‘There is often a fragment of an iconic photograph by a twentieth century practitioner such as Robert Frank or Richard Avedon, signifying an era in which the photograph had a more stable existence, which now takes its fractured place as one element in a visual field that might also include a

One of Arthur Boyd’s most influential collaborators was the British art historian, T. S. R. Boase. A shared interest in biblical figures and medieval history saw them collaborate on a publication titled Nebuchadnezzar (1972).¹ Boase contributed a concise history of Nebuch

While the later years of Vida Lahey’s career were characterized by still lifes and flower studies, her impetus throughout the 1920s and 30s was landscape painting. As a Queenslander, her paintings of Brisbane are undoubtedly among her most coveted, as exemplified by the recent auction result

This beautifully restrained portrait was probably included in a critically praised solo exhibition by Donald Friend in June 1948 at Macquarie Galleries in Sydney, as Country Boy (cat.7).¹ However, confirmation of the identity of its subject remains uncertain.

James Gleeson was a powerful presence in the Australia art scene for more than sixty years, yet always sat apart from the mainstream, content to forge his own highly distinctive and individual path. Gleeson’s personal form of surrealism often seemed at odds with his quiet demeanour and under

Typically, Australian landscape painting of the 1940s depicted vast open country and sprawling bushland. Sali Herman chose to paint locally and capture the close-at-hand realities of Sydney’s urban environment. His choice of subject was misunderstood and referred to as slum-scapes t

The setting for this painting is the Italian port town of Syracuse (Siracusa) on the east coast of Sicily. Smart first visited Sicily in March 1964 with fellow Australian artist Justin O’Brien (1917-1996), whose work graces the cover of this auction catalogue (lot 26).¹ Smart subs

Garry Shead, who turns eighty this year, has been widely seen as one of Australia’s finest lyrical romantic painters of his generation. There is a softness and gentleness in his art – a daydream quality – where imagery from a closely observed local reality can seamlessly flow into fantasia.

Garry Shead, who turns eighty this year, has been widely seen as one of Australia’s finest lyrical romantic painters of his generation. There is a softness and gentleness in his art – a daydream quality – where imagery from a closely observed local reality can seamlessly flow into fantasia.

Chooks, William Robinson’s exuberantly painted oil on canvas from 1980, is one of the works he produced while living on his farm at Birkdale near Brisbane. Robinson moved to Birkdale with his wife, Shirley, and their young and growing family in 1970 because they wanted more space an