John Luke Paintings & Artwork for Sale | John Luke Art Value Price Guide

Nov. 21, 2024
John Luke, Farmhouse, Ballyaghagan
Est: £300 - £500
John Luke, Irish 1906-1975, Farmhouse, Ballyaghagan; woodcut in colours on wove, signed and titled in pencil, from an unknown edition, image: 12.5 x 17.3 cm, (framed) (ARR)
Roseberys
Jun. 26, 2024
John Luke Eastman (20th Century): Things Which Are Not
Est: $100 - $200
John Luke Eastman 20th century Things Which Are Not serigraph 1979; ed. 98/300; numbered and signed in pencil
Abell Auction
Mar. 11, 2024
John Luke RUA (1906-1975) NUDE MALE
Est: €4,000 - €6,000
John Luke RUA (1906-1975) NUDE MALE oil on canvas laid on board with Arts Council of Northern Ireland label on reverse h:27 w:9 in. Provenance: Estate of the artist; Private collection; Adam's, 27 March 2019, lot 55; Private collection Exhibited: 'John Luke (1906-1975)', Ulster Museum, Belfast and Douglas Hyde Gallery, Dublin, 27 January to 4 March 1978, catalogue no. 4; 'John Luke: Work from The Studio', Bell Gallery, Belfast, February to March 1980, catalogue no. 23
Whyte's
Dec. 05, 2023
Large Medieval Bronze Round Seal Matrix for Mark, Matthew, Luke, John
Est: £300 - £400
Circa 14th-15th century A.D. Chessman matrix with tapering shank, gusseted collar, openwork trefoil and loop above; escutcheon with Mary and Infant Jesus and kneeling supplicant within a rosette; legend to the border 'MARCVS MAT[.]VS LVCAS IOHNIS' (Mark, Matthew, Luke, John). 29.8 grams, 41 mm (1 5/8 in.). Found Southern England. Acquired on the UK art market in the 1980s. From an East Anglian private collection.
TimeLine Auctions
Sep. 12, 2023
John Luke RUA, Carnival, 1930
Est: £15,000 - £20,000
John Luke RUA, Irish 1906-1975 - Carnival, 1930; oil on board, signed lower right 'John Luke', 57.5 x 83 cm (ARR) Note: Luke painted two versions of Carnival. He was known to make two versions of some paintings (see Shaw's Bridge (1936 and 1939) and The Road to the West (1939 and 1944)). A version of this work was included in major exhibitions of Luke, including the Ulster Museum 1978 & 2012. It was sold recently in 2022 at Sotheby's, London for £25,200 (including buyer's premium). A work under the title of Carnival was exhibited at the Leger Galleries, London in October 1930, and while it has been thought it was the aforementioned work, it is possible it is the present lot, as it is in keeping with his work at the Slade School of Art around 1930. He won the Dunville Scholarship in 1927 to study at the Slade under Henry Tonks. Of the work exhibited in 1930, the art critic P.G. Konody (Daily Mail 3rd October 1930) described it as "one of the most attractive features of the exhibition". The subject is unusual for Luke so it may have been produced for a specific Slade competition. The glow of the carnival lights in the background demonstrates his technical skills as a young artist. With thanks to Dr. Joseph McBrinn of Belfast School of Art, Ulster University and curator of 'Northern Rhythm: The Art of John Luke' at the Ulster Museum, 2012-2013, for his assistance in the cataloguing of this work.
