. Nora McGuinness is known for Modernist, abstract landscape and still life painting, graphics, illustration. The Irish landscape artist, graphic designer and illustrator Nora McGuinness was born in County Derry, Northern Ireland. She studied drawing and fine art painting at the Metropolitan School of Art, Dublin now the National College of Art and Design, the Chelsea Polytechnic, London, and then under the French artist Andre lHote, in Paris. From France, McGuiness moved to London, becoming a member of the avant-garde London Group, and from 1937 to 1939 she lived in New York. After America, she returned to settle in Dublin in 1940. She was elected an honorary member of the Royal Hibernian Academy in 1957. Nora McGuinness executed vivid, highly coloured, flattened landscape paintings, as well as still life and portrait art in a spontaneous style influenced in part by the colourist Fauvist movement and the artist Lhote. English and American Fine Art, Landscape Paintings, Wall Art, and Collectibles. One of a kind artwork.
Antique Arena Inc
Mar. 27, 2024
Norah McGuinness HRHA (1901 - 1980) Interior with still life Watercolour, 46 x 38cm (18 x 15) Signed
Est: €2,000 - €3,000
Norah McGuinness HRHA (1901 - 1980) Interior with still life Watercolour, 46 x 38cm (18 x 15) Signed
Adam's
Mar. 11, 2024
Norah McGuinness HRHA (1901-1980) WILD CHERRY, 1961
Est: €6,000 - €8,000
Norah McGuinness HRHA (1901-1980) WILD CHERRY, 1961 oil on canvas signed and dated lower right; titled and with Dawson Gallery label on reverse h:16 w:20 in. Provenance: Dawson Gallery, Dublin; Private collection
Whyte's
Mar. 11, 2024
Norah McGuinness HRHA (1901-1980) LANDSCAPE
Est: €1,200 - €1,800
Norah McGuinness HRHA (1901-1980) LANDSCAPE pastel and gouache with artist's stamp lower right h:10 w:14 in. Provenance: de Veres, 10 March 1998, lot 169; Private collection
Whyte's
Dec. 04, 2023
Norah McGuinness HRHA (1901-1980) ANNA LIVIA
Est: €1,500 - €2,000
Norah McGuinness HRHA (1901-1980) ANNA LIVIA watercolour and gouache with artist's studio stamp lower right; inscribed on reverse h:11 w:14.50 in.
Whyte's
Nov. 07, 2023
NORAH ALLISON MCGUINNESS (1901-1980)
Est: €12,000 - €18,000
Still life of fruit. Signed bottom right. Oil on canvas. Dawson Gallery label verso. Framed. Provenance: The Dr. Kevin Moynihan Collection, Macroom, Co. Cork. Approximate Time: 12:53 Lot No: 237
Sheppards
Oct. 02, 2023
Norah McGuinness HRHA (1901-1980) BRENT GEESE ON THE SALT FLATS
Est: €20,000 - €30,000
Norah McGuinness HRHA (1901-1980) BRENT GEESE ON THE SALT FLATS oil on canvas signed lower right; titled on reverse h:20 w:36 in. Provenance: Taylor deVere's, 11 October 1994, lot 95; Private collection The composition, style and colouring of Brent Geese on the Salt Flats channels various aspects of the life of the artist Norah McGuinness. By the 1960s - when the present work is likely to have been painted - Norah McGuinness' reputation in the Irish arts scene was impressive. She had received solid training in the Dublin Metropolitan School of Art in 1921, complemented by subsequent accolades and her first exhibition in the Royal Hibernian Academy in 1924. She later developed her skills abroad, first, in London at the Chelsea Polytechnic and later in Paris from 1929 to 1931 under André L'Hôte. In 1943 McGuinness was one of the founding members of the Irish Exhibition of Living Art (IELA). She later became President of the IELA following the death of Mainie Jellett