GALLERY NEWS 29 JANUARY 2010: Sidney Nolan, Leonard French, Brett Whiteley, Roger Kemp

83 Moncur Street Woollahra NSW 2025
tel: 02 9362 0297 fax: 02 9362 0318
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website: www.evabreuerartdealer.com.au


Important Australian Paintings

Sir Sidney Nolan (1917-1992)

Sir Sidney Nolan (1917-1992)
Kelly 1959
Polyvinyl acetate on board
151 x 120.25 cm
signed lower left: N
verso: Feb 23rd 1959 / N
no.8163

Provenance: Private collection New South Wales

Exhibited: Unmasked: Sidney Nolan and Ned Kelly 1950 - 1990, Heide Museum of Modern Art, 11 November 2006- 4 March 2007

Sidney Nolan’s Ned Kelly paintings are among the most important in his oeuvre. Painting the first of his Kelly series in 1946-47 (National Gallery of Australia), Nolan returned to the Kelly figure many times and it is the 1950s Kelly paintings in particular which establish “a new magic and imaginative power.”1 In these later Kelly paintings the ‘naïve’ style of the 1940s Kelly series has been replaced by a more human, emotional intensity. In Kelly 1959 Nolan combines the heroic image of Ned Kelly with the classical image of martyrdom. This work highlights Nolan’s interest in the mythic and uniquely Australian Kelly saga as a story which parallels classical legend. Painted while Nolan was in New York on a Harkness Fellowship, Kelly 1959 is executed in polyvinyl acetate (the medium used for the Leda and Swan series also painted at this time) which Nolan scraped across the board in multiple transparent layers of luminous and varied colour.

1 Clark. J., Sidney Nolan: Landscapes and Legends, ICCA, Sydney, 1987, pp.120-21.

Visit our website to view other paintings by Sir Sidney Nolan


Leonard French (b.1928)

Leonard French (b.1928)
Winter Fountain c.1987-93
enamel and gold leaf on hessian on composition board
122 x 137 cm
Signed: l.r. 'French'
Provenance: Private collection Perth
no.11197

Leonard French's works frequently depict epic stories, such as the Iliad, the Odyssey and events from the Bible. These stories allow him a platform to explore universal themes, most frequently the struggle and spiritual journey of a hero. His highly individual and distinctive works reveal a plethora of influences, from Byzantine mosaics (his symmetry and precision), to Gothic (bright colours outlined in black), Romanesque architecture (squat, solid figures) Cubism and the work of Léger to name but a few. This work, Winter Fountain, exemplifies all these elements. The two figures in the work – one black, one white and both with distinctive rounded heads, first began appearing in French’s work in the late 1980’s. Like many facets of French’s work they appear to be highly symbolic, but with the exact meaning intended by the artist obscured. Other works wit these figures include The Release (in the collection of the Bendigo Art Gallery), Duet and The Tightrope (both in private collections.) Winter Fountain from the Duality series, expresses a deep sense of self and individual mortality. The series which was created during the late eighties explores the human condition as the figure struggles with between light and dark images of self. French's work is represented at the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, all state galleries, most regional galleries and is also included in many major international collections, including the MoMA, New York. French also completed numerous monumental commissions in Australia, the most famous being the glass ceiling in the Great Hall at the National Gallery of Victoria.

Visit our website to view other important Australian paintings


Brett Whiteley (1939-1992)

Brett Whiteley (1939-1992)
Untitled (Bird) 1978
Oil on board with mixed media
82 x 85.5cm
Signed 'Brett Whiteley 78' lower left
Provenance: Private collection Sydney
no.8781

Brett Whiteley created some of the most important paintings of twentieth century Australian Art. His mastery of, and unique approach to form, colour, light and gesture in a body of work which spans subjects from birds to boulders, have made him one of the icons of not only the Australian art world but also internationally. Brett Whiteley is represented in the National Gallery of Australia, all state galleries, many regional galleries, as well as many important public collections both in Australia and overseas. Three of Brett Whiteley’s most memorable solo exhibitions were devoted to the theme of birds in 1979, 1983 and 1988. “It is not too fanciful to think of Whiteley’s bird paintings as self portraits”, Barry Pearce has commented. “He loved them since childhood and in his last phase of work they became symbols of both domesticity and freedom.” Reference: The Australian Magazine, 26 August, 1995, p.16.