Roseberys
Jun. 21, 2023
JOHN LUKE EASTMAN, DANCER PORTRAIT (SPINNING IN CIRCLE), SCREENPRINT
Est: $275 - $350
Artist: John Luke Eastman, American Title: Dancer Portrait (Spinning in Circle) Year: Circa 1975 Medium: Screenprint, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: 250 Image Size: 10 inch (diameter) Size: 20 x 13 in. (50.8 x 33.02 cm)
RoGallery
Apr. 30, 2023
JOHN LUKE EASTMAN SILKSCREEN
Est: $200 - $300
JOHN LUKE EASTMAN SILKSCREEN ON PAPER. LEAD ME TO THE ROCK THAT IS HIGHER THAN IFOR THOUT ART MY REFUGE. SIGNED LOWER RIGHT, ARTIST PROOF, 1977. FRAMED. OVERALL 17.5"X36.5", SIGHT 9.5"X29"
Freedom Auction Company
Apr. 01, 2023
John Luke Eastman Signed Limited Edition Serigraph
Est: -
Signed Towards The Bottom And Numbered #227/500. Frame Measures Approximately 9.25in X 9.25in. Art Measures Approximately 6.75in X 6.75in. Tm4433 Zh
EJ'S Auction & Appraisal
Nov. 23, 2022
John Hewitt. John Luke 1906-1975. 1978. Numerous illustrations and J. Campbell. Frank o'Meara and Hi
Est: €30 - €50
John Hewitt. John Luke 1906-1975. 1978. Numerous illustrations and J. Campbell. Frank o'Meara and His Contemporaries re Travelling Exhibition Dublin, Cork & Belfast 1989. Illustrated (2)
Purcell Auctioneers
Sep. 28, 2022
John Luke RUA (1906-1975) Study of a Baby Pencil, 28 x 18.5cm (11 x 7¼'') Signed and dated 17th March 1933 Provenance: The artist's studio, private collection
Est: €200 - €400
John Luke RUA (1906-1975) Study of a Baby Pencil, 28 x 18.5cm (11 x 7¼'') Signed and dated 17th March 1933 Provenance: The artist's studio, private collection
Adam's
Sep. 28, 2022
John Luke RUA (1906-1975) Study of a Standing Male Nude Pencil, 31.8 x 17.3cm (12½ x 6¾'') Provenance: The artist's studio, private collection.
Est: €200 - €400
John Luke RUA (1906-1975) Study of a Standing Male Nude Pencil, 31.8 x 17.3cm (12½ x 6¾'') Provenance: The artist's studio, private collection.
Adam's
Jul. 14, 2022
§ JOHN LUKE (IRISH 1906-1975) SHAW'S BRIDGE, c. 1934
Est: £800 - £1,200
§ JOHN LUKE (IRISH 1906-1975) SHAW'S BRIDGE, c. 1934 Linocut on japanese paper, signed with initials in plate, signed and titled in pencil to margin (image size 26.5cm x 36.5cm (10.5in x 14.25in))
Lyon & Turnbull
Jun. 02, 2022
JOHN LUKE EASTMAN. UNTITLED. 1975. SERIGRAPH.
Est: $120 - $240
Eastman, John Luke (American 20th c.). Untitled. 1975. Serigraph. Signed and editioned in l.r. A/P. Framed: 26 1/4" x 26 1/4". Condition: Sight Good. Not examined out of frame.
Quinn's Auction Galleries
May. 26, 2022
Carnival
Est: £20,000 - £30,000
John Luke 1906 - 1975 Carnival signed JOHN LUKE and dated 31 (lower right) oil on panel unframed: 41 by 52cm.; 16 by 20½in. framed: 56 by 67cm.; 22 by 26½in. Executed in 1930-31. Bid on Sotheby's
Sotheby's
Mar. 30, 2022
John Luke RUA (1906-1975) Study of a Standing Woman Pencil, 32.3 x 11.2cm (12¾ x 4½'') Provenance: The artist's studio, private collection.
Est: €200 - €400
John Luke RUA (1906-1975) Study of a Standing Woman Pencil, 32.3 x 11.2cm (12¾ x 4½'') Provenance: The artist's studio, private collection.
Adam's
Mar. 30, 2022
John Luke RUA (1906-1975) Studies of a Standing Female Nude Pencil, 24.5 x 15.4cm (9¾ x 6'') Provenance: The artist's studio; private collection.
