Maurice MacGonigal Paintings & Artwork for Sale | Maurice MacGonigal Art Value Price Guide

Dec. 02, 2024
Maurice MacGonigal PPRHA HRA HRSA (1900-1979) CHRISTCHURCH CATHEDRAL, DUBLIN, 1918
Est: €4,000 - €6,000
Maurice MacGonigal PPRHA HRA HRSA (1900-1979) CHRISTCHURCH CATHEDRAL, DUBLIN, 1918 oil on board signed lower right; signed, titled and dated on reverse h:19.75 w:29.75 in. Provenance: Collection of Bank of Ireland
Whyte's
Dec. 02, 2024
Maurice MacGonigal PPRHA HRA HRSA (1900-1979) MID-DAY, CLIFDEN, CONNEMARA
Est: €6,000 - €8,000
Maurice MacGonigal PPRHA HRA HRSA (1900-1979) MID-DAY, CLIFDEN, CONNEMARA oil on board signed lower right; titled on Dawson Gallery label on reverse h:18 w:27.25 in. Provenance: Collection of Bank of Ireland The artist had gone into the town to paint a view from Christ Church which is on a hillock overlooking the town. There was a wedding being celebrated and so he couldn't proceed, and instead came down the hill (from the old school on Churchill to beside Joyce's newspaper shop). As it happened the Galway Bus had been involved in an accident outside Peacock's Bar on the Recess side, so knowing he'd a few hours in which to work he set up at the bottom of the hill, as it afforded the best "long view" from the Square, including part of Main Street, and the wider view down Market Street. Clifden had been built in a triangle of three streets, with the houses on the right of Market Street being very tall and acting as a bulwark of what were really cliffside dwellings and shops protecting the town streets from the winds which blew up over the town from the harbour which lay far below it. One can still see the plunging shapes of the gardens as one approaches the town from the Ardbear road leading to the town, and past on the righthand side the remains of the earliest hydro-electric scheme built by one of King family (Castle House & Vintners at the junction of Main Street and Market and the Millers (weavers) also on Main Street. As nobody was about for quite some time the artist had almost no interruptions as he painted. The sun overhead leant an odd, almost a "mirage like" effect to the entire assemblage of buildings with a glistering reflection of the street's surface. The foreground figure is a young female singer of "Sean Nós" who would appear from Derrygimlagh from time to time. The queue outside the butcher's shop on the left with a Garda on duty plus the disconsolate female figure wandering around awaiting the bus gives scale to the external of the houses on the street, notably the towering forms to the chimneys on what were planned as superior town residences for the intended professional types invited by the D'Arcy's to live there. The onslaught of the Irish Famines which hit Connemara several times from the 1820s put paid to that. The D'Arcy family (who'd built the town) gave way to the Eyres and they in turn occupied the Castle until the collapse of that Estate, but it did remain in private ownership until about 1898; thereafter it was more or less abandoned as was the town harbour (more recently semi revived.) The railway was given to the area in 1895 but only lasted about 35 years. The town still has, despite more modern interventions, a wistful air which continues to beguile the visitor. The artist, who'd known the area well since the 1920s remained in thrall to the town and that broader part of North Connemara for virtually all his long painting life. He always said that the light in Connemara was a miracle of nature, constantly changing from the silvery dawn to the purples of evening. He did remark when he'd finished and we were packing away his palette and painting box, that he wouldn't mind another few bus accidents at Peacock's so he could paint the town in peace (mid-morning being the steadiest light in Connemara; that evening and afternoon "light" is too fugitive for a plein air painter). The artist and his wife died in the same year and were buried in Connemara looking out to Sea. Ciarán MacGonigal, November 2024
Whyte's
Dec. 02, 2024
Maurice MacGonigal PRHA HRA HRSA (1900-1979) NIGHT, KERRY
Est: €1,500 - €2,000
Maurice MacGonigal PRHA HRA HRSA (1900-1979) NIGHT, KERRY oil on board signed lower left; titled on Dawson Gallery label on reverse h:11.50 w:16 in.
Whyte's
Oct. 24, 2024
Maurice MacGonigal (Irish 1900-1979), Man sketchin
Est: £200 - £400
Maurice MacGonigal (Irish 1900-1979), Man sketching, Dunlanghaire, watercolour, signed and dated '78 lower right, 15.5 x 33.5cm. Framed and glazed Under glass, paper slightly discoloured.
Ewbank's
Sep. 30, 2024
Maurice MacGonigal PPRHA HRA HRSA (1900-1979) FIGURES AND SAILBOATS WITH A VIEW OF INISHTOOSKERT (INIS TUAISCEART), COUNTY KERRY
Est: €2,500 - €3,500
Maurice MacGonigal PPRHA HRA HRSA (1900-1979) FIGURES AND SAILBOATS WITH A VIEW OF INISHTOOSKERT (INIS TUAISCEART), COUNTY KERRY oil on panel signed lower right; bearing Victor Waddington Galleries label on reverse h:13.50 w:18 in.
