Next month in London, Sotheby’s and Christie’s hold their annual sales of Irish Art. The market for Irish art has never been healthier and new world records will undoubtedly be set, amid much fanfare, for the names that have come to dominate the market: Jack Yeats and Louis le Brocquy, John Lavery and Walter Osborne.
With all the pizzazz that the auctioneers’ PR departments work so hard to generate, it sometimes seems that auction offers the only means of buying and selling Irish paintings. Many sophisticated collectors, however, are forsaking auction and turning to a more discreet method of buying and selling important works of art – the private art consultant. Unlike the auctioneers, consultants work outside the public spotlight, using negotiation and personal contacts as their tools: an approach that is increasingly common internationally, but a rare and recent innovation in Ireland. One company which does offer this service is Mark Adams Fine Art.
‘We offer a more personal approach, which has various advantages over the traditional recourse to auction,’ comments Mark Adams. ‘We have over fifteen years’ experience of Irish Art and the Irish market, and can seek out works of art that may never come to auction and get better prices for them. The costs of buying or selling through us are also a great deal less –- an average of 10% of the sale price. The auctioneers hide the full extent of their fees by charging both seller and buyer, but the accumulated costs of selling a painting through them can be as much as 40%.
‘As well as this, a negotiated sale offers all parties much more control over the whole process, and the time to consider matters fully as they develop. Our clients have the confidence that we work exclusively in their interests: we do not accept fees from both seller and buyer as an auctioneer does’.
The company also offers a valuation service for Irish and international art, and advises on art-related tax issues: in 2002 Mark Adams negotiated, on behalf of a client, the 2.75 million euro acquisition of Louis le Brocquy’s 1951 painting A Family by the National Gallery of Ireland under the terms of the 1997 Taxes Consolidation Act. ‘At the end of the day,’ says Mark Adams, ‘we bring our clients the benefits of international expertise and an independent approach: even when auction may sometimes be suitable, for instance for a deceased estate, we often act as intermediaries to get our clients a better deal and better prices at the end of the day’.
Jack Yeats, Louis le Brocquy, Gerard Dillon and other Irish Artists
Asked about his recommendations of Irish artists to seek out, Adams points to an increasing openness on the part of Irish collectors to contemporary art. ‘Ten years ago the Irish market was quite traditional in its tastes,’ he says. ‘It was dominated by the painters of the early 20th century: Jack Yeats, Walter Osborne, William Leech and Sir John Lavery were the sought-after names. However, we’ve gradually seen a shift to a younger generation: painters like Gerard Dillon, Colin Middleton and Daniel O’Neill, and lately buyers have been seeking out truly contemporary artists like Sean Scully, Basil Blackshaw, Tony O’Malley and of course Louis le Brocquy. I do think that some of the traditional, earlier Irish painters now represent good value once again, and of course it’s always worth trying to seek out new names, the stars of tomorrow.’
Because they are so discreet, art consultants don’t always get the publicity they deserve. ‘It can be a problem,’ admits Adams. ‘Most of our clients come to us through word of mouth and personal recommendation. However, Ireland is one of those places where everyone seems to know someone who knows someone, so that’s not as uncertain as it may sound. Word of mouth can be surprisingly effective: I had a call last week from a collector asking me to sell a Picasso for him – he had been at a party in San Francisco and met someone who had bought a wonderful Jack Yeats from me. So sometimes discretion gets its just reward’.
‘We offer a more personal approach, which has various advantages over the traditional recourse to auction,’ comments Mark Adams. ‘We have over fifteen years’ experience of 
Asked about his recommendations of Irish artists to seek out, Adams points to an increasing openness on the part of Irish collectors to contemporary art. ‘Ten years ago the Irish market was quite traditional in its tastes,’ he says. ‘It was dominated by the painters of the early 20th century: Jack Yeats, Walter Osborne, William Leech and Sir John Lavery were the sought-after names. However, we’ve gradually seen a shift to a younger generation: painters like Gerard Dillon, Colin Middleton and Daniel O’Neill, and lately buyers have been seeking out truly contemporary artists like Sean Scully, Basil Blackshaw, Tony O’Malley and of course Louis le Brocquy. I do think that some of the traditional, earlier Irish painters now represent good value once again, and of course it’s always worth trying to seek out new names, the stars of tomorrow.’