Est: €200 - €400
John Luke RUA (1906-1975) Studies of a Standing Female Nude Pencil, 24.5 x 15.4cm (9¾ x 6'') Provenance: The artist's studio; private collection.
Adam's
Jan. 01, 2022
John Luke Eastman Print
Est: -
Print measures approximately 16 x 20 inches and is encased in a protective wrap. TM4333 AG
EJ'S Auction & Appraisal
Dec. 08, 2021
John Luke RUA (1906 - 1975) Untitled Watercolour, 26 x 35cm (10¼ x 13¾) Signed
Est: €2,000 - €4,000
John Luke RUA (1906 - 1975) Untitled Watercolour, 26 x 35cm (10¼ x 13¾) Signed
Adam's
Nov. 24, 2021
John Luke (Irish, 1906-1975) Mountain Composition 18.6 x 25.6 cm. (7 1/4 x 10 1/8 in.)
Est: £15,000 - £20,000
John Luke (Irish, 1906-1975) Mountain Composition signed and dated 'J. LUKE/39' (lower right) oil on thick card 18.6 x 25.6 cm. (7 1/4 x 10 1/8 in.) For further information on this lot please visit the Bonhams website
Bonhams
Oct. 26, 2021
John Luke RUA (1906-1975) Portrait of a Young Girl
Est: €4,000 - €6,000
John Luke RUA (1906-1975) Portrait of a Young Girl oil on canvas signed lower right h:61 w:51 cm. Provenance: Butterfield & Butterfield Auctions, San Francisco, USA, early 1970's; Private Collection, California, USA; Private Collection, Ireland Almost no early oil paintings by the Irish artist John Luke are thought to have survived. Born into a working-class part of Belfast at the end of its industrial heyday his entry into the city's School of Art, following an accident at the shipyard where he worked, was secured through his prodigious gifts in drawing and draftsmanship rather than painting. From 1923 to 1927 Luke produced very few oil paintings, aside from the still life works which were required for examination purposes. He seems to have preferred to work in pencil, charcoal or watercolour or a combination of these. Oil painting becomes a feature of his work later after he moved to the Slade School of Art in London to study on a prestigious three-year scholarship. At the Slade he produced a group of complex figurative and allegorical compositions and a series of remarkable self-portraits, all showing an increasing technical mastery of oil paint. After his return to Belfast he began his life-long experimentation with tempera and fresco and increasingly subordinated oil paint to these. In September 1946 when the Belfast Museum and Art Gallery held the first major retrospective of his work only a handful of early oil paintings made between 1923 and 1929 were included. These numbered 7 compared to over 30 oil and tempera paintings made after 1930. Early oil paintings by Luke are extremely rare. This curious painting of an infant is definitely a student work and pre-dates his London period (the style of the signature, for instance, suggests the mid-late 1920s and before an interest in calligraphy and typography led Luke to a more modernist style of letting). Yet it anticipates something of his later work in its flattened and decorative modulations of colour and form. It owes something to his much older Belfast contemporaries Paul Henry and William Conor, in its bold and broad painting style redolent of their Francophile interests (as well as their dark, and sometimes sombre, palettes). The cross-hatching brushstrokes reveal something of Luke's own study of Post-Impressionist painting and printmaking and anticipate the distinctive style (minus the startlingly luminous colouration) of his major works of the 1930s. It was probably painted during his early studies at Belfast School of Art and may depict a child of one of his three older brothers. Dr. Joseph McBrinn, Belfast School of Art
Morgan O'Driscoll
Sep. 02, 2020
John Luke RUA (1906 -1975)Circus Comes to TownWatercolour, 60 x 50cm (23½ x 19¾'')SignedProvenance: Sale, these rooms, 25/3/2007, lot 59a, where purchased by the current owner.
Est: €4,000 - €6,000
John Luke RUA (1906 -1975)Circus Comes to TownWatercolour, 60 x 50cm (23½ x 19¾'')SignedProvenance: Sale, these rooms, 25/3/2007, lot 59a, where purchased by the current owner.