Whyte's
Sep. 25, 2024
Maurice MacGonigal PPRHA (1900-1979) Dalkey Hill, September Oil on board, 29.5 x 39.5cm (11_ x 15_) Signed and inscribed with title verso
Est: €5,000 - €8,000
Maurice MacGonigal PPRHA (1900-1979) Dalkey Hill, September Oil on board, 29.5 x 39.5cm (11_ x 15_) Signed and inscribed with title verso
Adam's
May. 29, 2024
Maurice MacGonigal PRHA (1900-1979) Tincéirí, Errisbeg Connemara Oil on board
Est: €4,000 - €6,000
Maurice MacGonigal PRHA (1900-1979) Tincéirí, Errisbeg Connemara Oil on board, 51 x 76cm (20 x 30") Signed, Inscribed by the artist’s son, Muiris verso. Gifted by him to the RTE Controller of Programmes, Gunnar Rugheimer in 1966.
Adam's
May. 29, 2024
Maurice MacGonigal PPRHA (1900 - 1979) Reflections, Early Morning, Clifden, Connemara Oil on board 50 x 75cm (19 ¾ x 29 ½) Signed; also signed and inscribed in the artists hand verso
Est: €4,000 - €6,000
Maurice MacGonigal PPRHA (1900 - 1979) Reflections, Early Morning, Clifden, Connemara Oil on board 50 x 75cm (19 ¾ x 29 ½) Signed; also signed and inscribed in the artists hand verso
Adam's
May. 01, 2024
MAURICE MACGONIGAL R.H.A.
Est: €100 - €150
By the sea. Print. Framed.
Sheppards
Mar. 27, 2024
Maurice MacGonigal PPRHA (1900-1979) Hay Harvest, Co. Dublin (1975) Oil on board, 40 x 75cm (15¾ x 29½) Signed; also signed inscribed with titled and dated 1975 verso Provenance: With The Dawson Gallery, Dublin, label verso
Est: €4,000 - €6,000
Maurice MacGonigal PPRHA (1900-1979) Hay Harvest, Co. Dublin (1975) Oil on board, 40 x 75cm (15¾ x 29½) Signed; also signed inscribed with titled and dated 1975 verso Provenance: With The Dawson Gallery, Dublin, label verso
Adam's
Mar. 27, 2024
Maurice MacGonigal PPRHA (1900-1979) The Red Cliffs of Dúinín, Co. Kerry Oil on board, 40.5 x 61cm (16 x 24'') Signed; Also signed and inscribed verso Provenance: With Taylor Galleries, Dublin
Est: €2,000 - €3,000
Maurice MacGonigal PPRHA (1900-1979) The Red Cliffs of Dúinín, Co. Kerry Oil on board, 40.5 x 61cm (16 x 24'') Signed; Also signed and inscribed verso Provenance: With Taylor Galleries, Dublin
Adam's
Mar. 11, 2024
Maurice MacGonigal PPRHA HRA HRSA (1900-1979) CONNEMARA, 1948
Est: €4,000 - €6,000
Maurice MacGonigal PPRHA HRA HRSA (1900-1979) CONNEMARA, 1948 oil on canvas signed lower left; signed, titled and dated on reverse; also with Lincoln Gallery label on reverse h:20 w:24 in. With a letter of authentication from the artist's son, Ciaran MacGonigal.
Whyte's
Mar. 11, 2024
Maurice MacGonigal PPRHA HRA HRSA (1900-1979) RAINSTORM, CLOGHERHEAD, COUNTY LOUTH, 1942
Est: €2,000 - €3,000
Maurice MacGonigal PPRHA HRA HRSA (1900-1979) RAINSTORM, CLOGHERHEAD, COUNTY LOUTH, 1942 oil on board signed lower left; signed, titled and dated on reverse h:11.50 w:15.75 in. Provenance: Adam's, 6 December 2010, lot 2; Private collection
Whyte's
Mar. 11, 2024
Maurice MacGonigal PRHA HRA HRSA (1900-1979) NIGHT, KERRY
Est: €2,000 - €3,000
Maurice MacGonigal PRHA HRA HRSA (1900-1979) NIGHT, KERRY oil on board signed lower left; titled on Dawson Gallery label on reverse h:11.50 w:16 in.
