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In 1995, the world famous glass artist Dale Chihuly spent some time in Lismore, Co Waterford. At the time, he was working on his Chihuly Over Venice project, for which he made 14 monumental chandeliers in three countries with great glass traditions, and hung them in Venice. There’s a photo of the artist in the Waterford Crystal factory, standing under a vast chandelier composed of multiple blue glass elements.
It was the first time the glassblowers had worked with coloured glass. A painting by Chihuly, Dancing at Lismore Castle, Ireland, 1995, (est €3,000 to €5,000) is going under the hammer at Lot 100, a new auction house based in Lismore, Co Waterford. Read more The large (153 x 102 cm) acrylic and watercolour was made during Chihuly’s visit to Ireland and gifted to the current owner.
The timed online sale goes live on May 10 and concludes on May 20, with viewing at Lot 100, Chapel Street, Lismore. Dancing at Lismore Castle, Ireland, (1995) by Daly Chihuly at Lot 100 Lot 100 is a new venture by Ken Madden and Beth-Ann Smith, a couple best known for biscuits. Their former enterprise, The Lismore Food Company, has been placed on hold due to rising costs.
“In a previous life, I was an auctioneer,” Madden says. “I set up as traditional estate agent auctioneer on the Main Street in Lismore in the early 2000s and I enjoyed a good run at that for about 10 years.” Then recession hit and the biscuit business was born.
Now, the couple – who are clearly unafraid to try new things – have segued into art. “We’ve always collected art, and now I can combine my passion with my experience in auctioneering,” Madden says. You don’t have to spend thousands, although we have those pieces as well Lismore is a good place for art.
Lismore Castle Arts has an active exhibition programme with three venues in the town, including a gallery in the gardens of Lismore Castle. Within this milieu, Madden and Smith spotted an opportunity to buy and sell affordable modern and contemporary art. “We’re keen to attract younger buyers,” Madden explains.
“People who haven’t a huge amount of money to spend on art. You can buy something from us for €200 . You don’t have to spend thousands, although we have those pieces as well.
” Most of the artwork comes from Irish vendors. “Not a day goes by when the phone doesn’t ring with someone selling something.” The scale may be small, but the pace is full steam ahead with a total of six auctions in 2025.
Their second sale concluded on March 25. The top lot was a triptych of skateboards, screen printed with artwork by the American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988). Untitled (Face), 1982 by Jean-Michel Basquiat sold at Lot 100 “They were consigned by a skateboard collector in Dublin,” Madden says.
“They’re functional skateboards, but when you place them together they form a picture of a face.” The skateboards come from a collaboration between The Skateroom, The Jean-Michel Basquiat Foundation and Artestar, with screen prints drawn from Basquiat’s iconic 1980s artwork. Also in the March sale, Early Marks, a painting by Keith Payne (1942-2024) fetched €1,000.
The painting reflects the artist’s love of prehistoric art but Payne, who lived in west Cork, was best known for touring as set artist with the Rolling Stones and being part of the team that created Pink Floyd’s first inflatable pig in 1976. The pig famously broke loose from its moorings and floated across London, disrupting air traffic, but launching the careers of its creators. There’s more contemporary Irish art going under the hammer at the SumGood Art Auction 2025, which takes place in The Copper House Gallery, Dublin 8, on Wednesday, April 9.
The sale will be conducted by George Gerard Mealy, formerly of Fonsie Mealy’s in Castlecomer, and also takes place online. SumGood is a new Irish social enterprise co-founded by Mealy and Andy Sweeney, formerly of the Scoop Foundation. “The auction is to raise funds for our Kickstart Kitchen,” Mealy explains.
Stag by Chris Caulfield will go under the hammer at the SumGood Art Auction The Kickstart Kitchen will offer free professional chef training to those facing a barrier to employment, including former prisoners and people in Direct Provision. “All the artwork in the sale has been donated by Irish artists. They donate because they like to support the cause and because they want to spread the word about their work.
” Highlights of the sale include Maho by David Booth (Lot 22: est. €3,800 to €4,900), which was part of the Zurich Portrait Prize in 2020, and Chris Caufield’s graphic Stag (Lot 24: est €1,200 to €2,400). But there are also many more accessible pieces with estimates in the low hundreds.
The auction is hosted in association with Stewart Property Solutions. See lot100.ie and sumgood.
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