Spring clean with prints and paintings at reasonable prices

With an end of winter in sight, our attention often turns to spring cleaning and for some people that includes refreshing the interior of their homes.

Hanging paintings in the right spot is an art in itself, which requires paying attention to the natural light, wall space and furniture in the room.

However, it can also be a good idea to reconsider the positioning of certain works of art in your home, as by leaving them in the same place, they can be taken for granted over time and lose their appeal. Think about how you could move some neglected paintings or prints into more prominent positions while relegating others to less busy spots.

In the midst of this shuffling around of artworks, it can be a good time to sell or buy some new pieces of art, to brighten up the atmosphere in living spaces.

Lot 100’s online Modern & Contemporary Art sale, which ends on February 10th, is a great place to look for some new inspiration. With an exciting and varied collection of prints and paintings – often at reasonable estimates – from Irish and international artists, there is plenty that will suit both the modern and period home.

Ken Madden of Lot 100 says that the auction house in Lismore, Co Waterford, is selling works by some artists for the first time. Take, for example, Italian futurist artist Enrico Prampolini (1894-1956), whose work on paper, Composizione Speziale B, 1950-1951 (€6,000-€8,000) is for sale. Prampolini was an artist, architect and theatre designer who was very involved in futurism, the early 20th century artistic movement centred in Italy which focused on the dynamics of the machine age, change and restlessness of modern life.

German artist Gustave Schleicher is another painter relatively unfamiliar to Irish collectors, whose painting Urban Landscape (€300-€500) is also in Lot 100’s forthcoming auction. A print by British artist and sculptor Henry Moore is on sale for the first time too. Reclining Figure: Interior Setting 1 (€800-€1,000), one of a limited edition of 75 prints, is a contrast to Moore’s better-known outdoor sculptures. Lot 100 is also selling work by Dublin-based artist Patricia Jorgensen for the first time. Her pen and watercolour piece, entitled Gujarati Bag (€300-€400), pays homage to handcrafted textile bags from the Gujarat region of India.

Composizione Speziale B, 1950-1951 (€6,000-€8,000) by Enrico Prampolini, Lot 100 online auction

Urban Landscape (€300-€500) by Gustave Schleicher, Lot 100

Henry Moore's Reclining Figure: Interior Setting 1 (€800-€1,000), a limited-edition print — Henry Moore’s Reclining Figure: Interior Setting 1 (€800-€1,000), a limited-edition print

Finally, a print by Irish artist Barrie Cooke, entitled Punakaiki (€450-€650), named after a location on New Zealand’s south island, is another striking piece for sale in Lot 100 auction.

Art collectors keen to keep in touch with work by contemporary Irish artists, most of which isn’t yet for sale in the secondary auction market, should check out the exhibition Constellations: Selected work from the Crawford Art Gallery at the FE McWilliam’s Gallery in Co Down. Artists including Nick Millar, Amanda Coogan, Katie Holten, Corban Walker, Dragana Jurisic and Isabel Nolan, are among the 14 whose work is on show in the Banbridge gallery from February 14th-May 2nd.

The photographs, drawing, sculpture and film works were chosen for their bold use of colour and shared themes of nature, domestic life and identity.

“Together, they reflect a sense of playfulness and imagination while also addressing deeper ideas about freedom, power and the everyday experience,” says Crawford Art Gallery director Mary McCarthy. Several of the pieces were acquired by the gallery – which is currently closed for renovation – during the Covid-19 lockdowns. The exhibition is the latest in an ongoing cross-Border relationship between the FE McWilliam Gallery and the Cork city gallery.

Meanwhile, browsers and bargain hunters keen to see a wide range of antiques, period furniture, decorative arts or collectibles have at least two auctions to choose from in early February.

Fonsie Mealy’s The Making Room auction, with more than 700 items for sale, is on February 4th and 5th in the Avalon House Hotel, Castlecomer, Co Kilkenny. Viewing is on Tuesday, February 3rd, from 9.30am-5pm in the Castlecomer Business Park. Mullens of Laurel Park, Bray, Co Wicklow, will host an online auction on February 1st.

Saxophone on ebonised stand (€80-€100), Fonsie Mealy auction

Goffredo Regianni chrome floor lamps on marble bases with adjustable arms and bulbous shades (€800-€1,200), Mullens Laurel Park auction

Both auctions have plenty of diningroom and sittingroom chairs and tables, cabinets, chests – some of which could be painted over to give them a more modern look. There are lots of antique rugs too, which could add a nostalgic feel to any interior. And there are at least three sturdy and practical camphor wood trunks at Mullens, the cheapest of which has attractive oriental carving on its exterior (€100-€200).

A saxophone on an ebonised stand (€80-€100), and a collection of Russian dolls and antique toys (€120 –€180) are among the quirkier items for sale at the Fonsie Mealy auction. The Goffredo Reggiani chrome floor lamps on marble bases with adjustable arms and bulbous shades (€800-€1,200) will definitely lure in the growing band of design enthusiasts of all things from the 1970s. The Italian designer was inspired by the space age that began in the late 1960s.

Lot100.ie; fonsiemealy.ie; mullenslaurelpark.com