Whyte's
Dec. 06, 2023
Maurice MacGonigal P.R.H.A (1900-1979) Boatyard Oil on board, 45 x 60cm (17¾ x 23½) Signed
Est: €3,000 - €5,000
Maurice MacGonigal P.R.H.A (1900-1979) Boatyard Oil on board, 45 x 60cm (17¾ x 23½) Signed
Adam's
Dec. 06, 2023
Maurice Mac Gonigal PRHA (1900-1979) Heading Home, West of Ireland Oil on canvas, 38 x 55.8cm (15 x 22) Signed Provenance: Private Collection, Dublin
Est: €6,000 - €8,000
Maurice Mac Gonigal PRHA (1900-1979) Heading Home, West of Ireland Oil on canvas, 38 x 55.8cm (15 x 22) Signed Provenance: Private Collection, Dublin
Adam's
Nov. 07, 2023
MAURICE MACGONIGAL PRHA (1900 - 1979)
Est: €3,000 - €5,000
The Woods of Faul, Connemara. Signed bottom left. Oil on board. Framed Provenance: The Dr. Kevin Moynihan Collection, Macroom, Co. Cork. Approximate Time: 12:23 Lot No: 196
Sheppards
Oct. 02, 2023
Maurice MacGonigal PPRHA HRA HRSA (1900-1979) ERELOUGH, CONNEMARA, 1954
Est: €2,000 - €3,000
Maurice MacGonigal PPRHA HRA HRSA (1900-1979) ERELOUGH, CONNEMARA, 1954 oil on board signed lower left; signed, titled and dated on reverse (concealed by frame) h:14 w:18 in. Provenance: Oriel Gallery, Dublin; Private collection
Whyte's
Sep. 27, 2023
Maurice MacGonigal PRHA (1900-1979) Harvest Connemara Watercolour, 24 x 37cm (9½ x 14½) Signed and dated (19)'74
Est: €600 - €800
Maurice MacGonigal PRHA (1900-1979) Harvest Connemara Watercolour, 24 x 37cm (9½ x 14½) Signed and dated (19)'74
Adam's
Sep. 27, 2023
Maurice MacGonigal PPRHA (1900 - 1979) Autumn Fair Day, Clifden, Connemara (1972) Oil on board 32 x 96.5cm (12½ x 38) Signed, also signed, inscribed and dated 1972 verso
Est: €4,000 - €6,000
Maurice MacGonigal PPRHA (1900 - 1979) Autumn Fair Day, Clifden, Connemara (1972) Oil on board 32 x 96.5cm (12½ x 38) Signed, also signed, inscribed and dated 1972 verso
Adam's
Mar. 06, 2023
Maurice MacGonigal PPRHA HRA HRSA (1900-1979) THE END OF THE FAIR, CONNEMARA, 1974
Est: €8,000 - €12,000
Maurice MacGonigal PPRHA HRA HRSA (1900-1979) THE END OF THE FAIR, CONNEMARA, 1974 oil on board signed lower right; signed, titled, dated and with Dawson Gallery label on reverse h:16 w:30 in. The Artist loved painting the "doings" of the small farmers in Connemara, and the Cattle fairs and the Horse fairs were always of interest to him. This was especially so in Clifden and Roundstone due to the scale of the buildings in both towns compared to the humans moving about them. He oft remarked that they were like "Cliffs" towering over the people who inhabited them or who moved through them going about their daily business. The satisfaction on the transactions achieved are evident in the stance of the Sellers and Buyers of the "post market" sales. The tall figure on the right of the composition was a sheep farmer from near the Hill of Doon, overlooking Oughterard lake and he often met him at the gate of Walter Macken's home, nearer to Oughterard, when he (the "Sheepman") was doing a day's fishing on the lake. I think he the "Sheepman" was either a Blake or a Joyce, more likely the latter. I can recall the artist being staggered on being told that he "lambed" in mid-January and early February, and that at a good lambing time he'd 600 ewes in lamb. I remember that the same Sheepman bought good cattle and sheep from our neighbours in the townland of Faul, where the artist and his wife had a cottage. They, Maggie Conneely and Bella and Festy Conneely - smallholders on very good limestone land - always had the great and good of "Joyce Country" anxious to buy their beasts either for their own holdings or for the Great Sheepmen from the County Meath who'd descend on certain fairs when they knew our neighbours were selling, based on information supplied by the "runners". In this work, the successful and possibly the less successful sellers were having a "deoch" or ten outside Mannions. The Buyers or their Agents would visit each of the 20 or so public houses in the town to stand rounds of stout, and port for the ladies. They'd be accompanied by their "runners" who held the "Mála"(a kind of pouch not unlike a long pipe tobacco pouch) with the cash, - English and Irish notes and Dollars - any man, boy or child who'd helped was remembered. Toby Joyce, a noted local sheep and cattle buyer and agent with lands in Westmeath as well, remarked to me one day that the "runners" were like flower seeds...the young ones will flower in their day too and be of use"; local knowledge was a great help against the incoming cattle and sheep buyers' agents. The intensity and depth of emotion and language used was operatic in its scale: "advance", "retreat", sideways looks, re-advance and when closure of the deal seemed likely the buyers and sellers fell into the last part in Irish: "h'anum an Diabhal feach! Tóg é...agus luck penny duit fhéin…" marked it's Wagnerian outcome. If, on the other hand, it was not a success the remark would be made " Feach anois a bhuacall...let's meet in EJ's and we'll fix it….as Herself won't care for it if you go home without...ye'll be WITHOUT then me boyo.." ( EJ Kings of Castle House was on the corner of Main and Market Streets opposite Mrs. Foyle's Hotel). The artist painted many scenes on those corners over the years. This work is packed with the intensity of these momentous events of the late Spring Fair of 1974; the operatic nature of the unfolding tales would result in the artist coming home exhausted with the drama of the transactions and his own efforts in painting the unfolding story to its end. These Halcyon days were filled with endless cups of tea and cigarettes for the Artist. ...or so he always said 'twas the case. Ciarán MacGonigal Mí na Féile Bríd 2023
Whyte's
Mar. 01, 2023
Maurice MacGonigal PRHA (1900-1979) Clifden Fair, Connemara Pencil and watercolour, 16 x 46.5cm (6½ x 18½) Signed and dated (19)'73
Est: €800 - €1,200
Maurice MacGonigal PRHA (1900-1979) Clifden Fair, Connemara Pencil and watercolour, 16 x 46.5cm (6½ x 18½) Signed and dated (19)'73
Adam's
Dec. 07, 2022
Maurice MacGonigal PRHA (1900-1979) Roundstone, Connemara Oil on board, 50 x 76cm (20 x 30) Signed
Est: €6,000 - €8,000
Maurice MacGonigal PRHA (1900-1979) Roundstone, Connemara Oil on board, 50 x 76cm (20 x 30) Signed
Adam's
Nov. 16, 2022
Maurice MacGonigal, PRHA (1900-1979) "The Lady by the Sea," O.O.B., depicting an attractive young
Est: €3,000 - €4,000
Maurice MacGonigal, PRHA (1900-1979) "The Lady by the Sea," O.O.B., depicting an attractive young Lady wearing head scarf, blue cardigan, red skirt and hob nail boots, leaning against a turf shovel standing by the pier with sea behind and currachs and mountains in the distance, signed 'Mac Congail," lower right, approx. 39cms x 30cms (15" x 12") in silver frame. (1) Note: The same Lady in the above painting appears in MacGonigal's work "Cois na Farraige 1 by the Sea" illustrated by the courtesy of Mrs. James Ryan in Victor Waddingtons "Twelve Irish Artists". Provenance: Important Private Collection, West of Ireland.