Adam's
Sep. 02, 2020
John Luke RUA (1906 -1975)Untitled - Men at Work on a BoatPencil and wash, 44 x 67cm (17¼ x 26¼'')SignedProvenance: Sale, these rooms, 3/7/2007, lot 191, where purchased by the current owner.This drawing is one of a handful of surviving example
Est: €2,000 - €3,000
John Luke RUA (1906 -1975)Untitled - Men at Work on a BoatPencil and wash, 44 x 67cm (17¼ x 26¼'')SignedProvenance: Sale, these rooms, 3/7/2007, lot 191, where purchased by the current owner.This drawing is one of a handful of surviving examples that show John Lukes meticulous process of squaring up his compositions for either easel paintings or larger decorative murals. He would first prepare small sketches, using sheets from a sketchbook, of individual figures, buildings, etc., and when the final design was worked out it was then divided into a grid. Each square of this grid was then transferred onto a larger canvas or primed wall. Luke learnt this process of squaring up from his two principal teachers - Ivor Beaumont at Belfast School of Art and Henry Tonks at the Slade. Beaumont, who was a member of the Society of Painters in Tempera, encouraged Lukes interest in mural techniques (such as tempera and fresco) and engaged him as an assistant in his own mural commissions in Belfast. Tonks was one of the principal advocates of mural painting in the inter-war years and encouraged Luke to seek mural commissions in London. This drawing of a circus arriving in a city is not known to have been developed into an easel painting by Luke and it is more than likely a design for a mural. It can be dated to the 1930s. The frieze of elephants, giraffes, circus folk and onlookers, enfolding like a mediaeval pageant or an intricate Indian miniature, recalls the work of Lukes slightly older Slade contemporaries, Mary Adshead and Rex Whistler, and also something of Lukes older Irish contemporary Jack B. Yeats who, like Luke, would return to the circus as a theme throughout his career.Joseph McBrinn, February 2020
Adam's
Apr. 14, 2020
John Luke RUA (1906-1975) Portrait of a Young Girl
Est: €7,000 - €10,000
John Luke RUA (1906-1975) Portrait of a Young Girl oil on canvas signed lower right h:61 w:51 cm. Provenance: Butterfield & Butterfield Auctions, San Francisco, USA, early 1970's; Private Collection, California, USA; Private Collection, Ireland Almost no early oil paintings by the Irish artist John Luke are thought to have survived. Born into a working-class part of Belfast at the end of its industrial heyday his entry into the city's School of Art, following an accident at the shipyard where he worked, was secured through his prodigious gifts in drawing and draftsmanship rather than painting. From 1923 to 1927 Luke produced very few oil paintings, aside from the still life works which were required for examination purposes. He seems to have preferred to work in pencil, charcoal or watercolour or a combination of these. Oil painting becomes a feature of his work later after he moved to the Slade School of Art in London to study on a prestigious three-year scholarship. At the Slade he produced a group of complex figurative and allegorical compositions and a series of remarkable self-portraits, all showing an increasing technical mastery of oil paint. After his return to Belfast he began his life-long experimentation with tempera and fresco and increasingly subordinated oil paint to these. In September 1946 when the Belfast Museum and Art Gallery held the first major retrospective of his work only a handful of early oil paintings made between 1923 and 1929 were included. These numbered 7 compared to over 30 oil and tempera paintings made after 1930. Early oil paintings by Luke are extremely rare. This curious painting of an infant is definitely a student work and pre-dates his London period (the style of the signature, for instance, suggests the mid-late 1920s and before an interest in calligraphy and typography led Luke to a more modernist style of letting). Yet it anticipates something of his later work in its flattened and decorative