The large painting, which measures 4ft by 6ft, first fell foul of the singer and then a subsequent buyer’s wife

IRISH ARTISTS paint notoriously dreadful nudes. But that hasn’t prevented a long and inglorious catalogue of eye-popping attempts.

As a nation we really do look better when dressed. Think of those shivering canvasses of Nell McCafferty and John Waters or the goose-pimpled Mr and Mrs Blobby types captured in those mass nude crowd shots taken in Dublin and Blarney by American photographer Spencer Tunick.

A portrait of singer-songwriter Sinéad O’Connor, for which she sat – or rather reclined – in 2003, is to go under the hammer at Whyte’s art auction in the RDS next Monday week, November 28th.

The large oil-on-canvas, which measures 4ft by 6ft, is mysteriously titled Strange Daysand was painted by artist Jim Fitzpatrick. It has been assigned a pre-sale estimate of €10,000-€15,000.

The painting was originally commissioned for a Dublin nightclub, Lillie’s Bordello, that was being refurbished due to a fire, but was ultimately purchased by O’Connor who hung it in her bedroom.

She apparently later took a dislike to it.

She then sold it – through Whyte’s – in 2005 for €15,000. The buyer was an anonymous Dublin art collector who never hung it up because his wife didn’t approve and wanted him to get the painting out of the house.

Auctioneer Ian Whyte said “when gentlemen buy pictures of pretty ladies without consulting their wives, they often have to return them”. Buyer beware, indeed.

A catalogue note accompanying the painting explains: “Compositionally it references Roderic O’Conor’s Reclining Nude (at the National Gallery of Ireland) which was, in turn, a tribute to Velázquez’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 is influenced by Celtic mythology but is best known for his graphic reproduction of Alberto Korda’s photograph of Ché Guevara that adorns posters and T-shirts sported by ageing hippies worldwide. He is a friend of O’Connor’s and designed the cover of her album Faith and Courage which was released in June 2000.

The painting will go on view from next Saturday morning (November 26th) at Clyde Hall, RDS, Anglesea Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4.