Fonsie Mealy Auctioneers
Nov. 16, 2022
Maurice MacGonigal PRHA (1900–1979) Milking the Cows c. 1934, oils on canvas, 127cms x 86cms (50” x
Est: €7,000 - €9,000
Maurice MacGonigal PRHA (1900–1979) Milking the Cows c. 1934, oils on canvas, 127cms x 86cms (50” x 34”). A spirited and lively painting, this scene of two cows being milked by hand, Milking the Cows, was part of a commission given to Maurice MacGonigal by Patrick and Ellen Rooney, for their house “Runnymede” in Dublin, in the early 1930’s. The composition is dominated by the two cows, their hides depicted by MacGonigal with vigorous brushwork, using colours that include brown and black, but also vivid blue and red, investing this work with an almost Symbolist quality. In the background can be seen a row of traditional thatched cottages and in the distance a range of blue mountains. The cows are being milked by a couple, a man and a woman. Dressed in a bright red dress, with white apron, the woman has her face pressed against the side of the cow. In the foreground, the man, also seen from behind, is dressed in a brown waistcoat and blue trousers. Visitors to the Aran Islands—particularly painters—were entranced by the traditional brightly coloured dress of the islanders, and were saddened when the red woollen skirts and homespun jackets were replaced by mass-produced clothing. The paintings produced by MacGonigal for Runnymede included a large canvas of Aran Islanders, as well as individual works, including Woman at a Spinning Wheel, exhibited at the Gorry Gallery in 1993. Through paintings such as these, MacGonigal, who was from Dublin city, sought to portray traditional life in the west of Ireland, and create a ‘national’ school of painting. Eventually, when Runnymede was sold, the murals were taken down and distributed amongst members of the family. Born in Dublin in 1900, Maurice MacGonigal was educated at Synge Street School before being apprenticed to his uncle Joshua Clarke, the stained-glass manufacturer. Encouraged by the Quaker republican Bulmer Hobson, he enlisted in Na Fianna Eireann, and later became a member of the IRA, participating in the War of Independence. Arrested in 1920, he was interned in Ballykinlar Camp. After his release, he went back to the Clarke studios, but left to take up a scholarship at the Dublin Metropolitan School of Art, where he studied under Patrick Touhy and Seán Keating, who had both been taught by William Orpen. After a stay with the Van Stockum family in Holland in 1927, MacGonigal returned to Ireland,inspired by the paintings of Van Gogh, and over the following two decades did some of his finest work in the west of Ireland, depicting scenes of everyday life and landscapes. In 1935 he painted a group of his friends, members of the art group known as ‘The Radical Club’. Set in the life drawing room of the National College of Art, this painting, Studio Interior, is in the Limerick City Gallery. He also designed sets for the Abbey Theatre, the Irish Hospitals Sweepstakes, and contributed illustrations to the Saorstat Eireann Handbook edited by Bulmer Hobson. In 1939, MacGonigal was commissioned to paint a large mural for the Irish pavilion in the New York World’s Fair, his wife Aida serving as the model for the depiction of ‘America’. From 1924 to 1978, he exhibited regularly at the Royal Hibernian Academy, serving twice as Keeper, and in 1962 was appointed President. He also taught at the National College of Art, where he was Professor of Painting from 1954 to 1969. A retrospective exhibition of his work was held at the Hugh Lane Municipal Art Gallery in 1991.
Fonsie Mealy Auctioneers
Nov. 16, 2022
Maurice MacGonigal, PRHA (1900 - 1979) "Feeding Time, Connemara," O.O.B., a busy cottage scene
Est: €2,000 - €3,000
Maurice MacGonigal, PRHA (1900 - 1979) "Feeding Time, Connemara," O.O.B., a busy cottage scene with female figures, geese, donkeys and hens, approx. 30cms x 41cms (12" x 16"), signed lower right, cloth mount, painted frame. (1) Provenance: Important Private Collection, West of Ireland.
Fonsie Mealy Auctioneers
Nov. 16, 2022
Maurice MacGonigal, PRHA (1900-1979) "Dunquin Pier, Ballyickeen Commons, Co. Kerry," O.O.B., busy
Est: €3,000 - €4,000
Maurice MacGonigal, PRHA (1900-1979) "Dunquin Pier, Ballyickeen Commons, Co. Kerry," O.O.B., busy harbour scene with currachs and figures, approx. 36cms x 45cms (14" x 17 1/2) signed lower right, inscribed on reverse, painted frame. (1) Provenance: Important Private Collection, West of Ireland.