modulations of colour and form. It owes something to his much older Belfast contemporaries Paul Henry and William Conor, in its bold and broad painting style redolent of their Francophile interests (as well as their dark, and sometimes sombre, palettes). The cross-hatching brushstrokes reveal something of Luke's own study of Post-Impressionist painting and printmaking and anticipate the distinctive style (minus the startlingly luminous colouration) of his major works of the 1930s. It was probably painted during his early studies at Belfast School of Art and may depict a child of one of his three older brothers. Dr. Joseph McBrinn, Belfast School of Art, February 2020
Morgan O'Driscoll
May. 27, 2019
John Luke RUA (1906-1975) FARMHOUSE, BALLYAGHAGAN, 1940 (A PAIR)
Est: €800 - €1,200
each signed in pencil in the margin lower right
Whyte's
Mar. 27, 2019
John Luke RUA (1906 -1975)Nude MaleOil on board, 69 x 23cm (27 x 9'')Provenance: Estate of the artist; Private Collection.Exhibited: John Luke (1906-1975), Ulster Museum, Belfast and Douglas Hyde Gallery, Dublin, 27 January-4 March 1978 (no. 4);
Est: €4,000 - €6,000
John Luke RUA (1906 -1975)Nude MaleOil on board, 69 x 23cm (27 x 9'')Provenance: Estate of the artist; Private Collection.Exhibited: John Luke (1906-1975), Ulster Museum, Belfast and Douglas Hyde Gallery, Dublin, 27 January-4 March 1978 (no. 4); John Luke: Work from The Studio, The Bell Gallery, Belfast, February-March 1980 (no. 23).Born into a working-class part of north Belfast John Luke initially left school to work in the citys shipyards and then its linen mills. His extraordinary talent at drawing brought him to Belfast School of Art when he was still a teenager. After enrolling in evening classes his teachers encouraged him to become a full-time student. In 1927, after wining prizes at the Sorella Art Exhibition and the Royal Dublin Societys Taylor Art Competition, Luke won the prestigious Dunville Art Scholarship, which would enable him to study at the Slade School of Fine Art in London for the next three years. This Male Nude was painted at the Slade under the tutelage of Henry Tonks, one of the most influential teachers of drawing in the early twentieth century. It was completed in the life painting class and its combination of incredibly fine drawing and tiny feathery cross-hatched brushstrokes, to build up light and shade, demonstrates Lukes outstanding abilities as a draughtsman. Luke later recalled that Tonks had initially been critical of his drawings, stating these are rather good, as far as they go, but theres no form in any of them, and subsequently Luke concentrated all his efforts to perfect his drawing skills. The striking facial features of this male nude would later be re-used for the central figure in Lukes painting The Rehearsal, which was commissioned by the Belfast Museum and Art Gallery (now Ulster Museum) in 1948 as a demonstration of the tempera technique. Its anatomical fidelity also recalls Tonks drawings especially the male nudes he made as part of his work recording wounded veterans during the First World War. Tonks had initially trained as a surgeon and according to his biographer used his anatomical knowledge to teach life drawing as a swift and intelligent activity. Luke drew and painted many male nudes at the Slade employing a variety of different materials. A further example is his Seated Figure (lot 54 above) which is quickly, and brilliantly, sketched with chalks. Tonks encouraged his students to work with pastels and chalks when drawing from life (like the old masters). Whether in chalk or oil paint Luke fully realized Tonks desire to see the model as a corporeous unity, to render the flesh so it was almost tactile. Dr. Joseph McBrinnBelfast School of ArtUlster UniversityBorn into a working-class part of north Belfast John Luke initially left school to work in the citys shipyards and then its linen mills. His extraordinary talent at drawing brought him to Belfast School of Art when he was still a teenager. After enrolling in evening classes his teachers