Paisley Art Institute (PAI) has brought in more than £1.6 million from the sales of paintings from its collection.
Almost 100 pieces of art were auctioned off by Lyon & Turnbull auctioneers in Edinburgh last week, generating a total of £1.63m and exceeding the hopes of the 148-year-old charity which expected up to £1.5m to be accrued.
Paintings from the renowned Glasgow Boys were amongst the most coveted in the auction, fetching eye-watering sums.
The top purchase was for Sir John Lavery’s painting ‘Paisley Lawn Tennis Club’, which sold for £537,700. The painting depicts Paisley socialites at a tennis party in 1889.
F.C.B Cadell’s Pink and Gold sold for £250,200 and George Henry’s Banks of Allan Water triptych, a ‘forgotten’ masterpiece created in 1888, sold privately to a Scottish collector for £237,650.
The buyer, who is based in Scotland, has expressed the hope it will be displayed at some point in a public institution.
Commenting on the sale of Henry’s three linked paintings which illustrate Spring, Autumn and Winter from a popular contemporary ballad about the central Scottish waterway, Joe Hargan, president of PAI, said: “We, the trustees of the PAI, are delighted that George Henry’s concept of the triptych has been bought as a whole.
“The best result for a wonderful work and our thanks go to the patron.”
Sir James Guthrie’s ‘The Stonebreaker’ sold for £75,200 and David Forrester Wilson’s ‘Passing Day’ went for £57,700.
Sir Joseph Noël Paton’s ‘Michelangelo Sculpting the Statue of Night’ sold for £47,700, Stansmore Dean’s ‘The Breton Girl’ sold for £37,700, Olive Carleton Smyth’s ‘Bacchanale’ for £37,700, and Stanley Cursiter’s ‘Lobster Fishermen’ Rousay sold for £30,200.
In total there were 11 paintings sold for between £10,000 and £50,000. A further 58 sold for between £1,000 and £10,000 and ten sold for less than £1,000. A total of ten lots went unsold.
Nick Curnow, head of Fine Art at Lyon & Turnbull, said: “It was a delight to be on the rostrum and see so much interest in a wonderful range of Scottish artists.
“It was particularly heartening to see such appreciation for works by Glasgow Girls, Stansmore Richmond Leslie Dean and Olive Carleton Smyth, as well as determined bidding for David Forrester Wilson, F.C.B Cadell and Stanley Cursiter.”
James McNaught, associate director with Lyon & Turnbull said: “Lyon & Turnbull was delighted to offer a fantastic selection of works from the illustrious PAI collection. The funds raised from the sale will continue the work of the PAI supporting artists across Scotland.”
PAI said previously the sale – of what amounts to around a quarter of its collection – was needed to fund its move from Paisley to Glasgow, where it has set up at the city’s Art Club on Bath Street.
Joe Hargan was president of the Glasgow Art Club between 2018 and 2021.
The move follows a disagreement between the institute and Renfrewshire Council about display space the collection was allocated at the refurbished Paisley Museum.
Branding the space as “nothing more than a thoroughfare”, the institute then chose to leave Paisley altogether and removed all of its art from the care of the local authority – which had housed it up until that point – and moved it to Glasgow Art Club.
Money raised from the auction will go towards the Glasgow Art Club and the conservation of the remaining PAI collection. Anne Hargan, PAI secretary said: “We are delighted with the result…but have mixed feelings and much sadness that it has come to this.
“This success enables our continuity in promoting the arts. We are excited and looking forward to continuing with our altruistic purposes.”
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