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I am delighted to welcome you to the very first edition of the Adam's Book Club newsletter.
Our inaugural selection is Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino.
Published in 1972, Invisible Cities is one of the defining works of twentieth-century literature. It consists of a series of imaginary conversations between the explorer Marco Polo and the emperor Kublai Khan. In Calvino’s own words:
‘Invisible Cities does not deal with recognisable cities. These cities are all inventions, and bear women’s names. The book is made up of a number of short chapters, each of which is intended to give rise to a reflection which holds good for all cities or for the city in general.’ ~ Italo Calvino, Columbia: A Journal of Literature and Art, No. 8, 1983
A particularly nice limited edition of the work by The Arion Press recently sold for $6,600. It contains illustrations from one of my favourite artists, Wayne Thiebaud, who, when asked to produce the illustrations for the publication, said to the publisher: ‘Let's make the invisible visible. You'll figure it out…’
I would love to hear your thoughts on the book. If you want to send me your comments then I will include a selection of them in our next newsletter on the 3rd of September.
A great work of literature is a city we can return to throughout our lives, and each time appreciate different sights. My advice is to let this book be whatever it needs to be to you at the time you open it. Visit each city; admire its sights; note the mysterious power that builds in the gaps between. Trust its shape even as it resists your attempts to delineate it. ~ Anthony Doerr, The Timeless Magic of Italo Calvino’s Invisible Cities at 50, Literary Hub, March 20, 2025
Until then, happy reading.
Stephanie
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"I should declare my hand. I have a weakness for pictures that punch above their physical weight, and for artists who have been quietly underrated for too long. This pair is both. They are intimate enough to live with at close quarters and serious enough to repay any amount of looking. If the market has lately shown signs of catching up with eighteenth-century Irish painting and I think it has, these two small panels feel, to me, like exactly the sort of thing that will look obvious in twenty years’ time."
Adam’s is honoured to present works from the collection of Lord Rossmore in the upcoming Country House Collections auction at Howth Castle on 28th April. It is seldom that an influential Irish family collection that has survived through the generations comes to the open market.
Works Sold at Adam’s Now in the Irish National Collection
A great opportunity to purchase both established and lesser-known artist’s work at an accessible price point, the Online Picture Auction is the first of many sales to be hosted at Adam’s in 2026. It is perfect for those looking to start a collection and the discerning collector alike.
Through this article, let our expert Adam Pearson guiding you to the (re)discovery of the once established Irish painter Richard O’Neill.
Buying at Auction and the Role of Antiques in a Modern Home
Important Irish Art Auction Highlights
Oliver Dowling Collection by Aidan Dunne
2024 is a year in which Adam’s wants to recognise the key role buying antique furniture and furnishings at auction contributes greatly to the sustainable initiative. In 2019 the Environmental Protection Agency reported stark figures that each year in Ireland 1.2 million reusable bulky items, primarily furniture goes into landfill. Similar to the problem of ‘fast fashion’, the constant production and consumption of new items is leading to rapidly growing waste problem. We want to acknowledge those who are already buying second hand or antique furniture at auction and to encourage new buyers by highlighting the benefits of acquiring affordable, well-made quality items that are built to last.
Irish author, recipe creator and lifestyle influencer, Indy Parsons, selects her favourite pieces from our upcoming Fine Jewellery & Watches auction
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Cork-born Irish actress, Sarah Greene, selects her favourite pieces from our upcoming Fine Jewellery & Watches auction
Yvonne Aupicq had met Orpen, we understand, while working as a nurse during the war. He had been admitted to hospital with a suspected case of scabies which ended up being a far more serious case of blood poisoning as he recounts in his wartime memoir ‘An Onlooker in France’. Their relationship continued after 1918 when Orpen was appointed as the official artist to The Paris Peace Conference. They relocated to capital and over the following decade he painted her numerous times, often nude as in Amiens 1914, or The Rape and Nude Girl Reading (1921). Working with her as his model during these early years after the war allowed Orpen an opportunity to re-fuel his creativity.
Editor-in-Chief of IMAGE Publications, Lizzie Gore-Grimes, selects her favourite pieces from our upcoming Fine Jewellery & Watches auction
Our upcoming Fine Jewellery & Watches auction on September 13th features a prime example of Van Cleef & Arpel's renowned 'Mystery Setting'
James Adam & Sons Ltd, Fine Art Auctioneers and Valuers, 26 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2,
D02 X665, Ireland
