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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 3 unsold artwork(s) that are open to offers-
WHITE LINEN HALL, BELFASTView more detailsEstimate: £700 - £900
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RICHARDSON & OWDEN'S LINEN WAREHOUSE, CHICHESTER STREET, BELFASTView more detailsEstimate: £1,500 - £2,000
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WHITE LINEN HALL, BELFASTView more detailsEstimate: £800 - £1,200
Frank McKelvey RHA RUA - Auction results
There have been 165 artwork(s) sold in previous auctions-
Lot 167 Sale Date: 08 October 2008Result: £30,000
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BURTONPORT, DONEGAL Sale Date: 09 March 2016 Medium: Oil on Canvas Size: H 23" x W 34"Result: £15,000
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Lot 225 Sale Date: 18 February 2009Result: £13,000
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FEEDING CHICKENS IN THE GLENS Sale Date: 13 August 2020 Medium: Oil on Canvas Size: H 15" x W 20"Result: £9,200
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Lot 110 Sale Date: 04 June 2008Result: £7,500
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Lot 115 Sale Date: 08 October 2008Result: £6,600
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ROSTREVOR & CARLINGFORD LOUGH Sale Date: 08 August 2019 Medium: Oil on Canvas Size: H 18" x W 24"Result: £6,400
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PICNIC AT SANDHILL Sale Date: 08 December 2016 Medium: Oil on Canvas Size: H 14" x W 20"Result: £6,000
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UNLOADING THE CATCH, DUNFANAGHY, DONEGAL Sale Date: 16 May 2019 Medium: Oil on Canvas Size: H 20" x W 17"Result: £6,000
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Lot 226 Sale Date: 28 January 2009Result: £6,000
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DEVLIN'S SHOP, CUSHENDUN Sale Date: 26 April 2018 Medium: Oil on Board Size: H 14" x W 18"Result: £6,000