Adam's Important Irish Art 5th December 2018

90 82 GEORGE CAMPBELL RHA (1917-1979) Clifden, Connemara Oil on board, 76 x 91cm (30 x 35¾’’) Signed; signed and inscribed verso Exhibited: ‘George Campbell’ Arts Council Gallery, Bedford St Belfast, January 1972, Cat No.39 Provenance: Previously in the collection of Film Director John Huston In the late 1960’s, Campbell embarked on a series of subjects centered on the town of Clifden in Connema- ra. These works were largely concerned with structure and form but in the early 1970’s detail became less important and Campbell’s attention centered on mood and atmosphere. An impression of Clifden emerg- es from shapes of cool watery greens and tones of grey. The subtle control over line and colour combined with the action of scraping away paint to suggest roof tops is visually effective. The harbour on the right and the soft shapes in the background direct our eye towards the dominant feature, St Joseph’s Catholic Parish Church. The view may be from Errislannan Hill or from the John D’Arcy monument on the Sky Road. In an interview, Campbell was asked did he paint on location and the artist replied: ‘No, I never paint on the spot. For instance, I never paint in Spain at all. If I go to Connemara, I don’t paint. I only paint in my own room. The things I remember are the important things, a distillation of things’ (Irish Times, 30.6.62, pg.10) ‘Clifden, Connemara’ was chosen to be included in Campbell’s retrospective exhibition at the Arts Council in Belfast in January 1972. It was purchased by the American film director, John Huston (1906-1987). Filming ‘Moby Dick’ in Cork with Gregory Peck in the 1950’s, Huston was out hunting with the Galway Blazers, when he came across St. Cleran’s, a large derelict Georgian house in Co. Galway. After purchasing it he sur- prised neighbours by filling the house with an extensive art collection which included pre-Colombian art and African sculpture. Included among the six thousand pieces were two paintings of Clifden by George Campbell as well as works by the founder of French Impressionism, Claude Monet and the Spanish cubist painter, Juan Gris. Karen Reihill November, 2018 € 10,000 - 15,000