in 1944 and retained this position until 1972. In 1950 she was selected alongside Nano Reid to represent Ireland at the Venice Biennale and in 1957 she was made an Honorary Member of the RHA. By the end of the decade a major retrospective exhibition of her work was held at Trinity College, Dublin in 1968. Through the years, in tandem with all these achievements, McGuinness supported herself financially through her illustration - with Vogue and Harper's Bazaar - as well as working in costume and set design for the Abbey and Peacock theatres in Dublin and window dressing for Altman's department store on Fifth Avenue, New York and for Brown Thomas in Dublin. The black outlines and limited, muted palette lends a graphic quality to the work and recall the textile designs of mid-century giants such as David Whitehead. The composition has a stage like quality to it and there is a theatricality in the broad sweeping lines and the animated movement provided by the geese. Brent geese are found in Ireland between October and April, feeding mostly on eel-grass that grows on muddy estuaries and grasslands, before departing for breeding grounds beginning in late April. In this scene the winter migrants are executed in sharper focus, drawing the eye into the scene, each bird looking in a different direction while a smaller flock appears to exit stage left. The distortion of perspective, the segmenting of the picture plane and the lozenge motif are all familiar elements of McGuinness' style from this period also. A number of examples of her work from the 1960s can be found in the permanent collection of the Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin including Shore Pools (1965) and Path to the Sun (1962). McGuinness' work featured in IMMA's highly-acclaimed 2013 Analysing Cubism exhibition alongside Mainie Jellett, Evie Hone, Mary Swanzy, Fr Jack Hanlon and European painters such as Georges Braque, Albert Gleizes, Juan Gris, Henri Hayden, André L'hote and Pablo Picasso. Adelle Hughes, September 2023
Whyte's
Sep. 27, 2023
Norah McGuinness HRHA (1901-1980) At L'hote's Paris Oil on paper, 51 x 36cm (20 x 14¼) Signed with initials indistinctly Exhibited: Dublin IMMA; Cork Crawford Gallery of Art and Banbridge, F. E McWilliam Gallery, 'Analysing Cubism' tourin
Est: €5,000 - €8,000
Norah McGuinness HRHA (1901-1980) At L'hote's Paris Oil on paper, 51 x 36cm (20 x 14¼) Signed with initials indistinctly Exhibited: Dublin IMMA; Cork Crawford Gallery of Art and Banbridge, F. E McWilliam Gallery, 'Analysing Cubism' touring exhibition Literature: Analysing Cubism, illustrated page 33
Adam's
Sep. 27, 2023
Norah McGuinness HRHA (1901-1980) Donegal Gouache, 31.5 x 48.5cm (12½ x 19) Signed Provenance: With The Dawson Gallery, Dublin
Est: €2,000 - €4,000
Norah McGuinness HRHA (1901-1980) Donegal Gouache, 31.5 x 48.5cm (12½ x 19) Signed Provenance: With The Dawson Gallery, Dublin
Adam's
May. 10, 2023
Donegal Stream
Est: €9,000 - €12,000
Norah McGuinness, H.R.H.A. 1901 - 1980 Donegal Stream signed N McGuinness (lower right); titled (on the reverse) oil on canvas unframed: 45.5 by 56cm.; 18 by 22in. framed: 63.5 by 74cm.; 25 by 29in. Executed circa 1967. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Norah McGuinness, H.R.H.A. 1901 - 1980 Donegal Stream signé N McGuinness (en bas a droit); titré (au revers) huile sur toile sans cadre: 45.5 by 56cm.; 18 by 22in. avec cadre: 63.5 by 74cm.; 25 by 29in. Executé vers 1967.
