5867

The Honourable Mrs Philip Leyland Kindersley, née Oonagh Guinness 1931

Seated three-quarter length slightly to the right, head turned full face to the viewer, wearing a chiffon frilled gown, her left hand raised to her neck, her right holding a straw hat by her side, decorated with a blue ribbon

Oil on canvas, 165.1 x 129.6 cm (65 x 51 in.)

Inscribed lower left: de László. 1931 

NPG Album 1931, p. 11, Mrs. Philip Kindersley L'Eventail [the fan]

Sitters’ Book II, opp. f. 68: Oonagh Kindersley April 17th 1931

Private Collection

In June 1931 the Charpentier Gallery in Paris held one of the most important solo exhibitions of de László’s career. Contemporary photographs show this portrait was hung alongside those of Mrs Esmond Harmsworth [4770], Maréchal Lyautey [6118], the Duchess of York [4460] and Lord Roberts [6924].

As a granddaughter of 1st Earl of Iveagh, the sitter was a distant relation of the artist’s wife, Lucy Guinness, who came from the banking branch of the family. Both she and Lord Iveagh were descended from Arthur Guinness (1725-1803) founder of the brewery.^[1] De László painted the sitter’s uncle Walter Guinness, 1st Baron Moyne, in uniform in 1915 [3194] and a double portrait of his wife Lady Evelyn and son Murtogh in 1917 [5451].

Sittings began 9 April and de László noted in his diary that he made a preparatory drawing for the composition [111612]: “Mrs Kindersley came – the denty [sic, i.e. “dainty” ] small but graceful blond Guinness girl – granddaughter of the late Lord Iveagh – daughter to Ernest Guinness. The second portrait I am asked to paint from that branch of the family. She is sympathetic – and after one hour trying I succeeded to get a graceful very good position for her.”^[2] Oonagh brought her dressmaker to the first sitting and de László “explained the simple early Victorian dress I want for the portrait.”^[3] He was very particular about what his sitters’ wore and often asked them to have something new made in a historical style. De László  admired Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792), President of the Royal Academy of Art, who advised in his influential Discourses it was important a portrait should not look modern and de László intended his portraits to hang alongside the works of the past masters he so admired: Van Dyck, Gainsborough, Reynolds and Lawrence. The frame for this portrait was provided by de László’s longtime framemaker Emile Remy (c.1868-1949) who supplied the high quality frames that the artist’s patrons required.^[4] 

There were eight sittings for the portrait, a number reserved for pictures de László felt would be his best work. On 29 April he wrote: “got on well finished to [sic] dress - transparent  white – it was a delight to paint it. A friend of hers came lovely red haired [sic] – this [sic] modern girls have much to be said for – but no depths – There [sic] life is on the surface – The Guinness girl has great charm. I feel she will have a good pic.” It was completed during a full day of sitting 7 May, “she has one of my very best portrait[s] it goes to Paris – I succeeded in the silver grey values of the general callour [sic].”^[5] 

Oonagh wrote to thank the artist and to invite him and Lucy to visit them at 11 Rutland Gate to see the portrait hung after it had returned from exhibition in Paris: “My picture has been admired by every one. Most people say it is the loveliest picture they have ever seen.”^[6] The honorarium was £1575, the equivalent of some £72,000 today.^[7] In 1935 the portrait was illustrated in colour in the Women’s Journal which prompted a letter from Princess Alexis Kara-Georgevitch [5857]: “how I regret not to see that portrait for it is too lovely; like one of the best of the 18th Cent portraits - every detail perfect hands, hat, bracelets, necklace etc. and no doubt a much better likeness of the sitter than were the 18th Cent portraits.”^[8]

Oonagh Guinness was born 22 February 1910 in London, the youngest of three daughters of the Honourable Arthur Ernest Guinness (1876-1949) and his wife Marie Clotilde Russell (1880–1953), daughter of Sir George Russell. Arthur Guinness was the second son of Edward Guinness, 1st Earl of Iveagh (1847–1927). Oonagh and her sisters Aileen (born 1904) and Maureen (born 1907) were raised at Glenmaroon at Chapelizod, Dublin, and also in England. In 1923 the family travelled the world on their yacht before being introduced to London society. All three were exceptionally beautiful, known as the ‘Golden Guinness Girls’ and famous for their lavish parties.

On 24 June 1929 Oonagh married the Honourable Philip Leyland Kindersley (1907-1995). There were two children of the marriage: Gay (born 1930) and Tessa (born 1932). The couple divorced in 1935. On 29 April the following year she married Dominick Geoffrey Edward Browne, 4th Lord Oranmore and Browne of Castle MacGarret and Mereworth Castle (1901-2002). There were two children of the marriage: Garech (born 1939), Tara (born 1945) and a stillborn son in 1943.    

In 1937 Oonagh’s father gave her Luggala Lodge on the vast Guinness Estate south of Dublin. It had been built by the La Touche family in 1787 and modelled after Horace Walpole’s Strawberry Hill. She entertained a wide variety of artistic and literary figures and this was continued by her son Garech, who welcomed the Beatles, Mick Jagger and Michael Jackson. The present portrait hung at Luggala until her death in 1995, having been rescued from a fire in 1956.^[9] 

Oonagh married once more in 1957 to Miguel Ferreras Aciro (1927–1999), a New York dress designer. They divorced in 1965. She died at Luggala 2 August 1995.

PROVENANCE:

The sitter;

By descent in the family;

Sold through Christopher Wood at Grosvenor House Antiques Fair, 2005;

Private Collection;

Sold Ahlers & Ogletree, Atlanta, 13 September 2020, lot 400

EXHIBITED:

•Hôtel Jean Charpentier, Paris, Exposition P.A. László, June 1931, no. 57

•M. Knoedler & Co., London, Portraits by Philip A. de László, M.V.O., 21 June-22 July 1933, no. 23  

LITERATURE:       

•Le Bulletin de L’Art Ancien et Moderne, no. 780 (July/Aug. 1931), ill. p. 316

•Daily Telegraph, 21 June 1933

•The Daily Mail, 21 June 1933

•Evening News, 23 June 1933

•The Illustrated London News, 24 June 1933, p. 941, ill.

•Bury, Adrian, “The Art of Philip de László: An Appreciation,” Apollo, July 1933, ill. p. 21

•Siklóssy, László, “László Fülöp” Pesti Hírlap, Budapest, 1933, pp. 12-14

•Woman’s Journal, vol. XV, no. 87, January 1935, ill. front cover

•O’Byrne, Robert, Luggala Days: The Story of a Guinness House, CICO Books, 2012, p. 62, ill. p. 63

•Howard, Paul, I Read the News Today, Oh Boy, Picador, London, 2016

•László, Philip de, 1931 diary, private collection

•DLA073-0134, letter from Philip Kindersley to de László, 7 July 1931  

•DLA073-0129, letter from de László’s secretary to Philip Kindersley, 29 July 1931  

•DLA073-0127, letter from Mrs Philip Kindersley to de László, 29 September 1931

•DLA022-0356, letter from Princess Alexis Kara-Georgevitch to de László, 8 January 1935  

KF 2020