Halls Fine Art have consigned a poignant and provoking bronze sculpture for sale by celebrated Irish artist Frederick Edward (F.E.) McWilliam (1909-1992). The piece will go under the hammer on the 6^th December and carries an auction estimate of £25,000-£30,000 (+fees).

McWilliam was born in Bainbridge, County Down and was heavily influenced by childhood memories of violent clashes that occurred in his hometown, including seeing his own father treating a young child who had been shot while caught in the crossfire. His career brought him to London, where he spent most of his adult life, but some of his most acclaimed works focused upon his reactions to events in Ireland during the heights of The Troubles.

During the 1970s McWilliam created a series of harrowing female figures in bronze, titled The Women of Belfast, the sculptures represented women as the victims of war. They were inspired by the victims of a particularly brutal bombing of the Abercorn Restaurant in central Belfast on the 4^th March 1972. The venue was packed with diners at the time, a bomb exploded at 4.30 in the afternoon, having been disguised in a handbag on the floor. Two young women in their early twenties were killed instantly and over 130 others suffered catastrophic and life-changing injuries.

In response to the Abercorn bombing McWilliam created the Women of Belfast series, the female figures memorialising not only the two tragic lives lost, but also representing all the victims who suffered during the height of The Troubles in Northern Ireland. The significance of these sculptures is no less poignant today, exemplifying the innumerable innocents caught up in modern conflicts worldwide.

Each of the figurines from the series features a female victim in a different pose, being violently blown through the air. The figure consigned with Halls Fine Art portrays a woman fighting to remain standing, her head bowed, limbs at unnatural angles, her clothing blown forcefully backwards by the sheer force of the explosion. It stands at 61 cm high and McWilliam portrays the whole of her body reacting against the blast. The figure is charged with energy, her body tense, trying to resist against an even more powerful force.

For more information, or for a free valuation, please contact Halls’ Fine Art Specialist Abigail Molenaar by emailing fineart@hallsgb.com