Louis Le Brocquy (Ireland, 1916-2012) oil on canvas abstract painting titled “Torso” rendered in a heavy impasto technique. Signed lower right. Titled en verso. Housed in a contemporary frame. Sight – 11 1/2″ H x 9 3/4″ W. Framed – 18 1/8″ H x 16 1/8″ W. Late 20th century. Biography (courtesy Askart): A self taught artist, Louis le Brocquy is considered one of the most successful Irish artists of the twentieth century. He was born in Dublin to Albert le Brocquy, Honorary Secretary of the League of Nations Society in Ireland, and Sybil Staunton Le Brocquy, co-founder of Amnesty International in Ireland. At age 17, he began pursuing his art talent. Encouraged by his mother, he left Ireland in 1938 to study art collections in London, Paris, Venice and Geneva. He returned to Dublin and launched his career in contemporary art, although he also spent time in London, living there for periods of time. In addition to creating art, he was a teacher at the Central School of Arts and Crafts, a founder and board member of the Irish Museum of Modern Art in Dublin, and a founding member of the Kilkenny Design Workshops. Provenance: Collection of Charles and Ann Wells, Nashville, Tennessee, purchased directly from the artist, May 1957. CONDITION: Some light craquelure to surface of canvas. 1/8″ paint flake, lower right quadrant. Canvas slightly loose in frame.