Press Release: Brenda Humble

Brenda Humble's December exhibition includes paintings and sculpture from 1988 to the present. Humble's body of jewel-like still life's, abstracted in varying degrees are painterly, boldly colourful and beautifully simple. Her continuing motif; the silhouette of vase and flowers against an open window, is distinct and distilled to essential elements and colour blocks. Her palette is high keyed like Mattisse and in some of the still lives, the flatness and bold outline of shapes is somewhat reminiscent of Picasso.

Her sculptures share a similar simplification of form; Humble pares back the image to its most elemental lines, creating crisp linea images of quirky teachers, laughing horses, squinting love hearts and little Alice figures.

Humble won the 1982 Portia Geach Prize for her portrait of Virginia Hall, the American world war II spy. In August this year her work was honoured with a retrospective which explored her painting of the 1970's and 80's. Brenda Humble: Art as Activism coincided with History Week 2009 and the Kings Cross Library 50th Anniversary. The exhibition explored Brenda's involvement in the activism in the Kings Cross area during that period, her work on the Green Bans and the disappearance of Juanita Nielsen.

Having graduated from the national art school in 1960 Brenda Humble has been a major part of the Sydney art world for more than 50 years. She has had over 16 solo exhibitions in Sydney and was a finalist in the 1974 Wynne Prize, the 1982 Waverley Art Prize and the 1981 Mornington peninsula Drawing prize amongst others.

Brenda Humble is represented in the Artbank Collection, Parliament House, Canberra the Reserve Bank of Australia, University of NSW, the IBM Collection, Sydney, Mackay City Library, Queensland as well as private and corporate collections in Australia, Canada, Japan, UK and USA.

Press: Humble - Sydney Morning Herald

Brian Dunlop - Sydney Morning Herald

Brian Dunlop - Financial Review

Brian Dunlop (1938-2009)

Brian Dunlop (1938-2009)

Untitled (Self-Portrait) 1985

lithograph 12/20

32.5 x 31.5 cm

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Brian Dunlop (1938-2009) one of Australia’s greatest painters and a dear friend.

Brian died yesterday morning, 9 December, in Melbourne after a long battle with a congenital heart condition. He was 71.

An artist of great sensibility, of great intellect and virtuosity, Brian was an exceptional professional; sought after by collectors, revered by his colleagues, and loved by all who knew him. The body of work he leaves behind includes some of the most important figurative paintings produced in Australia. The best of Brian’s works exude a poetic vulnerability and sensuality, perhaps seen in a silent pause or the lift of a curtain in the breeze. For many years Brian restricted his range of subject matter to the interior with window, often including a figure or still life. In these works "The room represents the mind, the windows the eyes looking out, curtains are the eyelids. A window is the division between inner and outer, spiritual and worldly. The figure later stood in the doorway, the threshold; then she ventured outside into the landscape." Whether painting the figure or the landscape, overpowering everything in Brian’s work is light. In April reflecting on his latest compositions he wrote, “The correct balance can be pure energy.”

Having inherited his love of painting and drawing from his father, Brian won a scholarship to study at the National Art School from which he graduated at the end of the 1950’s. There was a strong tendency towards abstraction in Sydney at that stage and it wasn’t until he reached Rome some years later that Brian found his ‘true’ way. “Justin O’brien had looked at sketches and drawings I had done in Rome and said that they were more 'true to you' than the abstract work. He said 'Keep doing them, and they will evolve', so I did.”

Brian had an insatiable appetite for the history of art, particularly European art, as a practising painter. “I have also always liked what I regard as the true American tradition which includes a deep respect for nature and wilderness and social comment (Frederick Church, Winslow Homer, Thomas Eakins, Edward Hopper and Andrew Wyeth).” Of continuing interest to him were artists as different as Piero della Francesco (he had seen all his paintings), Vermeer and Braque.

After working for twenty years in and near Port Fairy on the south west coast of Victoria, Brian had recently moved to Beechworth, where he painted his last exhibition.

Brian Dunlop is represented in the National Gallery of Australia, the National Portrait Gallery, all state galleries, many regional galleries and numerous other public collections throughout Australia including the High Court, Canberra. He was the recipient of the 1981 Sulman Prize, the 1999 Savage Club drawing prize, the 1978 Andrew and Lillian Pedersen Drawing Prize , the 1976 and 1977 Civic Permanent Award, the R N Ansett Hamilton Award and the 1958 Robert Le Gay Brereton Drawing Prize. Over sixty or more years Brian accepted commissions from some of the most prominent entities in Australia including two sets of postage stamps from Australia Post and over ninety portrait commissions, including a Governor-General, three Chief Justices, three Archbishops and Victoria’s sesquicentenary portrait of the Queen (1984).

