Tony O'Malley HRHA (1913-2003) Birdsong, 1987 Oil on board, 90 x 120cm (36'' x 48'') Signed bottom right: O'M 6/87. Also signed and inscribed with title verso. Provenance: Acquired by the present...
Tony O'Malley HRHA (1913-2003) Birdsong, 1987 Oil on board, 90 x 120cm (36'' x 48'') Signed bottom right: O'M 6/87. Also signed and inscribed with title verso. Provenance: Acquired by the present owners directly from the artist at his studio in St. Ives in 1989. Exhibited: The William and Elizabeth Bourn-Vincent Gallery, University of Limerick, September 1993 - included in a selection of paintings and sculpture from two private collections 1930-1990 on the occasion of the opening of the gallery. Literature: 'TONY O'MALLEY' Brian Lynch, p. 287 Cover illustration (detail) for 'The Healing Word', an anthology of manuscript poems, published by Mayo General Hospital and edited by Patrick O'Brien, 2003. The collectors' coments: We first saw this painting when visiting Tony and Jane O'Malley in St. Ives in 1989. It was one of many paintings we viewed there, mostly oil on board and 36 x 48 inches, but it stood out from the rest and we couldn't resist. 'Birdsong' is filled with the light and colour of high Summer and represents O'Malley, then at his peak in his mid- '70s, at his most joyful and lyrical. The title 'Birdsong' is suggested by the numerous marks and symbols which hint at birds' feathers, eyes and beaks, all arranged in a wonderful free composition and swirling in a circular movement to provide endless delight to the eye.