Louis le Brocquy, H.R.H.A.

A gift from the artist to the present owner

The sheet is sound. The paper has slightly discoloured to the edges otherwise in good overall condition. Held in its original simple wood frame under glass; unexamined out of frame.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

'...He was above all fascinated by Lorca's face, his deep burned eyes and extraordinary forehead...' (Dorothy Walker, 1981, quoted in Louis le Brocquy, Paintings 1939 - 1996, exh.cat., Irish Museum of Modern Art, 1996, p. 100).

The Spanish poet and dramatist, Federico Garcia Lorca (1898 - 1936), is undoutedly one of the artist's most compelling subjects. Like his Irish portrait subjects, W.B. Yeats (see lots 20 and 38) and Samuel Beckett (see lots 57 and 64), Lorca was one of his country's most important literary figures and having been executed during the Spanish Civil War, his life and work have come to symbolize Spain's cultural legacy from the early 20th Century.

le Brocquy was particularly inspired by Lorca's regard for the local way of life around his hometown, Granada, evident in early works such as Gypsy Ballads, which mirrored le Brocquy's own interest in the travelling people of Ireland (see lot 4). When he first came across Lorca's work, it was 'curiously enough the plays of Synge which provided the key to an understanding of Lorca's fierce, lyrical world. Synge, with his ear pressed against the floorboards, passionately noting the marvellous vernacular of the Wicklow people in the room below. It was only quite recently that I was told by Mark Mortimer in Paris that Lorca [also] knew and admired the works by John Millington Synge (le Brocquy, 1979, quoted in Louis le Brocquy Portrait Heads, exh.cat., National Gallery of Ireland, 2006, p.63).

Significantly, Lorca was also the subject of one of le Brocquy's rare treatments in sculpture. Focusing on Lorca's forehead, a series of seven bronze works were cast by the Michaelucci Foundry in Montecatini in 1977 (see fig.1).