Adam's Important Irish Art Wednesday May 30th 2018

120 103 BASIL IVAN RÁKÓCZI (1908-1979) Annunciation (1950) Oil on canvas, 49.5 x 73cm (19½ x 28½’’) Signed Provenance: With Molton Gallery, London (partial label verso). The artist’s family by descent The Annunciation has arguably been one of the most frequent topics in Christian art. And this painting represents Rakoczi’s outlook with the angel Gabriel informing the Virgin Mary that she would become the mother of Jesus. Three angels are present to this event, seemingly discretely behind a wall. The wall contains a shelf with three lilies, a flower symbolizing Mary’s purity and innocence. Rakoczi has used two of his most common trademark features to represent this scene, being his use of bold, strong colour and his wookie characters. In June 1950, when this piece was painted, Rakoczi was living as a regular guest in the home of his good friend and sometimes sponsor, Mme Kourdinowsky, in Menton in southern France. The house was very close to the Monastery of the Annunciation in the town and the artist was inspired and be- guiled by the building’s simple features and, for him, powerful atmosphere. He had already produced a few gouaches on a similar theme and this oil was the culmination of his work. Our thanks to the artist’s Grandson, Christopher Rákóczi for his help in cataloguing this lot. € 2,000 - 3,000