various vendors

MARGARET PRESTON

(1875 – 1963) CIRCULAR QUAY, SYDNEY, 1925 hand–coloured woodcut 24.5 x 24.0 cm (image) 27.0 x 26.0 cm (sight) edition: 12/50 signed with initials in image lower left: M.P. signed, dated, numbered and inscribed with title below image: 12th Proof. Circular Quay – NSW / – 25 / Margaret Preston

ESTIMATE: $35,000 – 45,000

PROVENANCE

Private collection, Melbourne Menzies, Sydney, 22 March 2012, lot 15 Private collection, Sydney

EXHIBITED

Thea Proctor and Margaret Preston Exhibition, The New Gallery, Melbourne, 24 November – 5 December 1925, cat. 9 (another example) Exhibition of Woodcuts by Margaret Preston, Dunster Galleries, Adelaide, September 1926, cat. 57 (another example) Australian Painter– Etcher’s Society Annual Exhibition, Education Department’s Art Gallery, Sydney, 8 – 23 June 1928, cat. 233 (another example) Sydney Harbour Bridge Celebrations, Education Department’s Art Gallery, Sydney, 21 March – 3 April 1932, cat. 143 (another example) Work by Four Artists, 52a Collins St, Melbourne, November 1932, cat. 12 (another example) Exhibition of Etchings, Woodcuts etc. by Margaret Preston [and others], The Sedon Galleries, Melbourne, 12 September 1933, cat. 17 (another example) Exhibition of Etchings, pencil drawing and woodcuts, The Sedon Galleries, Melbourne, May 1934, cat. 256 (another example) The Art of Margaret Preston, Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, 1980 and touring, cat. 10 (another example) The Prints of Margaret Preston, Australian National Gallery, Canberra, 8 August – 18 October 1987, cat. 19 (another example) Margaret Preston in Mosman, Mosman Art Gallery, Sydney, 7 September – 13 October 2002 (another example, illus. in exhibition catalogue) Margaret Preston, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 29 July – 23 October 2005 and touring (another example) Blue Chip XIII: The Collectors’ Exhibition, Niagara Galleries, Melbourne, 8 March – 2 April 2011, cat. 32 (label attached verso) Destination Sydney, S.H. Ervin Gallery, Sydney, 11 December 2015 – 21 February 2016 (illus. in exhibition catalogue, another example) O’Keefe, Preston, Cossington Smith: Making Modernism, Heide Museum of Modern Art, Melbourne, 12 October 2016 – 11 February 2017, and touring, cat. 35 (another example)

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LITERATURE

Art in Australia, 3rd series, no. 17, 1926, p. 48 (illus., as ‘Circular Quay, Sydney’, another example) Australia Beautiful (The Home Easter Pictorial), Sydney, 1928 (illus. cover, another example) Draffin, N., Australian Woodcuts and Linocuts of the 1920s and 1930s, Sun Books, Melbourne, 1976, p. 50 (dated as c.1925) North, I. (ed.), The Art of Margaret Preston, Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, 1980, cat. P. 10, pp. 19 (illus., another example), 53 Butler, R., The Prints of Margaret Preston: A Catalogue Raisonné, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, 1987, cat. 84, p. 117 (illus., another example) Butel, E., Margaret Preston, Editions Tom Thompson, Sydney, 1995, pl. 11, p. 31 (illus., another example), 87 Edwards, D., Peel, R. and Mimmocchi, D., Margaret Preston Retrospective, exhibition catalogue, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 2005, pp. 80, 92 (illus. another example), 285 Butler, R., The Prints of Margaret Preston: A Catalogue Raisonné, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, revised edition 2005, cat. 84, p. 117 (illus. another example) Harding, L., and Mimmocchi, D., (eds), O’Keeffe, Preston, Cossington Smith: Making Modernism, Art Gallery of New South Wales and Heide Museum of Modern Art, 2016, cat. 35, pp. 126 (illus.), 194

RELATED WORK

Other examples of this print are held in the collections of the Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide; Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney; National Gallery of Australia, Canberra.

(1904 – 1984) GIRL WITH CORN HAIR, c.1952 oil on composition board 35.5 x 59.5 cm signed with initials lower right: JP signed and inscribed with title verso: Girl with Corn Hair / John Passmore

ESTIMATE: $20,000 – $30,000

PROVENANCE

Private collection, Sydney

EXHIBITED

Exhibition of Paintings at Fifteen Guineas, Macquarie Galleries, Sydney, 26 June 1957

LITERATURE

‘Exhibition of Paintings at Fifteen Guineas’, Sydney Morning Herald, Sydney, 26 June 1957, p. 2

Following his return from Europe in 1951, John Passmore quickly became Sydney’s torchbearer for progressive painting through his teaching roles at Julian Ashton’s, then the National Art School in Sydney. He was a natural teacher, and his outstanding comic talent and pure enthusiasm for painting inspired his students to look beyond the dreary academic brown paintings of the day, toward the European frontier of new painterly possibilities.