“Pearce has described Whiteley as “Australia’s most sublime painter of birds, “as essential symbols of the song of creation and the joy of life.” Reference: Barry Pearce (1989), Australian Artists, Australian Birds, Angus and Robertson, Sydney, p.144.

Visit our website to view other paintings by Brett Whiteley


Roger Kemp (1908-1987)

Roger Kemp (1908-1987)
Untitled c.1963
Acrylic on masonite
91.5 x 122cm
no.5320

Roger Kemp is represented in the National Gallery of Australia, all state galleries, many regional galleries as well as many other public collections throughout Australia. Kemp has been the recipient of numerous coveted awards including the 1968 and 1970 Blake Prize. “Kemp’s contribution to the development of abstract painting in Australia is substantial. He has shown how a personal language can be developed from experience with effort and tenacity without recourse to models from abroad.”

Reference: Roger Kemp: Cycle and Directions 1935 –1975, Monash University Department of Visual arts, Exhibition Gallery, Melbourne: The Gallery, 1978 pp.1-2.

Visit our website to view other paintings by Roger Kemp


Kevin Connor (b. 1932)

Kevin Connor (b. 1932)
Movie World People 1993
Oil on linen
71 x 91.5cm
no.6155

Kevin Connor is represented in the National Gallery of Australia, most state galleries, many regional regional galleries as well as many other public collections throughout Australia. He has been the recipient of numerous coveted awards including the 1975 and 1977 Archibald prize, 1991 Sulman Prize and the 1992 and 2005 Dobell Prize. Movie World People 1993 is a bold, painterly work. Connor's brush work is loose and immediate, the paint application heavy, enlivening the painting with a distinct sense of movement.

Visit our website to view other paintings by Kevin Connor


James Gleeson (1915-2008)

James Gleeson (1915-2008)
Untitled (Two Figures in Psychoscape) c.1965
oil on board
19 x 14.5cm
Signed 'Gleeson' lower right
Provenance: Sydney Antique centre
Grafton House Gallery
Private collection Cairns
no.11139

Visit our website to view other paintings by James Gleeson


David Boyd (b.1924)

David Boyd (b.1924)
Three Children by the sea c.1999
Oil on board
26 x 22 cm
Signed: "David Boyd" lower left
Provenance: Private collection Sydney
no.11017

Visit our website to view other paintings by David Boyd




Contemporary Paintings

Elisabeth Kruger (b.1955)

Elisabeth Kruger (b.1955)
Spill 2007
oil on linen
122 x 122cm
no.10885

Visit our website to view other paintings by Elisabeth Kruger


Wayne Eager (b.1957)

Wayne Eager (b.1957)
Fragrance, 2008
acrylic on linen (framed)
152 x 122cm
no.10424

Visit our website to view other paintings by Wayne Eager


Tony Irving (b.1939)

Tony Irving (b.1939)
Beyond the fence 2009
oil on linen
80 x 130cm
no.11146

Visit our website to view other paintings by Tony Irving


Judy Cassab (b. 1920)

Judy Cassab (b. 1920)
Women with Sphinx 2007
Oil on canvas
39.5 x 50 cm
Signed 'Cassab 07' lower right
Provenance: The artist
no.10678

Visit our website to view other paintings by Judy Cassab


Anna Platten (b.1957)

Anna Platten (b.1957)
Head and House 2007
charcoal on paper
125 x 100cm
no.10769

Finalist in the Kedumba drawing prize 2007

Visit our website to view other artworks by Anna Platten


Paul Procee

Paul Procee
My Spineless Cousin 2009
Oil on copper
25 x 20cm
no.11195

Visit our website to view other paintings by Paul Procee


Philippa Blair (b.1945)

Philippa Blair (b.1945)
Knockout 2007
oil on canvas
152.5 x 152.5 cm
no.9863

Visit our website to view other paintings by Philippa Blair


Geoffrey Proud (b. 1946)

Geoffrey Proud (b. 1946)
Cloudy Day, Rain Sprite
pastel on paper
67 x 47cm
signed 'Proud' lower right
no.10161

Visit our website to view other pastels by Geoffrey Proud




Featured Graphic

Arthur Boyd (1920-1999)

