This talk will look at the huge rise of interest in Irish art from the mid-1990’s, coinciding with the Celtic Tiger, and the dramatic change that took place in 2007. The lecture will be illustrated by images of paintings by Jack Butler Yeats, William Orpen, John Lavery, Paul Henry, Roderick O’Connor and others. Grant Ford will look at some of the iconic images he has handled as an auctioneer over the years and tell the stories behind some of the major consignments.

Grant Ford spent 30 years at Sotheby’s and was Senior Director and Head of British & Irish Art post-1850. Since 2007, he has been a paintings specialist for the BBC’s Antiques Roadshow and is particularly well-known in the fields of Victorian, Irish, Scottish and European art.