Paintings by Irish dance legend Michael Flatley have sold for over €1m since they were exhibited in London last month.
It was the Lord of the Dance star’s debut London exhibition and took place in the 12 Hay Hill art gallery in the fancy Mayfair district of Britain’s capital.
Flatley creates his paintings by dancing on the canvas. A press release described his process: “Flatley substitutes traditional paintbrushes with dance movements to create strong energetic, choreographed abstract compositions.”
It goes on to explain that this technique of painting: “Mirror the art form for which he is most famous and hereby capture the mystical, performative aspect of his dancing practice.”
The exhibition was called ‘Firedance’ and saw Flatley sell a dozen paintings at an average price of €74,000. The Irish Times reveal that negotiations regarding further sales are also taking place.
Following the exhibition a client from the Middle East has also commissioned Flatley €142,000 to create a painting.
He has certainly made an impression on the international art market. His spokesman said that he has: “received several offers from galleries and agents who want to represent him.”
It has been a great success for Flatley who was initially not sure how well his work would be received. Before the exhibition he said that he that he just wanted to showcase his art in public and “let the chips fall where they may”.
The type of canvases that Flatley uses for his art are strips of marley which is a type of linoleum floor covering used on stage by dancers.
Earlier this year, Flatley tested the market for his artwork by putting a few of his paintings up for auction in Dublin.
One painting – called ‘The Power’ – sold for €77,500 at a Morgan O’Driscoll Auctioneers auction in the RDS in Dublin.
Irish art dealer Morgan O’Driscoll recently discussed Flatley’s paintings on RTÉ’s The Late Late Show