Sotheby's
Apr. 18, 2023
Norah Allison McGuinness HRHA (1901-1980) Flowers in a Vase (1960)
Est: €6,000 - €9,000
Norah Allison McGuinness HRHA (1901-1980) Flowers in a Vase (1960) oil on canvas signed and dated 'N McGUINNESS 60' lower right h:46 w:35.70 cm. Provenance: Whyte's, Dublin, 29th February 2016, lot no 50; Oliver Sears Gallery, Dublin; Private Collection
Morgan O'Driscoll
Apr. 18, 2023
Norah Allison McGuinness HRHA (1901-1980) Kells (c.1960)
Est: €1,000 - €1,500
Norah Allison McGuinness HRHA (1901-1980) Kells (c.1960) mixed media on paper signed 'NMG' lower right and titled h:24 w:17 cm. Provenance: Private Collection A light, fresh sketch of trees and the river Boyne at Kells in Co. Meath, this work on paper sums up Norah McGuinness's ability to capture a scene in a few quick strokes of pen and brush. Probably intended as a preparatory sketch for a painting, it is nonetheless a tightly-contained composition, with the river Boyne at the centre. The colouring is minimal; blue water, green riverbank, brown foliage and a yellow house on the left. Born in Derry, McGuinness trained at the Metropolitan School of Art, and later in Paris, where she studied with André Lhote. Having begun her career as an illustrator, she turned to painting, adopting a semi-Fauvist style that later evolved into a polished version of Cubism. Living in London in the 1930s McGuinness was a member of the avant garde "7 & 5 Society" and also became part of Lucy Wertheim's 'Twenties Group'--also in the group were Kenneth Hall, Elizabeth Rivers, Victor Pasmore, Barbara Hepworth, Roger Hilton and Christopher Wood. Returning to Ireland in 1939, McGuinness continued working as an artist through the war years and was a founding member, and chairman, of the Irish Exhibition of Living Art. Peter Murray, March 2023
Morgan O'Driscoll
Apr. 18, 2023
Norah Allison McGuinness HRHA (1901-1980) The Black Swan
Est: €15,000 - €25,000
Norah Allison McGuinness HRHA (1901-1980) The Black Swan oil on canvas signed 'N McGUINNESS' lower right h:58.50 w:76.30 cm. Provenance: The Dawson Gallery, Dublin (label verso); deVere's, Dublin, 2nd December 2014 lot 9; These Rooms, 14th April 2020 lot 80; Private Collection One of Norah McGuinness's most accomplished landscape paintings, with a semi-abstract composition characterised by straight and diagonal lines, and strong contrasts between light and dark, Black Swan probably dates from the early 1950's. Beneath the high horizon line, a black swan is silhouetted against the white water of an estuary or lake. A second horizontal line marks the boundary between the light waters of the estuary and a dark rocky foreshore. Below this line, in the foreground, the rocks been translated into semi-abstract shapes, outlined in dark brown and black. The centre of the painting is dominated by a pool of water, white, with blue highlights. Black Swan is an essay in colour harmonies, with the browns, ochres, ivories and black enlivened with patches of mauve and blue. Having studied at the Metropolitan School of Art in Dublin under Patrick Tuohy and Harry Clarke, and also at the Chelsea Polytechnic in London, in 1929 McGuinness travelled to Paris, enrolling at the school of Cubist painter Andre Lhote. She had begun her career as an illustrator, but now turned to painting, adopting a semi-Fauvist style that later evolved into a polished version of Cubism. In the 1930s McGuinness was living in London, and exhibiting at the Wertheim Gallery. When war broke out, she returned to Ireland, and in Dublin, played a leading role in the founding, in 1943, of the Irish Exhibition of Living Art. The following year she was elected president of the IELA, a post she occupied until 1970. The IELA represented artists working outside the Academic Realist tradition, and initial exhibitions included Nano Reid, Louis le Brocquy, Mainie Jellett, Patrick Scott and Gerard Dillon. McGuinness liked to travel, visiting India in 1930 (after the break-up of her marriage the previous year), and also spending two years in the United States, between 1937 and 1939. In the 1950s and '60s she travelled in Italy and Portugal. In Dublin, she was noted for her creative window displays for the Brown Thomas department store on Grafton Street. Throughout her career, McGuinness's paintings, based on strong compositions and a confident use of colour, were influenced by what became known as the 'School of Paris'. Peter Murray, March 2023