encouraged him to become a full-time student. In 1927, after winning prizes at the Sorella Art Exhibition and the Royal Dublin Societys Taylor Art Competition, Luke won the prestigious Dunville Art Scholarship, which would enable him to study at the Slade School of Fine Art in London for the next three years. This Male Nude was painted at the Slade under the tutelage of Henry Tonks, one of the most influential teachers of drawing in the early twentieth century. It was completed in the life painting class and its combination of incredibly fine drawing and tiny feathery cross-hatched brushstrokes, to build up light and shade, demonstrates Lukes outstanding abilities as a draughtsman. Luke later recalled that Tonks had initially been critical of his drawings, stating these are rather good, as far as they go, but theres no form in any of them, and subsequently Luke concentrated all his efforts to perfect his drawing skills. The striking facial features of this male nude would later be re-used for the central figure in Lukes painting The Rehearsal, which was commissioned by the Belfast Museum and Art Gallery (now Ulster Museum) in 1948 as a demonstration of the tempera technique. Its anatomical fidelity also recalls Tonks drawings, especially the male nudes he made as part of his work recording wounded veterans during the First World War. Tonks had initially trained as a surgeon and according to his biographer used his anatomical knowledge to teach life drawing as a swift and intelligent activity. Luke drew and painted many male nudes at the Slade employing a variety of different materials. A further example is his Seated Figure which is quickly, and brilliantly, sketched with chalks. Tonks encouraged his students to work with pastels and chalks when drawing from life (like the old masters). Whether in chalk or oil paint Luke fully realized Tonks desire to see the model as a corporeous unity, to render the flesh so it was almost tactile. Dr. Joseph McBrinnBelfast School of ArtUlster University
Adam's
Mar. 27, 2019
John Luke RUA (1906-1975)Seated FigurePencil and chalk, 39.5 x 31cm (15½ x 12¼'')Provenance: Estate of the artist; Private Collection.Exhibited: John Luke (1906-1975), Ulster Museum, Belfast and Douglas Hyde Gallery, Dublin, 27 January-4 March 1
Est: €1,000 - €1,500
John Luke RUA (1906-1975)Seated FigurePencil and chalk, 39.5 x 31cm (15½ x 12¼'')Provenance: Estate of the artist; Private Collection.Exhibited: John Luke (1906-1975), Ulster Museum, Belfast and Douglas Hyde Gallery, Dublin, 27 January-4 March 1978 (no. 79); John Luke: Work from The Studio, The Bell Gallery, Belfast, February-March 1980 (no. 23).
Adam's
Dec. 05, 2018
John Luke RUA (1906 - 1975)Coastal LandscapeWatercolour, 15.5 x 24cm (6¼ x 9)Signed and dated (19) '47
Est: €800 - €1,200
John Luke RUA (1906 - 1975)Coastal LandscapeWatercolour, 15.5 x 24cm (6¼ x 9)Signed and dated (19) '47
Adam's
Sep. 11, 2018
JOHN LUKE | Self-Portrait
Est: £7,000 - £10,000
oil on canvas laid on board
Sotheby's
Sep. 11, 2018
JOHN LUKE | Pax
Est: £80,000 - £120,000
tempera and oil on board
Sotheby's
Jul. 09, 2018
John Luke RUA (1906-1975) FARMHOUSE, BALLYAGHAGAN, 1940
Est: €600 - €800
each signed in pencil lower right
Whyte's
May. 28, 2018
John Luke RUA (1906-1975) LOOKING THROUGH THE WINDOW, 1929
Est: €4,000 - €6,000
signed upper left; signed and inscribed [School of Art, Municipal College of Technology, Belfast, Ulster] on reverse
Whyte's
May. 12, 2018
John Luke Eastman Psychedelic Art Print Butterfly
Est: $100 - $150
John Luke Eastman Psychedelic Art Print Butterfly. An open edition lithograph from 1973, this vintage psychedelic piece is titled "Wings of a Dove", and depicts a butterfly girl. The prose at the bottom of the image reads "o that I had wings like a dove, I would fly away and be at rest, yea I would wander afar" . John Luke Eastman was a Southern California artist who became recognized during the mid 60's for his unique styles. This particular piece is framed in wood with a metal interior frame, with glass, and has an overall size of 13" x 25".