Arthur Boyd (1920-1999)
Lovers in a Landscape
Etching A/P
26.5 x 30cm (image)
37.5 x 52.5cm (paper)
signed Arthur Boyd, VI/VI, A/P
no.10436

Visit our website to view other graphics by Arthur Boyd


John Coburn (1925-2006)

John Coburn (1925-2006)
Rare Bird 1987
Screen print A/P (6 colours)
artist' proof: 10
48 x 70cm (image)
54.9 x 74.9cm (sheet)
signed, dated LR, inscribed with title LC and edition LL
printed by Michael Phelps, Sydney
commissioned by the New South Wales State Cancer Council for its Bicentennial Collection: A portfolio of Australian artists (a boxed set with 11 other artists)
no.10386

Visit our website to view other graphics by John Coburn

Current Exhibition

February
Gallery 1 & 2: Summer Exhibition


Upcoming Exhibitions

March
Gallery 1: Autumn Exhibition
Gallery 2: Wayne Eager

April
Gallery 1: Autumn Exhibition
Gallery 2: Pam Sackville

May
Gallery 1: Autumn Exhibition
Gallery 2: Brian Seidel

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Gallery 1: Important Australian Art

John Coburn
Study for 'In the Beginning was the Word' c.1991
Mixed media on paper
24 x 32cm
signed lower right: Coburn
inscribed with title lower centre
Provenance: The Artist
no.6797

John Coburn
Study for screenprint 'Dreaming Land' c.1981
Mixed media on paper
20 x 32cm
signed lower right: Coburn
inscribed with title lower centre
Provenance: The Artist
no.6803
cat no.35

John Coburn (1925-2006)
Desert Landscape II 1979
Oil on canvas on board
49 x 61cm
no. 3550a
cat no.4

Stan Rapotec (1913-1997)
Untitled, 1960
Oil on board
75 x 100cm
no.5876

Garry Shead
The Rocking Horse 1986
Oil on canvas
90 x 120 cm
Provenance: Private collection Sydney
no.11133

Sir Sidney Nolan (1917-1992)
Central Australian Landscape c.1981
Ripolin enamel on board
90 x 121 cm
signed lower right: Nolan
no.5552

Sir Sidney Nolan (1917-1992)
Flowers 1985
Spray enamel on canvas
177 x 155 cm (sight size)
183 x 160.2 cm (stretcher size)
initialled lower right: N
no.2813

Roger Kemp (1908-1987)
Untitled c.1963
Acrylic on masonite
91.5 x 122cm
no.5320

Garry Shead
Dancer c.1998
Oil on board
59 x 43 cm
no.11134

Donald Friend (1915-1989)
At Alawa c.1963
Mixed media on paper
77 x 57cm (sight size)
Provenance: Private Collection Sydney
no.1548a

Tim Storrier
The Night Line / Comet 2009
acrylic on canvas
61.5 x 122.5 cm
no.11150

Ray Crooke (b. 1922)
Villagers Relaxing
oil on canvas
75 x 61cm
signed lower left 'R. Crooke'
no.11049

Staff Picks - Gallery Manager Robert Maconachie

Sir Sidney Nolan (1917-1992)
Portrait of John Perceval with a Model Boat 1943
Ripolin enamel on board
63.5 x 76 cm
no.6368

Provenance:
The Estate of Sir Sidney Nolan

Exhibited:
Nolan’s Nolans: A Reputation Reassessed, Agnews and Sons, London 1997, cat no.10

Literature:
Nolan’s Nolans: A Reputation Reassessed, Agnews and Sons, London 1997, cat no.10, p.10.
Rosenthal. T.G., Sidney Nolan, Thames and Hudson, London, 2002, p. 48.

Painted while stationed at the Wimmera, Portrait of John Perceval with Model Boat 1943 is a portrait of Nolan’s close friend and fellow artist John Perceval. Perceval is shown gazing at a small model ship, (prefiguring Perceval's Williamstown series) which he has clutched to his chest. This also eludes to Baudelaire’s Le Bateau Ivre (The Drunken Boat). A square window through the figure’s torso allows us a view to a painting within the painting; a beach scene from the St Kilda series, which pictures the Greek legend of Icarus1, the tale of the boy whose attempt to fly to the sun ended in tragic failure.

