John Behan, R.H.A. b.1938

The symbol of the Bull has particular resonance in an Irish context in relation to the Táin Bó Cúailnge, The Cattle Raid of Cooley, the central tale of the Ulster Cycle, one of the four great cycles in Irish mythology. Louis le Brocquy provided the highly distinctive black and white illustrations for Thomas Kinsella's seminal translation of the epic tale from the old Irish published in 1969 and it was in 1970, whilst working alongside le Brocquy that Behan cast his first Bull.

Born in Dublin and trained at the N.C.A.D., Dublin, Ealing Art College, London and The Royal Academy Schools, London, Behan has been one of the driving forces behind the development of sculpture in Ireland during the last 50 years. He has had numerous solo exhibitions at galleries such as The Project Arts Centre, Dublin; The Kenny Art Gallery, Galway and the Emmet Gallery, Dublin and major public commissions include his monumental Coffin Ship at Croagh Patrick (see lot 33) and Arrival at the United Nations Plaza in New York. His work is also held in the collections of The Dublin City Gallery The Hugh Lane and the Arts Council of Ireland amongst many others.