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Desmond Carrick RHA (1928-2012)
DESMOND CARRICK RHA - THE LIE OF THE LAND and PASTEL OF FIGURES AND TREES (A PAIR)
pastel signed lower right
special limited edition book; (1); oil pastel on paper; (1)
12½ x 10½in. (31¾ x 26.67cm)
Gandon Editions, Cork, 2009. Special hardbacked edition contained in maroon coloured leather and linen board and
matching linen presentation slip case. Dimensions of pastel, 11.5 by 16.25in, contained in presentation container.
Desmond Carrick was elected a member of the RHA in 1968 and became one of the institution’s most eminent and
active members. For forty-four years his paintings were a familiar sight on the academy walls, particularly during the
annual exhibitions. His role as secretary for the academy in the late 1970s saw his skills as an administrator come to
the fore and he played a crucial role in facilitating the transformation of the old academy site into the modern space
it is today. He sat on various academy committees and was central to the process of electing new members, as well as
the coordination of the annual show, in which he exhibited since 1951. Carrick’s journey towards becoming an artist
was gradual. He followed in his father’s footsteps with a career in the Guinness brewery from 1945 but pursued his
interest in art through classes at NCAD where Seán Keating and Maurice MacGonigal (both past presidents of the RHA)
were his tutors. He won the coveted Taylor Scholarship in 1956; a prize which facilitated a trip to Spain and ignited a
lifelong passion for light and colour. Often in the company of fellow academian James Nolan, he would continue this
pursuit in weekend trips around Dublin and to the West of Ireland and later with regular trips to Spain and France. While
continuing to work in Guinness (he remained with the brewery until 1977) his talents as an artist were recognised. Bryan
Guinness, later Lord Moyne, director of the brewing company, became a patron and he was commissioned to paint a
large mural depicting the brewing process for the company’s visitor centre in 1958. In the late 1950s Carrick designed
and constructed his own home and studio at Killakee. He married Deirdre Mellett in 1967 and together they enjoyed life
in the picturesque surroundings of the Dublin Mountains. After his retirement from Guinness, the couple spent part of
the year abroad in Southern Spain and in France. Much of the work painted on these sojourns was later submitted for
exhibition in the RHA annual show or in various exhibitions with the Dublin Painters Gallery, Ritchie Hendriks Gallery,
IELA, Oireachtas among others. In 2009 Gandon Editions published a profusely illustrated text on Carrick’s life and
career, The Lie of the Land. This brought to light his journey and celebrated the diversity of his skills as an artist in oil,
watercolour, sculpture and stained glass.
€150-€200 (£110-£140 approx.)
Large Image & Place Bid Lot 83Christmas Auction Ar t & Collectibles 8 December 2015