# Mainie Jellett artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/mainie-jellett/
Profile generated: 2026-05-23T13:46:00.000Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Nationality: Irish
- Movements: Modernism, Abstract art
- Common media: painting

## About Mainie Jellett

Mainie Jellett (1897–1944) was an Irish painter and one of the leading advocates of modern art in Ireland. Born in Dublin, she produced what are regarded as among the first abstract paintings shown in the country, most notably Decoration (1923), exhibited at the Society of Dublin Painters Group Show. Jellett became a vocal champion of modernist ideas at a time when Irish audiences were largely hostile to abstraction, and her work helped shift Irish art toward international avant-garde currents. Her paintings are held in museum collections across Ireland. She also participated in the art competition at the 1928 Summer Olympics. Active roughly from 1918 through the late 1930s, Jellett's career combined bold artistic experimentation with dedicated public advocacy for modernism in Irish cultural life.

## Common works and media

Jellett worked chiefly in oil and watercolour on paper and canvas. Her output includes abstract and semi-abstract compositions, decorative panel paintings, and later works that blend cubist-derived structure with figurative and religious subjects. Prints and works on paper occasionally appear at auction. Collectors encountering Jellett pieces should expect paintings, drawings, and gouaches rather than sculpture or print editions in large numbers.

## Market and appraisal context

Mainie Jellett's works appear at auction primarily under Irish Art and Modern British and Irish Art categories. Because her active period was relatively short and her total output modest, surviving works can be scarce. Provenance linked to the Society of Dublin Painters, major Irish institutions, or documented exhibition history adds value and supports attribution. Auction records may list her under variant spellings such as "Jellet" without the second t. Collectors should verify medium, date, and condition against museum-held examples. No specific price-range claims can be made from the available sources; consult recent auction results for current market data.

## Appraisily data basis

This Appraisily artist page draws on identity records from Wikidata, Getty ULAN, VIAF, and the RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History, supplemented by biographical context from Wikipedia. When available, Appraisily combines this artist research with public auction records, sale dates, realized prices, comparable lots, and provenance data to support appraisal-relevant insights.

## Sources

- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6736649
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500106470
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/15571307/
- RKD – Netherlands Institute for Art History: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/42157
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mainie_Jellett