Robert O'Rorke
Highway
Estimate: 1.000 - 1.500 GBP
Price realised: 1.875 GBP
Price realised: 1.875 GBP
Description
signed and dated 'ROBERT O'RORKE 1969' (on the stretcher); signed again 'R O'RORKE' (on the canvas overlap)
oil and collage on canvas
48 x 36 in. (122 x 91.5 cm.)
O'Rorke graduated from the Royal College of Art in 1969, and has had several one-man exhibitions; the most recent being at the Piers Feetham Gallery in 2016. He has also widely exhibited in many mixed shows including the International Art Fair, Los Angeles, the Royal Academy, London, the London Art Fair, Islington, the International Art Fair, Salzburg, the Whitechapel Art Gallery, London and the London Group.
Highway is a powerful painting and was executed in 1969, during the Vietnam War. The lower quadrant of the composition contains images of captured American airmen sitting isolated, separated from one another by the clear black compositional structure of their individual prison cells. The artist's use of vigorous, gestural brushwork in the centre of the composition, combined with the lettering, reinforces the prisoners' sense of helplessness. This feeling is further reinforced by the image of the
We are very grateful to the artist for his assistance in cataloguing this work, and lot 78.
oil and collage on canvas
48 x 36 in. (122 x 91.5 cm.)
O'Rorke graduated from the Royal College of Art in 1969, and has had several one-man exhibitions; the most recent being at the Piers Feetham Gallery in 2016. He has also widely exhibited in many mixed shows including the International Art Fair, Los Angeles, the Royal Academy, London, the London Art Fair, Islington, the International Art Fair, Salzburg, the Whitechapel Art Gallery, London and the London Group.
Highway is a powerful painting and was executed in 1969, during the Vietnam War. The lower quadrant of the composition contains images of captured American airmen sitting isolated, separated from one another by the clear black compositional structure of their individual prison cells. The artist's use of vigorous, gestural brushwork in the centre of the composition, combined with the lettering, reinforces the prisoners' sense of helplessness. This feeling is further reinforced by the image of the
We are very grateful to the artist for his assistance in cataloguing this work, and lot 78.
A top price for Robert O'Rorke
The work Highway by Robert O'Rorke was sold in the Modern/British Art Online auction at Christies in London in November 2017. It achieved a price of GBP 1,875.00 (€ 2,128.40), exceeding the upper end of the estimate range by 25%. With this result, Highway is even the most expensive work of art by Robert O'Rorke that we have observed at auctions so far.
Ein Spitzenpreis für Robert O'Rorke
Die Arbeit Highway von Robert O'Rorke wurde im November 2017 in der Auktion Modern/British Art Online bei Christies in London versteigert. Sie erzielte dabei einen Preis von GBP 1.875,00 (€ 2.128,40) und übertraf damit das obere Ende der Schätzpreisspanne um 25%. Mit diesem Ergebnis ist Highway sogar das teuerste Kunstwerk von Robert O'Rorke, das wir bisher bei Auktionen beobachtet haben.
Robert O'Rorke - Auction history
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