Adam's IMPORTANT IRISH ART 30TH MARCH 2022

40 27 GEORGE CAMPBELL RHA (1917-1979) Toledo Oil on board, 50.8 x 76.2cm (20 x 30’’) Signed Provenance: With Hendriks Gallery at The Cork Arts Society Gallery, Lavitt’s Quay, Cork, 25th May 1974, No.12. € 8,000 - 10,000 George Campbell began his life in County Wicklow before moving to Northern Ireland with his family. In his mid-twenties, having fully committed to life as an artist, Campbell returned South and established himself near Dublin port. Here, Campbell came into contact with the Spanish sailors as they moved in and out of the city. From these encounters, Campbell’s fascination with Spain took root and it was only a matter of time before he ventured over. In 1951, accompanied by his wife and fellow artist Gerard Dillon, Campbell worked his way down through Spain. Reaching the Spanish coast in the south, Campbell fell in love with Málaga and be- came incorporated into the lifestyle and culture of the town. Over the next twenty years, Campbell spent his winters in Spain, escaping the less favourable Irish climate. He fell in love with the colours, the music and the characters, filling his sketchbooks with the vibrancy of Spanish life. On returning to Ireland each spring, Campbell would turn these sketches into fully matured oil paintings, selling them through galleries in Dublin and London. Moving away from the coast, Campbell made several paintings of Toledo. Located in central Spain, just south of Madrid, Toledo is imbued with history and cultural significance. For an artist who was drawn to the historical and ancient sites of Ireland, Toledo represented a Spanish equivalent. Surrounded on three sides by a river, the city dates back to Roman rule and was once the capital of the Spanish Empire. In the 16th century, Toledo was home to El Greco, an artist whose work was much admired by Campbell and this must have resonated with him as he painted his cityscapes. Gazing onto the city from the far side of the river, Campbell provides us with an extensive view of Toldeo. The cream-white walls belie the scorching effect of the sun, all colour having been leached over time. The blurred edges of the city’s boundaries bring a mystic effect to the scene, giving the sense that, to Campbell, Toledo bore an otherworldly quality, a life vastly different to that on offer in Ireland. In 1978, Campbell’s contribution to Spain was officially recognised when he was made a Com- mander of the Order of Merito Civile. Dying the following year, Campbell’s life, split across Ireland and Spain, is remembered in the works that he created. This captivating scene of Toledo is a mag- nificent example of the love that he held for his second country. Helena Carlyle, February 2022