John Schwatschke

Born to Austro-Irish parents, John Schwatschke is most widely known for his inventive caricature portraits. His study and interest in the face, and its expressions over a lifetime has produced some 2,500 portraits and bronze busts, recorded in the Schwatschke Archives, both in academic and caricature portraiture. As the New York critic A.G. Rothenberg wrote in 1996 of Schwatschke, “The choice of subject and the depiction of feeling in the portrayal of his subjects is special, and shows it comes from an individual hand. It is an autograph of the artist’s character and spirit.”1

In Waterford the artist lived in Corballymore, Dunmore East and was a pupil of Bishop Foy School, later attending The King’s Hospital Dublin. He went on to study art and architecture in Dublin & Munich, and was a project manager on two large construction projects in Jeddah, working for the King’s banker there.

His formal portrait sittings include those of Pres. E. de Valera (Chancellor NUI) whom he came to know over a two year period, and who told the artist “Do one thing, and do it well, and I believe this should be art.”2 Other sitters include Harold Robbins, Robert Mitchum, Ingrid Bergman, the Duke of Edinburgh (1976), Lunia Czechowska, Church Hierarchy, and the last portraits of Bernadette Greevy, Cyril Cusack and Noel Purcell (Carlow Town Collection).

In 1970-79 the artist had his studio in Provence at Mougins, where he rented an old mill house from the French singer Serge Reggiani, and was a neighbour of Pablo Picasso. It was here that some 200 of the artist’s works were to be exhibited in the newly formed Le Musée Schwatschke. However, government restrictions held up the project and it was instead transferred to Ireland and built near the artist’s home at Carlow, opened 1976 by The Austrian Ambassador with Suzanne McDougald (closed 1994).

1. “Interview with the Artist”, Z. Medlow, 1994
2. “Schwatschke”, Biography & Catalogue Raisonné of the first 1,000 works. Mary Robertson 1996. Minerva, London/Washington. ISBN 1 86106 023 8.

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Found 63 item(s) / Showing 29-56

