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Art gallerists tend to put the stamp of their personalities - and their sensibilities - on their galleries, to a greater or lesser extent. Greater, certainly, in the case of Oliver Dowling. In the twenty years or so of his gallery’s existence, his individual identity unfailingly came through, even though the work he exhibited throughout that time was actually quite diverse. A sense of consistency and continuity emerged with his meticulous curatorial style and distinctive aesthetic sense, in a way that recalls, in another arena, Manfred Eicher’s overseeing of the ECM (Editions of Contemporary Music) record label. With ECM, the musicians do what they want to do, but you’re always aware that it’s a topnotch, Manfred Eicher production.
Similarly, Oliver generated a particular, almost hallowed atmosphere in his Kildare Street gallery. Visit and you were in no doubt that you were there to engage with art in a serious, attentive way, and frivolity would be misplaced. That had to do partly with the domestic scale of the building. The exhibition space was relatively modest, something that could and did enhance the experience. When he showed Michael Craig-Martin’s celebrated conceptual piece An Oak Tree in 1977, it was not the work’s debut outing, but it was so effective you could be forgiven for thinking it had been conceived and created exclusively with the gallery in mind.
The works he chose to acquire conformed to the same exacting taste he applied to curating his exhibitions. He was at pains to ensure that every show was up to the standard of that Craig-Martin solo. That includes the first solo shows by such notable Irish artists as Michael Coleman and Fergus Martin. Both artists are illustrative of his commitment to sensibility over style per se, in the way that their work, with a common grounding close to Minimalism, has developed and evolved independently over the years, often setting off in surprising directions. The American painter Jo Baer is another case in point. Her move to Ireland in 1975 marked her shift from Minimalist Abstraction to what she terms “radical figuration.” The fact is that while Oliver was clearly drawn to Minimalist principles - especially a liking for the simplest, most elegant solution - he was also open to and excited by innovative work across a broad field, encompassing Conceptualism (Craig-Martin), Performance (Nigel Rolfe), Photo-text (Willie Doherty) and what might be described as a Zen-like free spirit, with an American West Coast accent in the case of Bob Janz. There’s a touch of Zen in the work of the fine, thoughtful abstract painter Jerry Zeniuk, and something comparable to Janz’s lyricism is evident in the concise creations of Mary Fitzgerald and Moya Bligh (who spent time in Japan). Patricia Douthwaite’s quirky free spirit clearly appealed. A poetic flair is evident in the work of Joel Fisher whose Apopgraphs, based on fleeting, captured forms explore the area between, and the transition from immaterial transience to solid durability. Similarly, James Coleman’s Double Flash Piece is a very nuts-and-bolts outline of an installation that is fleeting and intangible in its manifestation. Artistic alchemy clearly appealed to Oliver, so it’s hardly surprising that he was instrumental in getting Joseph Beuys to come to Ireland. Beuys’ fame and influence in the fields of performance and installation, and as a persona, can tend to eclipse his extraordinary ability in painting and the graphic arts.
The rigorous, Minimalist side of Oliver’s imagination also clearly drew him to the pared back work of Willie McKeown, to the exacting Ciarán Lennon, the logical explorations of Raimund Girke and of course Cecil King’s elegant, perfectly pitched compositions. One could add the sure feeling for monumental form central to the creations of the great Basque sculptor Eduardo Chillida, Spaniard Silverio Rivas, Spanish-Uruguayan painter and sculptor Leopoldo Nóvoa, the Northern Irish sculptor John Aiken, and the English sculptor Wendy Taylor. There is an evident liking for clarity of design and statement in representational works by Tom MacDonald, Derrick Greaves, and Katherine Richardson - who takes an analytical, deep-time approach to the landscape.
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By the time he launched the gallery, with his partner Cecil King as a significant background presence (as an exhibiting artist, King remained loyal to David Hendricks and continued to show with him until his death in 1986), Oliver had amassed a great deal of experience in the Irish art world, having worked on Rosc and as Visual Arts Officer with the Arts Council, a position he returned to in the late-1990s. He took the long view, noting how progressive individuals, such as Alice Berger Hammerschlag or Bet Low, could be important agents for cultural change. Always innovative in his curatorial ambitions, he was also involved in the 1996 Parisian festival of Irish culture, L’Imaginaire Irlandaise and a driving force in the formidable, international Dublin Contemporary in 2011. The works that he collected along the way are a testament to one of the sharpest, most enquiring minds in the visual arts of his time.
By Aidan Dunne
Important Irish Art Auction Highlights
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'
Our June auction offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to acquire one of the great masterpieces of Irish art and icons of Dublin’s history.
Georgia Chiesa selects some of her favourite lots in the upcoming Vintage Wine & Spirits Auction
"Beating the bounds is a tradition that can be traced back to the medieval period. At this time, land was divided into parishes and the clergy and church wardens held the responsibility for its upkeep and management. It was up to the Church to ensure that its parishioners knew the local boundary lines and, before maps became commonplace, this had to be kept as a mental record."
Adam’s in conjunction with Suzanne MacDougald are proud to host an online timed auction of artworks to aid the Irish Red Cross’s humanitarian work in delivering vital services to millions of people impacted by the conflict in Ukraine. With no buyers premium 100% of the hammer price will go directly to the Irish Red Cross.
Ros Drinkwater writes of Jack B Yeats' 'The Boat' in the Business Post:
With a consolidated result of €320,000,the At Home sale in Stephan’s Green, was a great success.
James Adam & Sons Ltd, Fine Art Auctioneers and Valuers, 26 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2,
D02 X665, Ireland