Fonsie Mealy Auctioneers
Nov. 16, 2022
Maurice MacGonigal, PRHA, (1900-1979) "The Cottage Farm," O.O.B., depicting West of Ireland Farm
Est: €2,000 - €3,000
Maurice MacGonigal, PRHA, (1900-1979) "The Cottage Farm," O.O.B., depicting West of Ireland Farm Scene, with potato patch in foreground, farmer and cattle on laneway, cottage in centre, sea in distance with boats, signed lower right, approx. 30cms x 40cms (12" x 16") cloth mount painted frame. (1) Provenance: Important Private Collection, West of Ireland
Fonsie Mealy Auctioneers
Nov. 16, 2022
Maurice MacGonigal, PRHA (1900-1979) "West of Ireland, View of Croagh Patrick," O.O.B., extensive
Est: €1,200 - €1,800
Maurice MacGonigal, PRHA (1900-1979) "West of Ireland, View of Croagh Patrick," O.O.B., extensive landscape with cottages in the foreground leading down the valley with mountains in the distance, signed in Irish lower left, approx. 34cms x 59cms (13" x 23") mounted, gilt frame. (1)
Fonsie Mealy Auctioneers
Nov. 16, 2022
Maurice MacGonagle, PRHA (1900-1979) "Landscape, Galway," O.O.B., extensive Coastal Scene with
Est: €2,000 - €3,000
Maurice MacGonagle, PRHA (1900-1979) "Landscape, Galway," O.O.B., extensive Coastal Scene with fields and stone walls to the front and cottages and figures in the distance and sea beyond, approx. 30cms x 40cms (12" x 16"), signed lower left, inscribed on reverse, gilt frame. (1) Provenance: Important Private Collection, West of Ireland.
Fonsie Mealy Auctioneers
Nov. 16, 2022
Maurice MacGonigle, PRHA (1900-1979) "Cormorants on the Rocks," O.O.B., an extensive seascape,
Est: €1,500 - €2,000
Maurice MacGonigle, PRHA (1900-1979) "Cormorants on the Rocks," O.O.B., an extensive seascape, with cormorants resting on rocks to the foreground rough seas, and island in the distance, approx. 30cms x 40cms (12" x 16"), signed lower right, indistinct inscription on reverse, Dawson Gallery label in silvered frame. (1) Provenance: Important Private Collection, West of Ireland.
Fonsie Mealy Auctioneers
Nov. 16, 2022
Maurice MacGonigal, PRHA (1900 - 1979) "Galway Bay, Connemara," O.O.B., depicting seascape with
Est: €4,000 - €5,000
Maurice MacGonigal, PRHA (1900 - 1979) "Galway Bay, Connemara," O.O.B., depicting seascape with cottages and cattle in foreground, approx. 76cms x 101cms (30" x 40"), signed lower left, cloth mount, painted frame. (1)
Fonsie Mealy Auctioneers
Nov. 16, 2022
Maurice MacGonigal PRHA (1900 - 1979) "Fair Day, Clifden, Connemara," 23cms x 35cms (9" x 14"),
Est: €300 - €500
Maurice MacGonigal PRHA (1900 - 1979) "Fair Day, Clifden, Connemara," 23cms x 35cms (9" x 14"), watercolour, with Taylor Gallery Exhibition label verso. (1)
Fonsie Mealy Auctioneers
Sep. 28, 2022
*Maurice MacGonigal PRHA (1900-1979) Clifden, Connemara Oil on Canvas, 101 x 126cm (39¾ x 49½) Signed, inscribed verso (Painted from the DArcy Monument oer looking the town of Clifden; Monument to John DArcy (1785-1839) the founder &
Est: €15,000 - €20,000
*Maurice MacGonigal PRHA (1900-1979) Clifden, Connemara Oil on Canvas, 101 x 126cm (39¾ x 49½) Signed, inscribed verso (Painted from the DArcy Monument oer looking the town of Clifden; Monument to John DArcy (1785-1839) the founder & owner of the Clifden Estates. The hill is known as Cloghaunard and the monument commenced soon after his death about 1841). The Estate being burdened with pre-existing debts and post famine debts added, it crippled the estate and after DArcys death his son, the Rev Hyacinth DArcy (then Rector of Clifden in the Omey Union) was bankrupted, the estates were sold through the Encumbered Estates to the Eyre family of east County Galway and Bath for £21,245 and again became encumbered with further debts, resold before 1900, and by 1919 acquired locally, the house (Clifden Castle) became ruinous, and the Land Commission redistributed the agricultural land to local farmers following a period of agitation. The artist had frequently painted a view of the town from the vicinity of the monument but never found a day nor time when he could get the pictorial value of a spring tide to give a cohesion of pictorial elements including the distant Twelve Bens. By this I mean that the light and colour as well as reflections from the inrushing water were not all present together. In his 70s by then he insisted we find the date when a particular spring tide would fall so that he could work on a larger canvas. He prepared both the stretcher (the timber internal frame if you like) and the canvas himself - visits to ships chandlers for the correct canvas weave and art suppliers went on for quite a time. Using an old German art book (Max Friedländer) on artists materials for the correct recipe he primed the canvas flat and then attached it to the stretcher framework - the job of transporting it by van (our estate car being too small) was an adventure. Climbing that steepish hill with the canvas holding onto the stretcher framework was memorable to me as the carrier. Having to fetch his painting box laden with materials was doubly memorable. After some hours he indicated that he was done - for safety I photographed the