Fitzpatrick, Jim. The Art of Jim Fitzpatrick. Portfolio 1. (Signed by Fitzpatrick)

Dublin: Dé Danann Press, 1981. Large folio illustrated portfolio containing eight colour plates after the celebrated Irish artist Jim Fitzpatrick, each depicting scenes drawn from Irish mythology and legend, including Nemed the Great, Sadv the Deer Goddess, Lugh Attacks the Fomor Army, The Battle of Moira, Fathach, Poet of the Fir Bolg, Eochaid Slain by the Sons of Nuada, Dagda and the Woman of Uinnius, and Éri and the Son of the King of the Fomor. The plates are accompanied by a printed descriptive sheet detailing the mythological subjects. Portfolio with light wear and minor creasing to edges; plates clean and bright with strong colour. A very good example.

The first plate is signed by the artist, as issued. Original publisher’s illustrated portfolio folder with Celtic interlace design to upper cover and title panel. Printed by Dé Danann Press, Dublin, the plates measure approximately 16½ × 11½ inches and are produced in vivid colour with Fitzpatrick’s characteristic combination of intricate Celtic knotwork, mythological narrative, and Art Nouveau influence.

Jim Fitzpatrick (b. 1944), one of Ireland’s most distinctive modern illustrators, is internationally recognised for his richly stylised Celtic imagery and for the iconic 1968 portrait of Che Guevara, one of the most widely reproduced political images of the twentieth century. His work frequently draws on early Irish mythology, including the stories of the Tuatha Dé Danann and the cycles of heroic legend. This portfolio forms part of a series issued in the early 1980s presenting Fitzpatrick’s mythological compositions as collectible art prints, each portfolio containing eight large plates, the first signed by the artist.

[L1 BC Cabinet]