Beschreibung:

Artist: Hughie O'Donoghue (b.1953) Title: Souvenir of the Violation of the Neutrality of Belgium (2006) Signature: signed lower right, titled and dated 2006 verso Medium: oil and photo montage on panel Size: 37 x 53cm (14.6 x 20.9in) Framed Size: 60 x 76.5cm (23.6 x 30.1in) Provenance: Acquired directly from the artist by the present owner a#morebtn { color: #de1d01; } a#morebtn:hover { cursor: pointer;} Incorporating old photographs of St. Valery-en-Caux, and the cover of a 1914 pamphlet by J. Van den Heuvel, entitled De La Violation de Neutralitie Belge, this painting is part of a series in which O'Donoghue explores the history of his own family, who fought in two world wars. In 2005, as part of h... Read more Hughie O'Donoghue Lot 87 - 'Souvenir of the Violation of the Neutrality of Belgium (2006)' Estimate: €4,000 - €6,000 Incorporating old photographs of St. Valery-en-Caux, and the cover of a 1914 pamphlet by J. Van den Heuvel, entitled De La Violation de Neutralitie Belge, this painting is part of a series in which O'Donoghue explores the history of his own family, who fought in two world wars. In 2005, as part of his research, O'Donoghue visited the Normandy coastal town of St. Valery-en-Caux near Dieppe. An antique photo album he bought at the time has subsequently formed the basis for a series of paintings in which he has sought to evoke, not one particular episode and its consequences, but more the passage of time, the act of memorising, and the wish to commemorate. In this painting, a photograph of two women standing on an otherwise deserted bandstand, surrounded by music stands, is a poignant reminder of the civilised life that was swept aside in the carnage of the First World War. O'Donoghue references the role played for many years by St. Valery as a popular seaside resort, and also the invasion of Belgium, a neutral country, by German forces in 1914. The town also played a key role in the Second World War, when the abandonment of the Highlanders and other troops at St. Valery in 1940 was an episode many preferred to gloss over. The artist's father Daniel O'Donoghue was part of the British Expeditionary Force forced to retreat to England at that time. O'Donoghue's paintings therefore have both a personal, and a political, edge. Born in Manchester in 1953, Hughie O'Donoghue studied art at Goldsmith's College in London. However, throughout his childhood he visited Ireland frequently, becoming familiar with the history, landscape and people of his grandparent's birthplace. A member of the Royal Academy, O'Donoghue was also elected to Aosdána, and maintains studios in both Ireland and the UK. He is represented in several Irish public collections, including IMMA, the Crawford Art Gallery and the Hugh Lane Gallery. In 2005 O'Donoghue executed a large stained-glass window for the Bons Secours hospital in Galway, and the following year collaborated with Seamus Heaney, providing illustrations for The Testament of Cresseid. In 2013 he created a magnificent set of stained-glass windows for the Lady Chapel in Westminster Abbey. Peter Murray, September 2021