Jack B Yeats €10 Silver Proof Coin 2012

Born in 1871, Jack B. Yeats is one of the most celebrated figures in the history of Irish art. The son of painter John Butler Yeats and the brother of the celebrated poet William Butler Yeats, he is probably best known for his emotional and theatrical portrayals of daily life in Ireland. He was privately educated in Sligo, Ireland, and attended various art schools in London. His early work was mainly confined to illustrations for books and magazines but later his painting style underwent a significant change. Painting in oils with loose brushstrokes, he adopted a more colourful pallete and his work became increasingly free and expressionistic. His dramatic portrayals of horse races, circuses, music halls and evocative landscapes provide a fascinating insight into life in Ireland at the time firmly established him as one of Ireland’s greatest ever painters. In later life he became governor of the National Gallery of Ireland. Yeats died in Dublin in 1957. His work continues to be appreciated and he is the first painter from Ireland to sell a painting for £1million. Jack B Yeats is now honoured by the Central Bank of Ireland with the issue of this limited issue commemorative silver proof €10 coin. This silver proof coin is part of the European Silver Programme, an annual initiative where EU member countries issue legal tender coins under a common theme in precious metals to celebrate European identity. The theme this year is ‘European artists’. These coins are sought after by coin collectors throughout Europe and the wider world.