Morgan O'Driscoll
Apr. 18, 2023
Norah Allison McGuinness HRHA (1901-1980) New York Dockland (1948)
Est: €3,000 - €5,000
Norah Allison McGuinness HRHA (1901-1980) New York Dockland (1948) watercolour on paper signed and dated 'NM Guinness 48' lower right h:43 w:58.50 cm. Provenance: Private Collection
Morgan O'Driscoll
Mar. 14, 2023
Norah McGuinness, Irish 1901-1980 - Moonlight bog landscape; gouache on paper, signed lower rig
Est: £800 - £1,200
Norah McGuinness, Irish 1901-1980 - Moonlight bog landscape; gouache on paper, signed lower right 'N McGuiness', 32.8 x 44.3 cm (ARR)
Roseberys
Mar. 06, 2023
Norah McGuinness HRHA (1901-1980) SELF-PORTRAIT, 1942
Est: €5,000 - €7,000
Norah McGuinness HRHA (1901-1980) SELF-PORTRAIT, 1942 gouache inscribed with artist, title, date and medium on Taylor Galleries exhibition label on reverse h:15 w:18 in. Provenance: Taylor Galleries, Dublin; Private collection Exhibited: Taylor Galleries, Dublin, 9-27 November 1982, catalogue no. 30
Whyte's
Mar. 06, 2023
Norah McGuinness HRHA (1901-1980) NOVEMBER ON THE LIFFEY, DUBLIN, 1948
Est: €8,000 - €12,000
Norah McGuinness HRHA (1901-1980) NOVEMBER ON THE LIFFEY, DUBLIN, 1948 watercolour and gouache signed and dated lower right; titled on Dawson Gallery label on reverse h:17 w:23 in. Provenance: Dawson Gallery, Dublin; Private collection Norah McGuinness was born in Lawrence Hill, County Derry, in 1901 and died in Dún Laoghaire, in south county Dublin in 1980. Having acquired a solid training in the Dublin Metropolitan School of Art in 1921, complemented by subsequent accolades and her first exhibition in the Royal Hibernian Academy in 1924, McGuinness later developed her skills abroad, first, in London at the Chelsea Polytechnic. In 1925 she married Wicklow librarian Geoffrey Phibbs (Geoffrey Taylor, the poet) but the marriage broke up in 1929 and she moved to Paris the same year until 1931 to study under André Lhote. In 1943 Norah McGuinness was one of the founding members of the Irish Exhibition of Living Art (IELA), of which she later became President, following the death of Mainie Jellett in 1944. She retained her presidency until 1972. In 1950 she was selected alongside Nano Reid to represent Ireland at the Venice Biennale and in 1957 she was made an Honorary Member of the Royal Hibernian Academy but resigned in 1969. As an artist McGuinness' technique was in constant flux, frequently absorbing new techniques and assimilating them to suit her own intuitive style. During her long career she found a balance between her design work and her painting and brought influences from each field into the other. Living in London during the 1930s, she exhibited with the London Group and the Seven and Five Society, as well as creating fashion illustrations for Vogue and the Bystander and working in theatre. In 1937 she went to New York where she exhibited her paintings, created illustrations for Harper's Bazaar and designed windows for Altman's department store on Fifth Avenue. While back in Dublin she designed windows for Brown Thomas for over thirty years as well as working as a book illustrator and with the Abbey and Gaiety Theatres. Books she illustrated include Laurence Sternes, A Sentimental Journey through France and Italy (1925) and titles by W. B. Yeats. Unlike her contemporaries, Mainie Jellett and Evie Hone, who also studied under André Lhote, McGuinness did not fully adopt the Cubist approach but rather fashioned elements of it with a Fauvist appreciation of colour to create her own unique reading of her subject. From the 1940s to 1960s she held her own in the arts scene as evidenced in her recurring and highly successful solo exhibitions with the Victor Waddington Galleries and Dawson Gallery Dublin and the Leicester Gallery, London. A major retrospective of her work took place in the Douglas Hyde Gallery, Trinity College Dublin, in 1968 and in 1973 the College awarded her an honorary doctorate.