As Nicholas Usherwood explains, the inclusion of the model boat may also relate to the theme of Icarus which goes back to Nolan’s work for the Lifar Ballet, see cat. no.5 Eyes (Tent Series) c.1940. It may also suggest the “wreck of youth and Nolan’s other wise well–concealed anxieties about the war in the Pacific, in particular a recent unsuccessful Australian naval engagement in the Macassar straights of the North Australia cost – Nolan had a brother, Raymond in the Navy. He may have also begun to feel anxious about being sent to fight in New Guinea, later the cause for his desertion from the army.”2
RM

1 Nolan’s Nolans: A Reputation Reassessed, Agnews and Sons, London, 1997, cat. no.9.
2 ibid

Garry Shead (b.1942)
Monarchy at Sunset 1995
Oil on canvas
122 x 155 cm
Signed 'Garry Shead 95' lower left
no.1606

Illustrated: Grishin., S, Garry Shead, Encounters with Royalty,
Craftsman House 1998, plate 3, page 37.

Exhibited: Lyall Burton Gallery, Melbourne
Touring Exhibition, Brisbane City Gallery, 1998

Provenance: Lyall Burton Gallery, Melbourne
Eva Breuer Art Dealer, Sydney

Monarchy at Sunset 1995 is one of the largest major paintings from the early period of the important 'Royal Suite' series.

The painting is illustrated in the definitive text on the series and is one of the largest paintings from the beginning of the series in 1995. The composition is a complex one involving multiple large figures including both the Queen and the Consort. The painting also includes the other essential images of the best paintings of the series; the harbour bridge, the silhouetted kangaroo, the Koala and the sprig of golden wattle.

Roland Wakelin (1887-1971)
Terrace Houses Double Bay 1963
Oil on board
45 x 64 cm
Signed 'R.Wakelin 63' bottom left
no.11144

Provenance:
Private collection, Melbourne
Private collection, Sydney

Exhibited:
Toorak Art Gallery (label attached verso) - On loan from Mr P English
Geelong Art Gallery (label attached verso)
Roland Wakelin Retrospective Art Gallery of NSW 8 - 30 April 1967 cat no.87
Roland Wakelin: Master of Colour, A Newcastle Regional Gallery Touring exhibition, 2002
Toured to Newcastle City Art Gallery 10-13 May 1967

Illustrated:
Roland Wakelin: Master of Colour, A Newcastle Regional Gallery Touring exhibition, 2002

Like his contemporary "colourist" Roy de Maistre, Roland Wakelin was Australian modernism's expert in colour harmony. He uses classical subject matter - landscape, cityscape or still life - then applies high keyed colours for a gentle modernist effect . His life's work was the subject of a major retrospective at the Art Gallery of NSW in 1967, which holds a number of exemplary Wakelin pieces. He taught at the School of Architecture, University of Sydney, from 1952, and is represented in all major public galleries in Australia.

Danila Vassilieff (1897-1958)

Untitled (Two Boys and Dog) c.1941
Oil on board
34 x 26cm
Signed 'Vassilieff' lower right
Provenance: The Williams family, Queensland
click here to view the verso
no.8198

This painting pictures two young boys, Bryan and Barry Williams (and their dog, Macky). It was painted at Warrandyte, Victoria, where the parents of the boys were building a mud brick house in the early 1940s. They became acquainted with the artist Vassilieff, as he was building his stone house in the area around the same time. Years later this painting was discovered by Bryan's wife, hidden under a framed newspaper image of a replica Captain Cook's cottage that was owned by the boys' father, Vyvian Williams.

Brett Whiteley (1939-1992)
Untitled (Bird) 1978
Oil on board with mixed media
82 x 85.5cm
Signed 'Brett Whiteley 78' lower left
Provenance: Private collection Sydney
no.8781

Brett Whiteley created some of the most important paintings of twentieth century Australian Art. His mastery of, and unique approach to form, colour, light and gesture in a body of work which spans subjects from birds to boulders, have made him one of the icons of not only the Australian art world but also internationally.

Brett Whiteley is represented in the National Gallery of Australia, all state galleries, many regional galleries, as well as many important public collections both in Australia and overseas.