'A DOCTOR CALLS (AGAIN)'
- Price Realised: €1,500
- Sale: 18 November 2003
- oil on canvas
- 91 by 76cm., 36 by 30in.
'EDUCATING ARCHIE'
- Price Realised: €1,400
- Sale: 29 April 2003
- oil on canvas
- 61 by 51cm., 24 by 20in.
'YOU'LL KNOW HER WHEN YOU SEE HER'
- Price Realised: €1,333
- Sale: 19 November 2001
- oil on canvas
- 76 by 76cm., 30 by 30in.
'PLAYING THE FIELD'
- Price Realised: €1,333
- Sale: 17 December 2000
- oil on canvas
- 75 by 60cm., 29.5 by 23.5in.
'GAUGHAN'S, MAIN STREET, FOXFORD, COUNTY MAYO'
- Price Realised: €1,200
- Sale: 14 June 2021
- oil on canvas
- 30 x 40in. (76.20 x 101.60cm)
'CLOSING DOWN THE NORTH WHARF, WATERFORD'
- Price Realised: €1,200
- Sale: 27 April 2004
- oil on panel
- 46 by 53cm., 18 by 21in.
'THE ACQUISITIONS'
- Price Realised: €1,016
- Sale: 10 October 2000
- oil on canvas
- 48 by 58cm., 19 by 23in.
'DOUBLES'
- Price Realised: €1,000
- Sale: 25 May 2020
- oil on canvas
- 20 x 24in. (50.80 x 60.96cm)
'MICK'S BAR'
- Price Realised: €950
- Sale: 28 September 2015
- oil on canvas
- 20 x 28in. (50.80 x 71.12cm)
'IT'S A LONG WAY FROM TIPPERARY, 2012'
- Price Realised: €950
- Sale: 26 November 2012
- oil on canvas
- 28 by 42in., 71.12 by 106.68cm.
'EYE ON THE BALL'
- Price Realised: €787
- Sale: 13 June 2001
- oil on canvas
- 91 by 61cm., 36 by 24in.
'BLIND DATE'
- Price Realised: €761
- Sale: 19 November 2001
- oil on canvas
- 76 by 61cm., 30 by 24in.
'GLITTERATI, 1999'
- Price Realised: €700
- Sale: 14 June 2021
- oil on canvas
- 23½ x 31½in. (59.69 x 80.01cm)
'RUSH HOUR'
- Price Realised: €700
- Sale: 01 March 2021
- oil on canvas
- 20 x 24in. (50.80 x 60.96cm)
'PINGIN, 2000'
- Price Realised: €700
- Sale: 29 September 2014
- oil on board
- 16 by 20in., 40 by 50cm.
'THE YAWN, 2012'
- Price Realised: €700
- Sale: 01 October 2012
- oil on canvas
- 22 by 18.5in., 56 by 47cm.
'RIGHT OF WAY, MULLINAVAT, COUNTY KILKENNY, 2016'
- Price Realised: €680
- Sale: 17 July 2017
- oil on canvas
- 24 x 30in. (60.96 x 76.20cm)
'MOMENT OF HESITATION'
- Price Realised: €620
- Sale: 25 July 2022
- oil on canvas
- 24 x 20in. (60.96 x 50.80cm)
'BREAK AT GOUGANE BARRA, COUNTY CORK, 2004'
- Price Realised: €620
- Sale: 04 March 2013
- oil on canvas
- 30 by 36in., 75 by 90cm.
'LES PARAPLUIES DE RUE FISHAMBLE, 2003'
- Price Realised: €600
- Sale: 11 December 2024
- oil and collage elements on canvas
- 36 x 24in. (91.44 x 60.96cm)
'DAWN ON THE RIVER, WATERFORD'
- Price Realised: €600
- Sale: 03 April 2023
- oil on canvas
- 16 x 20in. (40.64 x 50.80cm)
'AS TIME GOES BY'
- Price Realised: €600
- Sale: 23 October 2017
- oil on canvas
- 24 x 30in. (60.96 x 76.20cm)
'JUST THE TICKET, 2012'
- Price Realised: €600
- Sale: 30 September 2013
- oil on canvas
- 24 by 18in., 60 by 45cm.
'THE SIX O'CLOCK BUS, 2025'
- Price Realised: €520
- Sale: 20 October 2025
- oil on canvas; (unframed)
- 27½ x 27½in. (69.85 x 69.85cm)
'CLAUSE 1 A, 2023'
- Price Realised: €500
- Sale: 23 October 2023
- oil and collage element on canvas
- 24 x 21in. (60.96 x 53.34cm)
'A NEW NEIGHBOUR, FERRYBANK, 2006'
- Price Realised: €500
- Sale: 17 October 2022
- oil on canvas
- 24 x 18in. (60.96 x 45.72cm)
'L'ORCHESTRA'
- Price Realised: €500
- Sale: 04 March 2019
- oil on canvas
- 24 x 18in. (60.96 x 45.72cm)
'THE AGREEMENT'
- Price Realised: €480
- Sale: 03 April 2023
- oil on canvas
- 20 x 30in. (50.80 x 76.20cm)

'A DOCTOR CALLS (AGAIN)'

'EDUCATING ARCHIE'

'YOU'LL KNOW HER WHEN YOU SEE HER'

'PLAYING THE FIELD'

'GAUGHAN'S, MAIN STREET, FOXFORD, COUNTY MAYO'

'CLOSING DOWN THE NORTH WHARF, WATERFORD'

'THE ACQUISITIONS'

'DOUBLES'

'MICK'S BAR'

'IT'S A LONG WAY FROM TIPPERARY, 2012'

'EYE ON THE BALL'

'BLIND DATE'

'GLITTERATI, 1999'

'RUSH HOUR'

'PINGIN, 2000'

'THE YAWN, 2012'

'RIGHT OF WAY, MULLINAVAT, COUNTY KILKENNY, 2016'

'MOMENT OF HESITATION'

'BREAK AT GOUGANE BARRA, COUNTY CORK, 2004'

'LES PARAPLUIES DE RUE FISHAMBLE, 2003'

'DAWN ON THE RIVER, WATERFORD'

'AS TIME GOES BY'

'JUST THE TICKET, 2012'

'THE SIX O'CLOCK BUS, 2025'

'CLAUSE 1 A, 2023'

'A NEW NEIGHBOUR, FERRYBANK, 2006'

'L'ORCHESTRA'

'THE AGREEMENT'