Irish Art At Sotheby's

Canny investors are being advised to consider putting their money into Irish modern art as international buyers are expected to continue driving up its value. Sotheby's host the latest sale of Ireland's foremost artists at the end of the month and the auction house expects even more interest from foreign collectors and dealers. Last year the Modern and Contemporary Irish Art sale raised €1.4m this year experts hope it will hit €1.7m. Among the artists selected for the sale are the ever popular Louis le Brocquy, pop artist Robert Ballagh, modernist Michael Farrell and world renowned Sean Scully. Guide prices for the 85 lots in the sale run from €2,800 to €280,000. A spokeswoman for Sotheby's said buyers were no longer looking to works by artists from the 19th and early 20th centuries but wanted more radical pieces. "There has been a sales shift. Not everyone wants a [Jack B] Yeats or [Sir John] Lavery," she said. "These are more affordable and this is the sort of art we would back as a good investment for the future." The prize buy of the Irish art sale is an intriguing work by Sean Scully. 'Westray' is an oil painting made up of several crossed bands of colour and expected to attract international bidders. The modern and contemporary Irish art sale takes place at Sotheby's London auction rooms on October 30.