A nude painting of singer-songwriter Sinéad O’Connor which was commissioned for the former Dublin nightclub Lillie’s Bordello sold for €19,000 - less than its guide estimate at auction last night (Monday)
It failed to make its estimated top price of €30,000 and was sold to a buyer online. The oil on canvas was painted in 2003 by Jim Fitzpatrick a Dublin born painter and graphic designer whose work draws strongly on Ireland’s Celtic mythology.
The portrait formed part of Whyte’s Important Irish Art Auction held at the Freemasons Hall on Molesworth Street in Dublin and online at Whytes.ie.
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The portrait was removed from the nightclub as refurbishment was taking place following a fire but was ultimately purchased by the sitter - Sinéad, the Grammy Award-winning singer best known for her major hit Nothing Compares 2 U.
The catalogue described the painting as: “The view through the window shows the Pigeon House area of Dublin, an area of particular significance for O’Connor, and was included at her request.
“Compositionally it references Roderic O’Connor’s Reclining Nude (NGI) – in turn a tribute to Velázquez’ Rokeby Venus.”
For the past 40 years Fitzpatrick’s work has become familiar to many in the form of posters, book jacket designs and album covers. He has also written and illustrated numerous books and designed a stained-glass window for Bewley’s Café‚ in Mary Street, Dublin.
His murals in Captain America’s restaurant in Dublin were a city landmark and he created the graphic reproduction of Alberto Korda’s photograph of Ché Guevara that has become a worldwide icon.
Fitzpatrick has long been a friend of O’Connor’s and designed the cover of her album, Faith and Courage, which was released in June 2000.
The 56-year-old Mum-of-four lost her 17-year-old son Shane last year in tragic circumstances. He went missing from a hospital psychiatric ward and were found in Bray, Co Wicklow after gardai issued a missing persons alert.
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