work in situ (my polaroid camera was at least useful) .. said photograph survived intact in the artists file and was only coincidentally re-found very recently in the artists archive which had been retrieved by Professor Katharine Crouan who had written the original MacGonigal catalogue for the exhibition in the Dublin City - Hugh Lane Gallery many years ago. The artist was using the oddity of perspective of the two churches in the town to create a powerful diagonal and a lesser diagonal of the road from the town towards the Sky Road and the monument. Its or their purpose was to stress the decorative elements of the town houses which have the pictorial quality of being very tall in front and even taller in some cases at the rear owing to the cliff-like nature of the site on which the town was based by Alexander Nimmos designs for the landlord (DArcy) then developing the hamlet into a town. The artist avoids the dangers of centering the composition with another diagonal of the banked elements of the backs of the houses as well as the smaller cross cutting Ardbear Road to the right of the composition. The middle distances are those of the boglands and small fields and the massive effects of the Twelve Bens (in Irish na Benna Beola) whose sharp peaked quartzite summits form the backbone of Connemara and give and gave such an impetus to artists working to the aesthetic ideals of en plein air forming the rise above the horizon line of this work. The foreground of the tide suggested to the artist that it was about to turn and recede so he pushes on to give reflections in the water in order to pull the entire composition together. The artist spent over 50 years of his painting life looking at and painting, drawing and colour-noting the qualities of the Connemara landscape, and appropriately he lies in Connemara forever looking at a beloved land and seascape. Ciarán MacGonigal, August 2022 * Please note this lot is imported under Temporary Admission. It will attract import duty of 13.5%.
Adam's
Mar. 07, 2022
Maurice MacGonigal PRHA HRA HRSA (1900-1979) DOE CASTLE, COUNTY DONEGAL
Est: €3,000 - €5,000
Maurice MacGonigal PRHA HRA HRSA (1900-1979) DOE CASTLE, COUNTY DONEGAL oil on board signed lower right; inscribed and with original exhibition labels on reverse h:16 w:20 in. Provenance: Dawson Gallery, Dublin; Taylor de Vere's, 14 March, 1989, lot 31; Oriel Gallery, Dublin; Private collection Exhibited: 'Exhibition of Paintings of Donegal Interest', County Donegal Arts Committee, date unknown, loaned by Ciaran MacGonigal; 'Maurice MacGonigal RHA (1900-1979)', Taylor Galleries, Dublin, 27 November to 12 December 1981, catalogue no. 46
Whyte's
Mar. 07, 2022
Maurice MacGonigal PPRHA HRA HRSA (1900-1979) FRANCISCAN MONASTERY, ROUNDSTONE, COUNTY GALWAY, 1974
Est: €3,000 - €5,000
Maurice MacGonigal PPRHA HRA HRSA (1900-1979) FRANCISCAN MONASTERY, ROUNDSTONE, COUNTY GALWAY, 1974 oil on board signed lower right; signed, titled, dated and with Dawson Gallery label on reverse h:20 w:24 in.
Whyte's
Sep. 29, 2021
Maurice MacGonigal PRHA (1900-1979) The Entombment Watercolour, 16 x 23cm (6 x 9) Signed and inscribed
Est: €800 - €1,200
Maurice MacGonigal PRHA (1900-1979) The Entombment Watercolour, 16 x 23cm (6 x 9) Signed and inscribed
Adam's
Sep. 27, 2021
Maurice MacGonigal PPRHA HRA HRSA (1900-1979) BALLYKINLAR INTERNMENT CAMP, COUNTY DOWN, 1921
Est: €5,000 - €7,000
Maurice MacGonigal PPRHA HRA HRSA (1900-1979) BALLYKINLAR INTERNMENT CAMP, COUNTY DOWN, 1921 oil on board signed lower right h:13.75 w:18 in. Provenance: Frank Dowling, a gift from the artist in 1929; Private collection, Stratford, Ontario; Thence by descent Bearing second unfinished work on reverse. Maurice MacGonigal (1900-1979) had trained in the studios of his uncle, Joshua Clarke, and his first cousin, Harry Clarke, in North Frederick Street, Dublin. He became a senior 'flesh' painter on glass as at a very young age. He was enrolled by Bulmer Hobson in 'Fianna Éireann' which was the Scouting arm of Sinn Féin. In 1916 he moved on to membership of Sinn Féin proper, and was the dispatch rider for Seán Dowling (also a neighbour) who was the officer commanding 'C' company, later changed to 'G' Company 4th Battalion, Dublin Brigade, Irish Republican Army. Maurice MacGonigal became the Company Intelligence Officer in 1920. Following Bloody Sunday and its aftermath in Croke Park on 21 November 1920, a roundup of IRA members by the British Army and the police began. Maurice was arrested on 8 December 1920 at his parents' home on Ranelagh Road. He was interned initially in Kilmainham Gaol, but for greater security was moved to the newly opened internment camp at Ballykinlar in Co. Down. He was brought from Dublin to Belfast by HMS Tiger, a Royal Navy battlecruiser - as a precaution against rescue attempts on the road. Ballykinlar was the summer HQ for the British Army in Ulster. At the edge of Dundrum Bay it was in a most beautiful place, but also a very damp site. It housed some 200 internees, with approximately 25 per Nissen hut. The Army and other services were housed in the original