Gulfcoast Coin and Jewelry
Feb. 26, 2018
John Luke RUA (1906-1975) FARMHOUSE, BALLYAGHAGAN, 1940
Est: €1,500 - €2,500
both signed in pencil in the margin lower right
Whyte's
Dec. 04, 2017
John Luke RUA (1906-1975) Female Nude
Est: €10,000 - €15,000
John Luke RUA (1906-1975) Female Nude watercolour signed top right h:100 w:67 cm. Provenance: Estate of the artist; Christie's Sale, Belfast, 31st May 1989 Lot 429; Private Collection Exhibited: John Luke Retrospective - Arts Council of Northern Ireland: Catalogue No.58 (label verso). Originating from the estate of the artist, this work is a hauntingly beautiful female nude study, with naturalistic pose in a classic setting. The palette is both subtle and striking, and the skin tones are remarkable in their realism.
Morgan O'Driscoll
Nov. 27, 2017
John Luke RUA (1906-1975) FARMHOUSE, BALLYAGHAGAN, 1940
Est: €2,000 - €3,000
two signed in pencil in the margin lower right; one with title faintly printed in margin lower left
Whyte's
Oct. 23, 2017
John Luke RUA (1906-1975) FARMHOUSE, BALLYAGHAGAN, 1940
Est: €600 - €800
both signed in pencil in the margin lower right
Whyte's
Oct. 23, 2017
John Luke RUA (1906-1975) FARMHOUSE, BALLYAGHAGAN, 1940
Est: €600 - €800
both signed in pencil in the margin lower right; one titled lower left
Whyte's
Sep. 27, 2017
JOHN LUKE | Northern Rhythm
Est: £100,000 - £150,000
tempera on board
Sotheby's
Jun. 27, 2016
John Luke RUA (1906-1975) Female Nude
Est: €700 - €1,000
John Luke RUA (1906-1975) Female Nude coloured pencil signed lower right h:49.50 w:27.50 cm. Provenance: Mrs Sadie McKee (artist's sister) Collection of Robert Gould Private Collection
Morgan O'Driscoll
May. 23, 2016
John Luke RUA (1906-1975) Still Life
Est: €1,000 - €1,500
John Luke RUA (1906-1975) Still Life oil on board signed lower right h:49 w:32 cm. Provenance: Ross's Belfast, 8th October 2008 Private Collection
Morgan O'Driscoll
Mar. 23, 2016
John Luke RUA (1906 - 1975)Ballygally CastleWatercolour, 25.5 x 37.5cm (10 x 15)Exhibited: John Luke Exhibition Feb/ March 1980, The Bell Gallery, Catalogue No. 67, where purchased by present owner. Certificate signed by the artist's sister ve
Est: €800 - €1,200
John Luke RUA (1906 - 1975)Ballygally CastleWatercolour, 25.5 x 37.5cm (10 x 15)Exhibited: John Luke Exhibition Feb/ March 1980, The Bell Gallery, Catalogue No. 67, where purchased by present owner. Certificate signed by the artist's sister verso.
Adam's
Feb. 29, 2016
John Luke RUA (1906-1975) NUDE STUDY, 1930
Est: €800 - €1,000
John Luke RUA (1906-1975) NUDE STUDY, 1930 pencil signed and dated lower right h:12.75 w:6.50 in. Provenance: Purchased from the artist's brother, 1989; Private collection; Whyte's, 6 December 2008, lot 24; Private collection Exhibited: 'John Luke: Work from the Studio', Bell Gallery, Belfast, February 1980, catalogue no. 55 This student work dates from his days at the Slade school in 1927. It shows a draughtsmanship which would underlie all of his future work.
Whyte's
Jan. 18, 2016
John Luke RUA (1906-1975) Female Nude Study
Est: €200 - €300
John Luke RUA (1906-1975) Female Nude Study pencil h:35 w:18.50 cm. Provenance: Sadie McKee Robert Gould Private Collection
Morgan O'Driscoll
Sep. 30, 2015
John Luke RUA (1906 - 1975)Ballygally CastleWatercolour
Est: €1,500 - €2,500
John Luke RUA (1906 - 1975)Ballygally CastleWatercolour, 25.5 x 37.5cm (10 x 15)Exhibited: John Luke Exhibition Feb/ March 1980, The Bell Gallery, Catalogue No. 67, where purchased by present owner. Certificate signed by the artist's sister verso.
