IMPORTANT IRISH ART 1 DECEMBER 2025

66 39 Daniel O’Neill (1920-1974) SPANISH DANCERS AT THE GAIETY, DUBLIN oil on board signed lower left 28 by 24in. (71.1 by 61cm) Frame Size: 31 by 27in. (78.7 by 68.6cm) Provenance: de Veres, 28 September 2010, lot 127; Private collection This theatrical oil painting depicts two dancers immersed in their performance which appears to have reached a climactic conclusion. The stage curtains frame the composition while the moody backdrop, reminiscent of the artist’s landscape paintings - including the full moon leitmotif - create an atmosphere that is simultaneously romantic and dramatic. The pale figure of the female dancer, bathed in a pool of light, dominates downstage in a pose that stretches the width of the painting. She gazes up at her partner; their hands touching. The male figure with his slender limbs and effeminate features lends movement to the scene while his ‘chaleco’ waistcoat and highwaisted red ‘pantalón’ inject colour to the muted palette. O’Neill’s fascination with surface texture can be seen to great effect in this painting. Here the dazzling nature of the costumes under the spotlights are communicated through the impastoed drizzle, dotting and scraping of white, grey and pink paint. The filigree effect this creates adds to the sense of spectacle while also adding depth by pushing the dancers forward. This technique recalls the elaborate ‘traje de luces’ or ‘suit of light’ worn by the bullfighter in the artist’s 1949 work Matador as well as the ornate mantilla veils in many of his portraits, among them Echoes Past (Collection of IMMA, ref no. IMMA.1483). O’Neill’s friend and fellow artist George Campbell was similarly inspired by Spain and its vibrant culture, with Flamenco and its most celebrated dancer Carmen Amaya among his Iberian subjects. Flamenco was brought to Irish audiences at the Gaiety Theatre, Dublin in the late 1940s and 1950s when it was under the ownership of Louis Elliman and his family. Elliman brought lavish productions to the capital city among them Luisillo and his Spanish Dance Theatre, Antonio Gades and the celebrated duo of Pilar López and José Greco. It’s not clear whether O’Neill attended any of these shows in person but the power of the performance in this painting would suggest he did and that the Spanish dancers left a lasting impression. Adelle Hughes November 2025 €20,000-€30,000 (£17,540-£26,320 approx.) Click here for more images and to bid on this lot39