main buildings. The internees organised themselves along military lines, as in the IRA. Maurice was registered as the rank of 'Artist'( the only such registration in the camp). He also was appointed the 'I/O' ( Intelligence Officer) as, being an artist, he was allowed slightly more freedom of movement about the camp. Most of his paintings and drawings of the Camp, its domestic arrangements, and the local environs are held in public collections. This charming painting was a gift to his friend, neighbour and fellow Intelligence officer, Frank Dowling in 1929, 8 years after the end of the War of Independence in 1921. The artist's training and indeed, preferred vision, of painting into light (as a painter of Stained Glass) is obvious here. The main buildings in the background - the ochre colours used to act as focal points for the eye - and in the middle distance the Nissen huts housing the internees. Foregrounded are the internees at break, playing sport or running and, in the middle distance the other internees, apparently loitering. Different colour notes are used by the artist to create movement and recessive spaces with the billowing clouds giving a sense of space in a compressed composition. The camp, by happenstance, held a great number of men who were to be the nexus of the early Irish Governments. The artist shared his hut space with a number of future politicians including Seán Lemass, whom he knew well from earlier IRA actions. Nearly 40 years later he was to paint the official State portrait of Lemass as Taoiseach for Dáil Éireann. Maurice MacGonigal remained a 'Plein Air' painter all his life. But this early, and historic work, is indicative of his pictorial interests and his sense of colour. Despite its age it remains a lively colourful and evocative sense of a summer's day. Its mood is optimistic, on a late June day or even early July of 1921, as the Truce negotiations with the British Government were soon to be concluded (11 July 1921) with the release of the internees expected thereafter. How or where the artist managed to acquire pigments, brushes and paper/canvas is not known so far. One presumes the Clarke Studio could provide, however limited, such things with the commanding officer's permission (Colonel Hely-Hutchinson of Knocklofty, Co.Tipperary). Even after a century the work has a life and charm so typical of the artist's hand and eye 'en plein air'. Ciarán MacGonigal, September 2021
Whyte's
Sep. 07, 2021
MAURICE MACGONIGAL PRHA (1900-1974) Mr. O'Flaherty Johnston's Goats (1957) Pencil sketches, 15 x 23cm Provenance: With the Grafton Gallery, Dublin.
Est: €150 - €250
MAURICE MACGONIGAL PRHA (1900-1974) Mr. O'Flaherty Johnston's Goats (1957) Pencil sketches, 15 x 23cm Provenance: With the Grafton Gallery, Dublin.
Adam's
Jun. 29, 2021
Â§ MAURICE MACGONIGAL (IRISH 1900-1979)
Est: £800 - £1,200
Â§ MAURICE MACGONIGAL (IRISH 1900-1979) MAURICE MACGONIGAL (IRISH 1900-1979) A country fair (recto); Horses grazing in ploughed fields (verso) signed MACGONIGAL (lower right) oil on panel 35.2 x 45.5 cm (13 7/8 x 17 7/8 in) PROVENANCE: Frank Dowling, a gift from the artist in 1929 Private collection Stratford, Ontario, by descent from the above Acquired by the present owner in 2020
Chiswick Auctions
Jun. 02, 2021
Maurice MacGonigal PRHA (1900-1979) - Toombeola Near Roundstone
Est: €2,500 - €3,500
Maurice MacGonigal PRHA (1900-1979) Toombeola Near Roundstone Oil on board, 30 x 50cm (11¾ x 19¾'') Signed; titled verso Starting Bid: € 1750
Adam's
May. 31, 2021
Maurice MacGonigal PPRHA HRA HRSA (1900-1979) OLD DUBLIN PUB (DAVY BYRNE'S)
Est: €8,000 - €12,000
Maurice MacGonigal PPRHA HRA HRSA (1900-1979) OLD DUBLIN PUB (DAVY BYRNE'S) oil on board signed lower left; titled on Dawson Gallery label on reverse h:12 w:32 in. The artist liked the interiors of pubs where the many surfaces of bottles and glassware created the capacity for an artistic ' tour de force' of painting reflecting images using ' chiaroscuro' to gain its illuminating effect within the subject matter. The figures left and right frame the composition of the reflecting surfaces. The hatted figure on the viewer's left was a Hackney Driver (also known as a Hansom Cab driver) who had his carriage stand at the junction of Adelaide Road and Harcourt Street, for the Harcourt Street Railway Station, from where trains went to the suburbs of Dartry, Ranelagh, Dundrum and Foxrock, similar to the Luas trams today. He had moved back to Ireland after the assasination, in June 1922, of his employer, Field Marshall Sir Henry Wilson. He had been recruited by Wilson from Longford - The Wilson-Slator Estate of Knockbaun/Whitehill - adjacent to the Wilson Estate of Currygrane, Ballinalee, County Longford. The latter house was destroyed in August 1922 by the Longford IRA, two months after Wilson's funeral, and on the day the two IRA assassins were hanged. On returning to Dublin the driver brought the Hansom Cab which he drove for Wilson in London. This bowler hatted man was painted and drawn several times by the artist. He also features in works by Harry Kernoff. The figure to the right worked the switching gear for the trams at the Triangle in Ranelagh Village Dublin. He impeded the movement of troops and traffic during the 1916 Rising as well as later during the War of Independence. He was a cousin of Seán Dowling the OC of 'C' company of the IRA in the area and both lived in Dunville Avenue, Ranelagh, where the artist also resided. My father was known to frequent Davy Byrne's in his younger days, and being of a gregarious disposition he and his friends, Harry Kernoff RHA and Leo Whelan RHA were well known in the area. They all painted many compositions based around those streets and the activities from public house to flower sellers, street musicians and hawkers. Ciarán MacGonigal, May 2021