Brian was part of the gallery family for more than 15 years. Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones. We farewell him with the greatest respect.

Quotations from a letter from Brian dated May 2006.

Sneak Peek: Exhibition 2009 by Brenda Humble

Exhibition 2009 by Brenda Humble to be opened Saturday 19th December from 3-5PM.

Artist Spotlight: Michael Kelly

Who (or what) do you consider your artistic inspiration?

Inspiration comes from the world around me. I walk a lot and take in images of places and the atmosphere of places that settle into my subconscious and blend with memories and paintings I've looked at or studied in museums or books among other things. All this ferments and bubbles away in my head till a time comes when I need to get it down in drawings and canvas either in the studio or in front of the motif itself. This whole process works its way through my sketchbooks which are the prime source of most of my work. This sounds very orderly but is not as I always have a feeling of time running out and the subject disappearing before I'm able to pin it down.


Do you listen to music while you work, and if so, what is most often playing?
If I'm in the studio Ill often have the radio on 2mbs FM, Eastside FM or abc FM playing classical or jazz music in the background. If the music becomes to frantic or there's too much talk I'll turn it off as it becomes a distraction, as i will if I'm trying to paint a difficult passage. When I'm working outside or direct from life I favour complete silence.

Who of your peers do you respect the most?

I lived in Melbourne for seventeen years and in that time had a lot of respect for Rick Amor.We became friends and along with a few others artists went out painting every week for several years. It was a way of connecting with the whole tradition of Melbourne painting as we would often paint from sites that previous generations of artists worked from. Through Rick I met Frank Werther who was part of that old school of painters and had worked with Williams, Boyd and Percival. I learned all sorts of technical things from him that Id never had learned otherwise. He was like an old alchemist in his laboratory working away in the studio under his house in the hills north of Melbourne.

Do you have any habits/rituals or strange superstitions when painting?

I have a lot of bad habits when I'm painting that Id like to dispense of, I try, but generally my only rituals are that I always wash my brushes out after painting, cleaning their ferrules and wrapping the bristles in paper so that they hold their shape. My only superstitions are that I don't like talking about works in progress or paintings I'm planning to do or showing people unfinished work.

When did you decide to become an artist?

The desire to draw and paint has always been there. My mother painted and encouraged me to do so when I was young, but it wasn't until my late 20's that I had the opportunity to go to art school. I'd worked in a variety of different jobs since leaving school and developed a work ethic and took art school very seriously. I was always drawing and built my skills from that.

What is your favourite colour?

I do have favorite colours but find they live or die depending on what other colours they are mixed with or surrounded by.

Do you have a favourite painting or work of art? If so, what is it?

Impossible to pin down one favorite painting. When Ive travelled Ive sketched favorites from museums that occupy the gallery of my mind, among them would be Cezannes ' Blue Vase', Brueghals 'Harvest' in the metropolitan, Rembrandts 'Jewish Bride', Van Goghs paintings from Arles, Giorgiones 'Sunset' in London and Lloyd Rees' drawings and early oils of Sydney, the harbour and its surrounds.

Sam Wade's Drawing Blog

Eva Breuer Art Dealer would like to highlight Sam Wade's new blog where he showcases his sketches and drawings. The works are beautiful and are an invaluable source of inspiration. Please click here to view paintings available for sale by Sam Wade.

Sneak Peek: Space, Time, and Memory by Christopher McVinish

Christopher McVinish's 2009 exhibition, Space, Time and Memory, will be opening tomorrow - Saturday December 5th- from 3 to 5PM.

Click the photograph to view the podcast.

Rex Turnbull - Paddington Art Prize 2009 Finalist

Rex Turnbull, The Lane, Acrylic, 60 x 120 cm

Congratulations to Rex Turnbull whose painting The Lane is a a finalist in the 2009 Paddington Art Prize UNSW COFA Award. Click here to view available works by Rex Turnbull from Eva Breuer Art Dealer.

