Lifestyle Ireland: Banksy-Inspired Auction Print and a Powerful Irish Feminist Reworking of Raphael
There is something quietly thrilling about the art world in Ireland right now: one moment it is a street-art-inflected screen print heading to auction, the next it is a bold Irish reimagining of a Renaissance masterpiece putting women at the centre of the frame. That mix of global influence and local conviction is exactly why lifestyle ireland stories around art, culture and public conversation continue to resonate well beyond gallery walls.
Two developments stand out this week. First, a Mr Brainwash print inspired by Banksy imagery has gone under the spotlight in a Morgan O’Driscoll online sale. Second, the collective Na Cailleacha has drawn attention with The School of Hibernia, a feminist photographic reworking of Raphael’s School of Athens, created to mark the National College of Ireland’s 75 years of promoting gender equality.
Lifestyle Ireland and the art stories shaping conversation now
The auction piece attracting attention is Art Tour (2021) by Mr Brainwash, the name used by French-born, Los Angeles-based artist Thierry Guetta. Estimated at €2,000 to €3,000, the screen print shows a brightly dressed couple viewing Banksy’s instantly recognisable Girl with Balloon image. The sale is being run online by Morgan O’Driscoll and closes on July 20.
Guetta remains one of the more unusual figures in contemporary art. He first became known for filming the street-art scene in the early 2000s, capturing artists including Banksy and Shepard Fairey. His rise gathered pace after Exit Through the Gift Shop, the documentary directed by Banksy, brought his story to a much wider audience. Since then, his pop-street visual language has found commercial success and a loyal collector base.
The appeal of this particular work lies partly in the image it references. Banksy’s Girl with Balloon has become one of the most famous street-art images in the world, helped along by years of reproductions, murals and, of course, that unforgettable moment when a framed version partially shredded itself at Sotheby’s in 2018 before later reselling for a staggering sum.
For buyers watching ireland lifestyle news and the auction market, the print also sits within a broader sale featuring notable Irish names, including:
- Martin Mooney’s The Castle of Foixa, Emporda, Spain
- Nano Reid’s Bring in the Nets
- Sean McSweeney’s Sea Fields
It is a reminder that irish lifestyle coverage is not only about fashion, wellness ireland trends or interiors; it also includes the objects, images and ideas people choose to live with.
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An Irish feminist reimagining with real cultural weight
If the Mr Brainwash sale reflects the market’s appetite for familiar visual icons, The School of Hibernia speaks to something deeper in lifestyle ireland: who gets seen, remembered and celebrated. Created by Na Cailleacha in partnership with the Contemporary Irish Art Society, the work has been presented to the National College of Ireland as part of its 75th anniversary.
The limited-edition print, photographed by Ros Kavanagh, places 41 prominent women from across public life into an all-female response to Raphael’s School of Athens. The image was staged in the Museum Building at Trinity College Dublin in 2024 and includes figures such as former president Mary Robinson, accessibility advocate Sinéad Burke and writer Melatu Uche Okorie.
Where Raphael’s original celebrated male philosophers, mathematicians and thinkers, The School of Hibernia deliberately reframes the story. Its purpose is clear: to underline the role women continue to play in science, politics, activism, literature and the arts in modern Ireland.
A larger print will appear in Vision, a contemporary photography exhibition at Farmleigh Gallery opening on July 23, while six of the 10 limited-edition prints remain available for sale at €6,500 each.
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What else is happening in Ireland’s art scene?
There is more movement around the edges of this week’s story too. The National Gallery of Ireland is opening Rembrandt to Matisse – a Celebration of European Works on Paper, running from July 18 to December 6, timed to coincide with Ireland’s hosting of the EU presidency. Meanwhile, a violin once owned by WB Yeats has resurfaced at auction in England, selling for £5,000 after previously being sold in Kilkenny in 2017.
FAQ: What do these art stories mean for Irish audiences?
Why is the Mr Brainwash print getting attention?
Because it combines a market-friendly contemporary artist with one of Banksy’s most recognisable images, making it instantly legible to collectors and casual viewers alike.
What is special about The School of Hibernia?
It recasts a major Renaissance image through an Irish feminist lens, placing accomplished women where history so often centred men.
Is this part of a broader cultural shift?
Yes. Across ireland lifestyle trends, there is growing interest in work that feels visually accessible but also socially meaningful.
Where can people see related exhibitions?
At Farmleigh Gallery for Vision and at the National Gallery of Ireland for the European works on paper exhibition.
In the end, the strongest takeaway from this week’s lifestyle ireland news is simple: art matters most when it connects the familiar with the urgent. Whether it is a Banksy-adjacent auction print or an Irish feminist reworking of a classic, these works tell us what we value now, and what stories Ireland wants to carry forward.
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