Frank McKelvey RHA RUA Biography and Works - Ross's Auctioneers & Valuers

Frank McKelvey RHA RUA

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Frank McKelvey RHA RUA

Frank McKelvey was a landscape and portrait painter born in Belfast. Before entering the Belfast School of Art he was a poster designer with David Allen & Sons. McKelvey won the Sir Charles Brett prize (1912) and the Fitzpatrick prize for figure drawing in 1914 and in 1917; he won a bronze medal in the Taylor Art competition.

In the early stages of his career, Frank was commissioned by Thomas McGowan to produce pictures of Old Belfast. Once he had completed the task, the pictures were later shown in 1930 in the Ulster Museum. This gained Frank huge recognition and from 1918 to 1973, he showed pictures in the Royal Hibernian Academy without missing a year. In 1930 he became a full member of the RHA and was one of the first Academicians of the Royal Ulster Academy. In 1936, Dutch citizens in Ireland as a gift for Princess Juliana purchased a few of his landscapes.

S.B Kennedy wrote a book called, ‘Frank McKelvey, RHA RUA, 1993’ and in it he wrote, ‘In essence he was a Romantic; yet in the inter-war years in particular, with his contemporaries amongst the landscapists, he helped to forge a new and distinct way of representing the Irish scene which is the nearest approximation we have to a distinct Irish school of painting….He had a sharp eye and could, with apparent ease, penetrate the essentials of his subject and set it down with a matching exactitude.’ 

Frank McKelvey RHA RUA - Unsold artworks for sale

There are currently 5 unsold artwork(s) that are open to offers
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Frank McKelvey RHA RUA - Auction results

There have been 131 artwork(s) sold in previous auctions
  • Lot 167 by Frank McKelvey RHA RUA at Ross's Auctions
    Lot 167 Sale Date: 08 October 2008
    Result: £30,000
  • BURTONPORT, DONEGAL by Frank McKelvey RHA RUA at Ross's Auctions
    BURTONPORT, DONEGAL Sale Date: 09 March 2016 Medium: Oil on Canvas Size: H 23" x W 34"
    Result: £15,000
  • Lot 225 by Frank McKelvey RHA RUA at Ross's Auctions
    Lot 225 Sale Date: 18 February 2009
    Result: £13,000
  • Lot 110 by Frank McKelvey RHA RUA at Ross's Auctions
    Lot 110 Sale Date: 04 June 2008
    Result: £7,500
  • Lot 115 by Frank McKelvey RHA RUA at Ross's Auctions
    Lot 115 Sale Date: 08 October 2008
    Result: £6,600
  • Lot 226 by Frank McKelvey RHA RUA at Ross's Auctions
    Lot 226 Sale Date: 28 January 2009
    Result: £6,000
  • FEEDING CHICKENS by Frank McKelvey RHA RUA at Ross's Auctions
    FEEDING CHICKENS Sale Date: 08 October 2014 Medium: Oil on Board Size: H 9" x W 12"
    Result: £6,000
  • PICNIC AT SANDHILL by Frank McKelvey RHA RUA at Ross's Auctions
    PICNIC AT SANDHILL Sale Date: 08 December 2016 Medium: Oil on Canvas Size: H 14" x W 20"
    Result: £6,000
  • DEVLIN'S SHOP, CUSHENDUN by Frank McKelvey RHA RUA at Ross's Auctions
    DEVLIN'S SHOP, CUSHENDUN Sale Date: 26 April 2018 Medium: Oil on Board Size: H 14" x W 18"
    Result: £6,000
  • Lot 162 by Frank McKelvey RHA RUA at Ross's Auctions
    Lot 162 Sale Date: 07 October 2009
    Result: £5,500
  • SANDHILLS NEAR GORTAHORK, DONEGAL by Frank McKelvey RHA RUA at Ross's Auctions
    SANDHILLS NEAR GORTAHORK, DONEGAL Sale Date: 02 July 2015 Medium: Oil on Canvas Size: H 20" x W 26"
    Result: £5,000
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