Gerard Dillon 'Tea Party' sells for $1.6M

Adam’s sold Gerard Dillon’s 1955 painting “Tea Party” for 1.375 million euros, or about $1.6 million, including fees at its Important Irish Art sale in Dublin on May 27, according to the auction house’s online results. The hammer price was 1.1 million euros against a pre-sale estimate of 150,000 euros to 200,000 euros, the catalog shows. Artnet reported the result on June 3 and said it tripled the Irish painter’s previous auction record. Adam’s lists the work as lot 10 in the sale and identifies it as oil on board measuring 86 by 99 centimeters. ### Why did this result draw attention beyond a routine Irish art sale? The 1.1 million-euro hammer price put the work roughly 450% above its high estimate, based on Adam’s published range of 150,000 euros to 200,000 euros. Artnet said the final price of about $1.6 million with fees set a new auction benchmark for Dillon. Heni, which tracks art-market sales, also described the result as a record and said it was a 225% jump over the artist’s previous high. (news.artnet.com) Adam’s posted a short video after the sale saying “Tea Party” achieved a “world record price” for Gerard Dillon at 1.375 million euros including buyer’s premium. The auction house’s artist results page now lists the same painting as sold on May 27 for a hammer price of 1.1 million euros. ### What exactly was the painting that sold? Adam’s describes “Tea Party” as a 1955 oil on board signed by Dillon and inscribed with the title on the reverse. (news.artnet.com) The catalog says the work measures 86 by 99 centimeters, or 34 by 39 inches. The lot page also gives a detailed provenance beginning with the Dawson Gallery in Dublin, where it says the Arts Council of Northern Ireland bought the work, followed by a 1993 Sotheby’s British and Irish Art sale and then the collection of Reeta and Frank Hughes of Warrenpoint, passing by descent. (adams.ie) The same catalog entry lists a long exhibition history. Adam’s says the painting appeared in the Irish Exhibition of Living Art in Dublin in 1955, in a 1971 Dawson Gallery show of Dillon’s early paintings of the west, in a 1972-73 retrospective shown in Belfast and Dublin, and in a 2003 retrospective exhibition. (adams.ie) ### Who was Gerard Dillon, and why does this work matter in his market? Adam’s identifies Gerard Dillon as a Belfast-born artist who lived from 1916 to 1971 and says he was largely self-taught. The auction house’s artist directory says Dillon left school at 14, studied at Belfast Technical School and later worked and exhibited in Belfast, Dublin and London. Artnet’s artist page describes him as an Irish artist known particularly for his depictions of Connemara landscapes. (adams.ie) The sale stands out because Dillon’s auction prices at Adam’s had generally been far lower in recent years. Adam’s results pages show other Dillon works selling in the thousands or tens of thousands of euros, including “Inishmore Lads” at 32,000 euros in November 2025 and “Turf Cutters” at 24,000 euros in September 2025. ### How should readers read the difference between 1.1 million euros and $1.6 million? (adams.ie) Adam’s reports the auction in euros and separates the hammer price from the final price with fees. The catalog and results pages show “Tea Party” at 1.1 million euros hammer, while the auction house’s video gives 1.375 million euros including buyer’s premium. Artnet converted the premium-inclusive total to about $1.6 million in its June 3 report. (adams.ie) The record claim refers to the artist’s auction market rather than a broader category of Irish art. Heni said the sale lifted Dillon’s record by 225%, while Artnet said the result tripled his previous auction high. Those descriptions both point to the same fact: “Tea Party” reset the top end of Dillon’s secondary-market pricing. ### Where can the sale be checked now? (news.artnet.com) Adam’s still has the May 27 Important Irish Art catalog online with lot 10, the estimate, provenance and exhibition history for “Tea Party.” The auction house also keeps a Gerard Dillon artist-results page that now lists the work among its completed sales. Artnet’s June 3 report and its artist page also reflect the sale date and work title in their coverage and database listings. (adams.ie) (news.artnet.com)