26 / 196
26
12
Grace Henry (1868-1953)
Strand, Achill 1910-12
Oil on canvas, 40 x 61cm (15¾ x 24”)
Signed
Grace Henry first went to Achill with her husband, Paul Henry, in the summer of
1910 and remained there-on and off-until 1919. To begin with they were both en-
thralled by life on the island, as for example her
Top of the Hill,
1914-15 (Limerick Art
Gallery) shows, but slowly Grace grew dis-enchanted by its limitations.The handling
of paint on the sand and on the water illustrates the simplicity which typifies both
the Henrys work of these years. One cannot be sure of the whereabouts of the scene,
but it may represent the southern shores of the Corraun Peninsula. Alternatively
Keel Strand is a possibility, although the distant mountains seem far distant from the
Menawn Cliffs which dominate the area. Despite the representation of this picture,
Grace Henry was arguably more avant-garde in her work than her husband and she
certainly veered more towards abstraction. Dated 1910-12 on stylistic grounds and on
the evidence of the signature.
Dr S.B. Kennedy November 2014
€5,000 - 7,000