Adam's The Antoinette and Patrick J.Murphy Collection 23rd October 2019

14 3 GRACE HENRY HRHA (1868-1953) Achill Cottages Oil on panel, 19 x 24.8cm (7.4 x 9.7“) Signed Provenance: Ex Collection of Kenneth Jameson, former Director of ACNI; Ross’s Auctioneers, Belfast c.1999, where purchased. Exhibited: National Gallery of Ireland, ‘ Shaping Ireland: Landscapes in Irish Art ’, Dublin April-July 2019. Literature: NGI, Donal Maguire Ed., Shaping Ireland: Landscapes in Irish Art , 2019, Illus p.48. € 5,000 - 7,000 Grace Henry (nee Mitchell) was born in 1868 near Peterhead in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It was here that she spent the next thirty years of her life, dabbling in an artistic talent that would later name her as one of Ireland’s great female artists of the 20th century. In 1896, Henry is listed, under her maiden name, as exhibiting with the Aberdeen Artists’ Society and this marks her first known transition into life as a professional artist. In the early 1900s, Henry studied at Blanc Garrins Academy in Brussels and Delécluse Academy in Paris, engaging with the light, impressionistic style that was sweeping the continent. In Paris, Henry met her future husband and fellow artist, Paul, and, after three years, the couple moved to London where they married. Whilst in England, Henry exhib- ited regularly at the Royal Academy and, from 1910 onwards, she began to send pieces to Dublin to show in the Royal Hibernian Academy also. 1912 saw the Henrys removing themselves from the city and finding the antithesis of hectic London life in the Achill Islands. Spending nearly a decade there, this period marked a dynamic time for the couple in which each found a way to respond to the scenes around them. Whilst Paul Henry found himself at ease in this rural land and opted for an idyllic romanticisation of his surroundings, Grace found herself empathising with the community and the hardship that prevailed there. We see this in Achill Cottages where Grace has chosen to portray a scene not far removed from the views provided in her husband’s quintessential works. The whitewashed cottages stand before an impressive background of mountains but, unlike Paul’s depictions which suggest an easy serenity, Grace’s rough brushstrokes belie the adversity felt by each household. The buildings look battered from years of wind and the rolling clouds evoke a dynamism that tell of an approaching storm. As the smoke curls from the chimneys, we can imagine the occupants inside huddling close to a fire in the hopes of coaxing warmth into their bodies. With the approach of the 1920s, the Henrys returned to the city and established themselves in Dublin, an artistically enriched but otherwise broken couple. In 1920, they banded together with Letitia Hamilton, Mary Swanzy and Jack B. Yeats to form the Dublin Painters’ Society before going their separate ways a few years later. Leaving her now es- tranged husband in Ireland, Grace once again sought ambition in mainland Europe and travelled through France and Italy, soaking up the influence of a stronger sun. It is in this period that we see a new injection of colour entering Hen- ry’s works. Gone are the earthy tones of Achill and, in their place, her palette becomes infused with delicate peaches, welcoming yellows and vibrant greens, capturing the vitality of this warmer climate. In On the Terrace (lot 5), this altered tonal approach distinctly picks out the hazy heat of a Mediterranean morning, inviting us to relax in its ambience. Sadly, the outbreak of WWII forced Henry to return to Ireland. Here, she continued to exhibit at the RHA and was elected an Honorary Member in 1949, just three years before her death. A somewhat overshadowed artist, Grace Henry’s work emits a modernism and bravery that cries out for celebration, her vast ability laid bare within the Murphy Collection. Helena Carlyle, September 2019