Derek Hill’s Paintings Sell at Auction
Two paintings by Derek Hill, entitled ‘View of Tory Island, 1992’ and ‘Towards Slievemore, Achill from Inishken South, Deserted Village’ were also sold for €6,200 and €3,600 respectively. The inclusion of a number of high profile paintings inspired by Irelands breathtaking landscapes formed part of a record sale in Dublin last week. The Import of Irish Art sale by leading fine art auctioneers Adam’s/Bonham’s saw revenues reach €4.4 million.
Son of a wealthy sugar trader, Hill first worked as a theatre designer in Leningrad in the 1930s and later as an historian. Hill began to enjoy increased success as a portrait painter from the 1960s; his subjects including many notable composers, musicians, politicians and statesmen, such as broadcaster Gay Byrne and the Prince of Wales. He spent a period of time on Achill Island with Louis le Brocquy.
He was also an enthusiastic art collector and traveller, with a wide range of friends such as Bryan Guinness and Sir Isaiah Berlin. In 1981, he donated his Donegal home, St. Columb’s Rectory, which he had owned since 1954, along with a considerable collection including some Picassos, to the Irish State.
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