Whyte's
May. 31, 2021
Maurice MacGonigal PRHA HRA HRSA (1900-1979) WOMAN AT A SPINNING WHEEL, c.1932
Est: €5,000 - €7,000
Maurice MacGonigal PRHA HRA HRSA (1900-1979) WOMAN AT A SPINNING WHEEL, c.1932 oil on board h:30 w:47.50 in. Provenance: Christie's-Hamilton Osborne King, Dublin, 26 May 1993, lot 119; Private collection; Adam's, 1 April 2015, lot 22; Private collection Exhibited: Gorry Gallery, Dublin, November to December, 1993, catalogue no. 42 (illustrated) This is one of a series of painted panels for the 'Minstrels Hall' in Runnymede House, Shrewsbury Road, Dublin - a splendid 'Arts & Crafts' style house, painted for the owners, the Meade family, at the time of a family wedding in 1932. The series was a cycle of Irish landscapes and figures. This panel hung on the first level and to the right of the decorative scheme in the two storied Inglenook. The completed decorative scheme was launched by the family with a round of parties and picnics, including an afternoon 'Thé Dansant' attended by the Governor General, James MacNeill, and his wife Josephine( later Irish Minister to The Hague). The model was the artist's older sister Eileen MacGonigal, the wife of Commandant Louis Marie, an Army officer and, like the artist, War of Independence veteran. Eileen was noted, even then, for her style & panache. The group of panels were eventually divided between descendants of the commissioning family, prior to the house being sold. My father always used first class materials, so the paintings have survived in fresh condition to the present day. As the works were hung at a height originally, many of the details are emphasised for viewing from a distance. Today, hung at eye level the viewer gets to see in detail the artist's technique of drawing as well as colour. He had trained and was, at that time, a junior partner in the studios of his cousin Harry Clarke, resulting in his use of vivid colours to gain his visual point, painting, as it were into the light. Ciarán MacGonigal May 2021
Whyte's
$λ Maurice MacGonigal (Irish 1900-1979), Landscape towards Letterfrack$
Mar. 18, 2021
λ Maurice MacGonigal (Irish 1900-1979), Landscape towards Letterfrack
Est: £2,500 - £3,500
λ Maurice MacGonigal (Irish 1900-1979)Landscape towards LetterfrackOil on boardSigned (lower left)51.5 x 76.5cm (20¼ x 30 in.)Provenance:The Dawson Gallery, Dublin (Stock no. 4805)James Adam & Sons, lot 63 This work by Maurice MacGonigal shows the vast landscape leading towards the vibrant village of Letterfrack in the Connemara area of County Galway. Letterfrack can be found at the head of Ballynakill Bay and is overlooked by Diamond Mountain. MacGonigal was born in Dublin in 1900. He was apprenticed to his uncle's stained glass workshop before studying at the Dublin Metropolitan School of Art. In 1927, MacGonigal moved to Holland where he studied Fine Art at the Hague. On his return to Dublin, he took up a teaching position at the Royal Hiberian Academy and also at the Dublin Metropolitan School of Art. His close association with the RHA continued and in 1933 he was elected an academician. MacGonigal exhibited regularly at the Royal Academy of Arts, London and the Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh throughout his career. From 1962-1977 MacGonigal acted as President of the National Gallery of Ireland. His work is included in many private and public collections including the Ulster Museum, North Down Museum and the Royal College of Physicians, London.
Dreweatts 1759 Fine Sales
Dec. 09, 2020
Maurice MacGonigal PRHA (1900-1974) Clogher Harbour Oil on panel, 30 x 40cm (11¾ x 15¾'') Signed; inscribed verso
Est: €2,500 - €3,500
Maurice MacGonigal PRHA (1900-1974) Clogher Harbour Oil on panel, 30 x 40cm (11¾ x 15¾'') Signed; inscribed verso
Adam's
Dec. 07, 2020
Maurice MacGonigal PPRHA HRA HRSA (1900-1979) CATTLE AT EVENING, COUNTY KERRY
Est: €3,000 - €5,000
signed lower left; inscribed with title, artist and dimensions on reverse; also with title and artist's name on Dawson Gallery label on reverse
Whyte's
Dec. 07, 2020
Maurice MacGonigal PPRHA HRA HRSA (1900-1979) LANDSCAPE WITH CHURCH, ROUNDSTONE, 1962
Est: €1,500 - €2,000
signed lower left; with original exhibition label on reverse
Whyte's
Oct. 19, 2020
Maurice MacGonigal PPRHA HRA HRSA (1900-1979) RED COATED MAN, CONNEMARA
Est: €10,000 - €15,000
signed lower left; titled on reverse
Whyte's