Madam, - Ciaran MacGonigal's letter of January 17th has drawn my attention to your Editorial "Art Sales in Ireland," (January 15th). This makes some valid points, but in other respects seems well off centre.
Yes, the art market in Ireland is somewhat overheated, though more in the case of public auctions than of the private galleries. (The same, however, is true of the art market in almost all other countries.) It has gone along with the new prosperity and the property boom. Yes, Ireland's nouveau-riches have gone for art in a big way and since they know very little about it, they tend to buy familiar names. That, however, is less than half the story. There are also collectors with knowledge and taste who don't shout from the rooftops, but quietly buy what they admire and is within their means - whether it happens to be Irish, British, Continental or (more rarely) American. The boom will pass, like other booms, but these will remain.
What I find objectionable, however, is your Editorial's apparent equation of support for Irish art with a provincial, inward-looking mentality.
Surely any country should support its better artists? In any case, a liking for Jack Yeats or Patrick Collins doesn't imply an antipathy to Picasso or Francis Bacon. The Irish art "scene" in general is reasonably well-informed and up-to-date, while Irish artists can hold their heads up in the international arena. That they don't have the same publicity and marketing machinery behind them as in some other countries is a drawback in certain respects, but possibly a blessing in others.
In recent years, we have seen very interesting avant-garde movements in Germany, Italy, etc collapse prematurely in a paroxysm of commercial hype and over-promotion - not to mention over-production. Who would want to see that happen here? As for buying "international" art, the works of Picasso, Leger, Beckmann and their generation are by now available to few people except multi-billionaires, give or take an occasional drawing or print. Most of the big post-war figures - Balthus, Bacon, Pollock, Guston, etc - have also climbed dizzily in price.
The contemporary field obviously offers more openings, though a good many of today's reputations look too unstable and fashion-oriented to convince any thinking buyer. He has to pick his way carefully, exercise his judgement and be able to see the trees from the wood.
However, at least Ireland still has responsible gallery-owners
and dealers who exploit neither the public nor the artist. Alas,
the type appears to be growing steadily rarer in the grim
commercial jungle of the international art market. Yours,
etc,
BRIAN FALLON,
Manor Kilbride,
Co Wicklow.