Adam's Important Irish Art 5th December 2018

34 29 GERARD DILLON (1916-1971) Clown Thinking Oil on board, 50 x 76cm (19¾ x 30’’) Signed; inscribed verso Provenance: With Tom Caldwell Gallery, Belfast. A mostly self taught artist, Belfast born Gerard Dillon began painting full time in the late 1930s, having left school at the age of fourteen to pursue a career as a painter and decorator and studying at the Belfast Tech- nical School before moving to London in 1934. In the following decade Dillon spent bouts in both London and Dublin, having exhibitions there and in Northern Ireland. His first solo exhibition was at the Country Shop in Dublin in 1942 and was opened by Mainie Jellett. He exhibited at the first IELA exhibition in 1943, joining the Committee in 1950, a position he held until his death. However the place that significantly impacted the subject matter of his painting was the West of Ireland, where he was intrigued by the locals and the landscape. Dillon received international recognition in 1958 when he had the double honour of representing Ireland at the Guggenheim International Show in New York and Great Britain at the Pittsburgh International Exhibition. During his career he continually exhibited at the Victor Wad- dington Gallery, the Dawson Gallery and with at the RHA. From the mid 1960s following a series of traumatic events in Dillons life, a clown and later a pierrot figure ap- peared in his works that lasted till his death in 1971. In 1962, the first of his brothers Joe died of heart related problems; Patrick died two years later in 1964 from stomach cancer and in 1966, John died from a heart at- tack. In 1965, Clown images reflected the artists psychological state of depression and two years later, a white pierrot figure appeared which helped him to search for answers to these traumatic events through dreams which showed aspects of his subconscious and consciousness in relation to his fear of dying like his brothers at the age of fifty-five. His fear was realised when he died in 1971 at that same age. We are grateful to Karen Reihill whose writings have formed the basis of this entry. € 6,000 - 10,000