Lot 147: Jim Fitzpatrick (b.1946) STRANGE DAYS, 2003

Jim Fitzpatrick (b.1946) STRANGE DAYS, 2003 signed, inscribed and dated upper left; also signed on reverse by Sinead O'Connor oil on canvas 122 by 183cm., 48 by 72in. Provenance: Collection of Sineád O'Connor; Whyte's, 22 February 2005, lot 226; Private collection This portrait of singer-songwriter Sineád O'Connor was originally commissioned for a Dublin nightclub that was being refurbished due to a fire, but was ultimately purchased by the sitter. Compositionally it references Roderic O'Conor's Reclining Nude (NGI) - in turn a tribute to Velazquez's Rokeby Venus. The view through the window shows the Pigeon House area of Dublin, an area of particular significance for O'Connor, and was included at her request. Jim Fitzpatrick is a Dublin born painter and graphic designer whose work draws strongly on Ireland's Celtic mythology. For the past thirty years his work has become familiar to many in the form of posters, book jacket designs and album covers. He has also written and illustrated numerous books and designed a stained-glass window for Bewley's Café in Mary Street, Dublin. He has long been a friend of O'Connor's and designed the cover of her album, Faith and Courage, which was released in June 2000.