Morgan O'Driscoll Irish & International Art Auction 30th April 2018 at 6pm

60 John Behan RHA (b. ) WEST OF IRELAND FAMINE SHIP signed bronze sculpture artist’s copy 68 x 67 x 29cm (26.77 x 26.38 x 11.42in) Provenance: Private Collection €8,000-12,000 (£6,956-10,434) John Behan first created The Famine Ship to stand at the base of Croagh Patrick, County Mayo. The large-scale sculpture faces west overlooking the Atlantic Ocean symbolizing the departure of so many emigrants who sailed away in that direction. Fierce in impact, the hull of the boat is birthed at land, the mast laden with the skeleton bodies of lost emigrants. In large or smaller scale, The Famine Ship series carries an indescribable depth of history, poignant loss and struggle for life. Commissioned by the Irish government to commemorate the contribution of Irish emigrants worldwide, a 26-by-24-foot bronze themed piece on The Famine Ship entitled “Arrival” now stands in the plaza in front of the United Nations headquarters in New York.