Whyte's
Mar. 06, 2023
Norah McGuinness HRHA (1901-1980) HALL TABLE STILL LIFE
Est: €3,000 - €5,000
Norah McGuinness HRHA (1901-1980) HALL TABLE STILL LIFE watercolour signed lower right; inscribed [090203] on artist's studio label on reverse h:15.75 w:21.75 in. Provenance: The artist's family by descent; Adam's, 8 December 2009, lot 21; Private collection
Whyte's
Mar. 06, 2023
Norah McGuinness HRHA (1901-1980) IDA MCGUINNESS, 1930
Est: €4,000 - €6,000
Norah McGuinness HRHA (1901-1980) IDA MCGUINNESS, 1930 gouache signed lower right; with Taylor Galleries label on reverse h:19.50 w:12.75 in. Provenance: Taylor Galleries, Dublin; Private collection Exhibited: Taylor Galleries, Dublin, 9-27 November 1982, catalogue no. 6
Whyte's
Mar. 06, 2023
Norah McGuinness HRHA (1901-1980) COASTAL TOWN BY MOONLIGHT, 1962
Est: €7,000 - €9,000
Norah McGuinness HRHA (1901-1980) COASTAL TOWN BY MOONLIGHT, 1962 oil on canvas signed and dated lower right; with newspaper clipping of artist's obituary affixed on reverse h:20 w:28 in. Provenance: Whyte's, 26 September 2016, lot 97; Private collection Norah McGuinness was born in Lawrence Hill, County Derry, in 1901 and died in Dún Laoghaire, in south county Dublin in 1980. Having acquired a solid training in the Dublin Metropolitan School of Art in 1921, complemented by subsequent accolades and her first exhibition in the Royal Hibernian Academy in 1924, McGuinness later developed her skills abroad, first, in London at the Chelsea Polytechnic. In 1925 she married Wicklow librarian Geoffrey Phibbs (Geoffrey Taylor, the poet) but the marriage broke up in 1929 and she moved to Paris the same year until 1931 to study under André Lhote. In 1943 Norah McGuinness was one of the founding members of the Irish Exhibition of Living Art (IELA), of which she later became President, following the death of Mainie Jellett in 1944. She retained her presidency until 1972. In 1950 she was selected alongside Nano Reid to represent Ireland at the Venice Biennale and in 1957 she was made an Honorary Member of the Royal Hibernian Academy but resigned in 1969. As an artist McGuinness' technique was in constant flux, frequently absorbing new techniques and assimilating them to suit her own intuitive style. During her long career she found a balance between her design work and her painting and brought influences from each field into the other. Living in London during the 1930s, she exhibited with the London Group and the Seven and Five Society, as well as creating fashion illustrations for Vogue and the Bystander and working in theatre. In 1937 she went to New York where she exhibited her paintings, created illustrations for Harper's Bazaar and designed windows for Altman's department store on Fifth Avenue. While back in Dublin she designed windows for Brown Thomas for over thirty years as well as working as a book illustrator and with the Abbey and Gaiety Theatres. Books she illustrated include Laurence Sternes, A Sentimental Journey through France and Italy (1925) and titles by W. B. Yeats. Unlike her contemporaries, Mainie Jellett and Evie Hone, who also studied under André Lhote, McGuinness did not fully adopt the Cubist approach but rather fashioned elements of it with a Fauvist appreciation of colour to create her own unique reading of her subject. From the 1940s to 1960s she held her own in the arts scene as evidenced in her recurring and highly successful solo exhibitions with the Victor Waddington Galleries and Dawson Gallery Dublin and the Leicester Gallery, London. A major retrospective of her work took place in the Douglas Hyde Gallery, Trinity College Dublin, in 1968 and in 1973 the College awarded her an honorary doctorate.
Whyte's
Mar. 06, 2023
Norah McGuinness HRHA (1901-1980) FIGURE IN A LANDSCAPE
Est: €2,000 - €3,000
Norah McGuinness HRHA (1901-1980) FIGURE IN A LANDSCAPE watercolour signed with initials lower right h:11 w:13.50 in.
Whyte's
Mar. 06, 2023
Norah McGuinness HRHA (1901-1980) THE GARDEN, ROCKBROOK
Est: €2,000 - €3,000
Norah McGuinness HRHA (1901-1980) THE GARDEN, ROCKBROOK watercolour and gouache signed lower right; inscribed [090204] on artist's studio label on reverse h:10.50 w:15 in. Provenance: The artist's family by descent; Adam's, 8 December 2009, lot 22; Private collection Rockbrook, Co. Sligo was the ancestral home of the artist's husband, Geoffrey Basil Phibbs. They were divorced in 1930.
Whyte's
Dec. 07, 2022
Norah McGuinness HRHA (1901 - 1980) The Red Bog Oil on canvas, 51 x 76cm (20 x 30) Signed and dated (19)67
Est: €15,000 - €25,000
Norah McGuinness HRHA (1901 - 1980) The Red Bog Oil on canvas, 51 x 76cm (20 x 30) Signed and dated (19)67
Adam's
Dec. 07, 2022
Norah McGuinness HRHA (1901-1980) Country Landscape Watercolour, 41 x 55cm (16¼ x 21¾'') Signed and dated 1946
Est: €5,000 - €7,000
Norah McGuinness HRHA (1901-1980) Country Landscape Watercolour, 41 x 55cm (16¼ x 21¾'') Signed and dated 1946
Adam's