Adam's
Sep. 29, 2015
John Luke RUA, 1906-1975
Est: €800 - €1,200
DRAWING OF A CHILD Pencil, 10 ¼'' x 7 ½'' (26 x 19cm), signed and dated 1934
deVeres
Sep. 28, 2015
John Luke RUA (1906-1975) FEMALE NUDE STUDY
Est: €600 - €800
John Luke RUA (1906-1975) FEMALE NUDE STUDY conté on paper signed lower left h:14.50 w:4 in.
Whyte's
Sep. 28, 2015
John Luke RUA (1906-1975) MURAL DESIGN and STATUE, c.1937 (A PAIR)
Est: €800 - €1,000
John Luke RUA (1906-1975) MURAL DESIGN and STATUE, c.1937 (A PAIR) pencil; (2) h:6.50 w:14.50 in. Murals by Luke can be found in Belfast City Hall. Dimensions of Statue, 9.75 by 7in. Statue appears in the artist's finished work in oil Daffodils, 1937, illustrated in the John Hewitt text on John Luke (1906-1975) published by the Arts Council, 1978, p. 25.
Whyte's
May. 27, 2015
John Luke RUA (1906 - 1975)A Farmstead, Co. Armagh (1928)Oil on canvasboard
Est: €20,000 - €30,000
John Luke RUA (1906 - 1975)A Farmstead, Co. Armagh (1928)Oil on canvasboard, 51 x 68.5cm (20 x 27)Signed. Also signed, inscribed with title and dated 1928 verso.Exhibited: Northern Rhythm The Art of John Luke, The Ulster Museum, Catalogue No.23Luke entered A Farmstead in County Armagh for the 1928 Summer Prize Competition at the Slade School in London and was awarded the second prize of å£5. It is an interesting choice of subject, as although many of Luke‰Ûªs early wanderings around the Ulster countryside are recorded in his watercolours of the period when he was studying at Belfast College of Art, these appear predominantly to have taken him along the Lagan towpath and to North Down, Cavehill and the Antrim coast.Dr. Joseph McBrinn points out that when Luke was forced to flee Belfast with his mother after the 1941 Blitz for the safety of a farm near Killylea in Armagh, the present work became ‰ÛÏa painting in which he now found himself living‰Û. Despite the ongoing events of the war, Luke seems to have found peace and inspiration at Knappagh Farm, but the calm of those later works is quite different from the bustling activity outside this farmhouse. The stylised, exaggerated awkwardness of the figures expresses the energy and physical strain of their work, with the solid geometric bulk of the house setting up verticals and diagonals that are repeated around the canvas to create a strong dynamic unity. A Farmstead in County Armagh reflects different influences from those we see in other paintings of Luke‰Ûªs at this time, such as Stanley and Gilbert Spencer, William Roberts and Thomas Monnington, all of whom had preceded him as students at the Slade. It is intriguing to note how conscious of contemporary British painting Luke was at this period, although he never moved closer to the more radical modernism of Stanley Spencer and, in particular, Roberts. The figures and the narrative element that are both so dominant here are not always a feature of Luke‰Ûªs painting and it is notable that they appear to have returned at that time when he was living in Armagh, for example in the 1944 version of The Locks at Edenderry, The Old Callan Bridge, and Farmhouse, Ballyaghagan, but the present painting remains unusual within Luke‰Ûªs work. Although it suggests paths that he chose not to explore, A Farmstead in County Armagh does demonstrate the intelligent and ambitious manner in which Luke set out to achieve recognition at the Slade in these important competitions. McBrinn, Joseph, Northern Rhythm: The Art of John Luke, NMNI, 2012, p.16Ibid., p.50
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