Three of Brett Whiteley’s most memorable solo exhibitions were devoted to the theme of birds in 1979, 1983 and 1988. “It is not too fanciful to think of Whiteley’s bird paintings as self portraits”, Barry Pearce has commented. “He loved them since childhood and in his last phase of work they became symbols of both domesticity and freedom.” Reference: The Australian Magazine, 26 August, 1995, p.16.

“Pearce has described Whiteley as “Australia’s most sublime painter of birds, “as essential symbols of the song of creation and the joy of life.” Reference: Barry Pearce (1989), Australian Artists, Australian Birds, Angus and Robertson, Sydney, p.144.

Stan Rapotec (1913-1997)
Untitled, 1960
Oil on board
75 x 100cm
no.5876

Stanislaus Rapotec was one of the leading exponents of Abstract Expressionism in Australia. He is represented in the Australian National Gallery, all state galleries, many regional galleries as well as many other important public collections both in Australia and overseas including the Australian Embassy, Paris, Vatican Gallery of Modern Religious Art, Musée d'Art Moderne, Paris. Rapotec has been the recipient of many awards including the 1961 Blake Prize.

In Untitled 1960 the bold and energetic brushstrokes swirl and explode across the board, masterfully capturing the artists physical and emotional gestures.

Carl Plate (1909-1977)
Third Edge 1961
Oil on board
181 x 121cm
Signed 'Carl Plate '61' lower left
Signed and inscribed with title, verso:
'EDGE/CARL PLATE'
Exhibited: Sydney, Royal Agricultural Show
no.8138

Plate’s Third Edge 1961 is a monumental painting which exemplifies the immediacy found in the very best paintings of this period. Click here to view a study of this work.

Carl Plate was born in Perth and studied at the National Art School in Sydney. He then travelled and studied abroad before returning to Sydney in 1940, where he had a remarkable influence on local artists through the establishment of his famous Notanda Gallery in Rowe Street, Sydney. He was a highly gifted painter who moved from figurative abstraction in the 50’s to pure abstraction during the 1960s and 70s.

Plate has won prizes such as the McCaughey Prize in 1968 and the Aubusson Tapestry Prize in 1967. Plate is represented in the National Gallery of Australia, all state galleries, regional galleries in NSW as well as institutions in London, New York, Paris and important corporate and private collections in Australia.

Plate’s Third Edge 1961 is a monumental painting which exemplifies the immediacy found in the very best paintings of this period.

Elisabeth Kruger (b.1955)
Cirque 2008
oil on linen
122.5 x 153cm
no.10884

Awarded the prestigious Moet & Chandon Art Fellowship (1989) and an overseas studio residency with the Visual Arts Board of the Australia Council (1990), Elisabeth Kruger is recognised as one of Australia's leading contemporary artists. In her newest series of paintings, Kruger explores the luscious beauty of flowers. These are stunning floral masterpieces with a contemporary edge. Her work is represented in the Australian National Gallery, The National Gallery of Victoria, the Parliament House Collection, Macquarie University and major private collections.

Roger Kemp (1908-1987)
Untitled c.1963
Acrylic on masonite
91.5 x 122cm
no.5320

Roger Kemp is represented in the National Gallery of Australia, all state galleries, many regional galleries as well as many other public collections throughout Australia. Kemp has been the recipient of numerous coveted awards including the 1968 and 1970 Blake Prize.

“Kemp’s contribution to the development of abstract painting in Australia is substantial. He has shown how a personal language can be developed from experience with effort and tenacity without recourse to models from abroad.”

In Untitled c.1963 the bold black outlines that border the blocks of red, blue, green and white is reminiscent of stain-glass artwork.

Reference: Roger Kemp: Cycle and Directions 1935 –1975, Monash University Department of Visual arts, Exhibition Gallery, Melbourne: The Gallery, 1978 pp.1-2.

Arthur Boyd (1920-1999)
Portrait of Alannah Coleman III c.1971
Oil on canvas
76 x 63 cm
no.3168

Arthur Boyd’s paintings of art world personalities such as this portrait of the art dealer Alannah Coleman, are masterfully executed expressions of the sitter. Boyd translates the nuances of his subject in vigorous strokes of yellow, blue and red, which animate the painterly surface.