Strong demand continued at Whyte’s Irish & international Art auction on Monday, 31 May. Billed as a “virtual auction” with real time bidding on-line, by telephone and by absentee instructions – i.e. an auction with all but bidders in the room – the sale attracted nearly 600 bidders. 500 were on-line and the rest were on the telephone or had left absentee bids.

The top price was €160,000 for a Jack Yeats oil depicting a horse and jockey – Muldoon and Rattlesnake, €10,000 above the top estimate. An outstanding Patrick Leonard picture of Loughshinney in 1943 created a world record for an oil painting by this artist at €34,000 (a pastel made €40,000 in the heady days of 2006). Seán Keating’s Thinking Out Gobnet – including a portrait of Harry Clarke in the scene – made €58,000 while an ink drawn illustration by the same Harry Clarke sold for over twice its presale estimate at €12,500.