2010 Exhibition Schedule

Wayne Eager (b.1957) Exhibition 2010: New Work Opening 6 March 2010, 3-5PM

Pam Sackville (b.1944) Exhibition 2010: New Work Opening 24 April 2010, 3-5PM

Brian Seidel (b.1928) Exhibition 2010: Cocktail Hour Opening 8 May 2010, 3-5PM

Michael Muir (b.1975) Exhibition 2010: New Work Opening 5 June 2010, 3-5PM

Petra Reece Exhibition 2010: New Work Opening 17 July 2010, 3-5PM

Geoffrey Proud (b.1946) Exhibition 2010: New Work Opening 15 September 2010, 6-8PM

Collection: Spring

Eva Breuer Art Dealer would like to introduce our Spring collection of paintings. The weather is warming up and the blossoms are blooming. Artist include: Sir Sidney Nolan, Brett Whiteley, Elisabeth Kruger, John Coburn, Brian Dunlop, Geoffrey Proud, Stephen Nothling, Don Rankin, Brian Seidel, Jamie Boyd, John Olsen.

Artist Spotlight: Meg Williams

Who (or what) do you consider your artistic inspiration?

While my own work may not show it, I am inspired by John Brack's originality, Sickert's colour sense, Milton Avery's funky beauty and everything about Giorgio Morandi. There are many more.

Do you listen to music while you work, and if so, what is most often playing?

Yes, a huge selection from Ian Drury to Vaughan Williams.


Who of your peers do you respect the most?

Painters, because painting is so difficult. Independent artists who have found an original and personal language. Can I claim John Brack as a peer?

Do you have any habits/rituals or strange superstitions when painting?
Some props seem lucky while others refuse to be painted well.

When did you decide to become an artist?

About 7 years ago.

What is your favourite colour?

I love them all, it's all about context.

Do you have a favourite painting or work of art? If so, what is it?

Anything by Giorgio Morandi, Piero della Francesca or Giotto. Las Meninas (Velazquez) is a wonderful picture and I love William Scott and the early work of Stanley Spencer...

Press Release: Christopher McVinish - Space, Time and Memory

Christopher McVinish (b.1952)
Exhibition: Space, Time and Memory
Opening Saturday 5 December 2009
Drinks with the artist 3 -5pm

Eva Breuer Art Dealer is proud to announce the opening of Christopher McVinish’s new exhibition Space, Time and Memory. McVinish is a realist painter concerned with the depiction of time and the moments of everyday life.

With Space, Time and Memory, McVinish focuses his attention on the figure in the landscape, using the atmospheric qualities of weather to establish a mood and suggest the protagonist’s thoughts. As with The Interrupted Journey No. 3 the darkening clouds and expansive landscape serve to isolate the figures and heighten the stillness of the composition. The collection of paintings range from gritty urbanscapes to soft rolling landscapes all with a centralised pathway – a road, stairway, or sidewalk – as the common thread uniting the receding figures. .

McVinish has an extensive exhibition history and is represented in a number of Australian collections including Griffith University, Redcliffe, Gold Coast, and Toowoomba City Councils.

Space, Time and Memory can be viewed from Friday 4 December until Tuesday 15 December and will have its official opening with the artist attending on Saturday 5 December from 3pm until 5pm.

Press: Cassab & Seed - Wentworth Courier

Press Release: Doreen Gadsby

Doreen Gadsby (b.1926) Travels 2009
Opening Wednesday 11 November 2009,6-8PM
To be opened by Professor Peter Pinson

Eva Breuer Art Dealer is pleased to announce the opening of Doreen Gadsby's Travels 2009.

Ms Gadsby has exhibited extensively both within Australia and internationally. After the passing of her late husband John Coburn in 2006 Ms Gadsby has dedicated herself to painting fulltime.

This recent body of work reflects Ms Gadsby's love of international travel, her passion for music and her love of nature. A number of paintings were developed from sketches drawn en plein-air recently in the south of France, Tuscany and from memories of her time living in Canada. Others celebrate Ms. Gadsby's love of the stunning views of Sydney Harbour from her North Shore studio such as Neon Lights 2009. Others are constructed from childhood memories and later memories of the loss of love. All have a vibrance and impressionist zeal which show a great love of the masters of 19th century painting and a joie de vivre which continues to burn brightly.

Ms Gadsby is represented in the Commonwealth Government Collection, ArtBank and private collections in the USA, Canada, Indonesia. She has been the recipient of numerous coveted awards including the 1961 Wentworth Art Prize, the 1962 WD&HO Wills Art Prize and was a finalist in the Wynne Prize in 1960, 1961, 1962 and 1964.