Through the artistic turbulence of the 1950s, a gaggle of devoted students, including Peter Upward, William Rose and most notably, John Olsen, hung on his every word, savoured his humour, and indulged his habit of uttering Delphic maxims. In his meandering art classes, his passion for Tintoretto and Rembrandt was often front and centre, but it was Paul Cézanne whose influence gripped the artist early and wove its way through his life’s work, as is clearly evident in the present example. Passmore’s commitment to the advancement of painting expressed through his teaching helped to rekindle an earlier abstract art movement which had flickered out during the Second World War. The earlier generation of abstract painters were formal and analytical, combining bright colour with geometry. In contrast, Passmore’s approach was freewheeling, lyrical and expressive, while constantly returning to the figure and Cezanne as the armature for new truths and values in painting. The present example, Girl with Corn Hair, as inscribed verso by the artist is slightly misleading, as observation gently reveals that there are in fact four figures delicately embedded into the painting. The figures are so immersed into the surrounding landscape that they are barely discernible. One figurative touchstone which Passmore allows himself in this work are the deftly painted toes on the feet of the figures, which are visual pointers to the human forms and as such, become tiny gateways to the work. Typically, rhythms of light and shade flood his work, his repertoire of greens and yellows flicker and jostle as they compete for prominence. A dappled light falls across the work which adds to the idle, languid scene. No area of the painting is given more importance than another, and in this regard the synergy between the figures as subject and landscape as ground is crucial to Passmore’s attempts to create a culminated structure in his work. As John Olsen reflecting on Passmore says ‘…He spoke of his desire to create a work which… following Dylan Thomas’s suggestion of the sympathy between man and his environment he could find a way of becoming one with the natural forms he painted.’2

Today he is remembered as an elfin-like guru, a pied piper of fractured surface painting whose influence lives on through generations of lyrical abstract painters. Murray Bail, writing for Passmore’s 1984 – 85 retrospective at the Art Gallery of New South Wales remembers, ‘Gradually over time everything fell away, even his Christian name. Unlike Arthur, Lloyd, Sid, Fred … he became known simply as Passmore. It seemed entirely appropriate, fitting the fact of his isolated shape which had become smaller and tighter. Passmore himself referred to himself as ‘Passmore’.’1

1. Olsen, J., Wrobel tapes 11, 10 March 1984 2. Bail, M., ‘Passmore’s Isolation’, addendum to Pearce, B., John Passmore 1904 – 84,

Retrospective, Art Gallery New South Wales, Sydney, 1985

HENRY MULHOLLAND

born 1928 JOIE DE VIVRE, 1964 – 65 woven wool tapestry 178.0 x 238.0 cm edition: 5/6 signed and inscribed within woven image lower left: John Olsen Australia bears workshop monogram lower left inscribed with title within woven image lower right: Joie de vivre inscribed verso: 989 – 5/6 woven at Manufactura de Tapeçarias de Portalegre, Portugal

ESTIMATE: $140,000 – 180,000

PROVENANCE

Clune Galleries, Sydney (inscribed verso) Joanna C. Dusseldorp, Sydney Thence by descent Private collection Sotheby’s Australia, Sydney, 28 August 2006, lot 84 Private collection, Sydney

EXHIBITED

John Olsen, Clune Galleries, Sydney, April 1965, cat. 1 (another example) The Mertz Collection of Contemporary Australian Painting, National Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, 10 March – 11 April 1966, cat. 66 (another example) The Australian Painters 1964 – 66: Contemporary Australian Painting from the Mertz Collection, The Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, 1966, cat. 22 (another example) John Olsen Retrospective, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, 1 November 1991 – 2 February 1992, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 8 May – 28 June 1992 (another example) The three O’s: Orban, Olsen & Ogburn, Orange Regional Gallery, Orange, 18 October – 1 December 2013, and touring (another example, illus. in exhibition catalogue) John Olsen: The You Beaut Country, The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia at Federation Square, Melbourne, 16 September 2016 – 12 February 2017; Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 10 March – 12 June 2017 (another example)

LITERATURE

Art and Australia, Ure Smith, Sydney, vol. 2, no. 3, March 1965, p. 235 (illus. another example) Rolfe, P., ‘Olsen’s Bright Ceilings’, The Bulletin, Sydney, 1 May 1965, p. 46 (another example) Sinclair, K., The Age, Melbourne, 16 June 1965 (another example) Lynn, E., ‘Burst of Life’, The Bulletin, Sydney, 27 May 1967, p. 40 (another example) Hart, D., John Olsen, Craftsman House, Sydney, 2000 (revised edition), pl. 46, pp. 77, 252 (illus. another example) Santoro, L., and Edwards, D., John Olsen: a recipe for art, Art Gallery of New South Wales with Thames & Hudson, Sydney, 2016, p. 91 (illus. another example) Hurlston, D., and Edwards, D., (eds.), John Olsen: The You Beaut Country, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, 2016, pp. 90 (illus.), 209 (another example)

RELATED WORK

Other tapestries from the edition of six are in the collections of the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, and formerly the Harold E. Mertz Collection, United States of America

During the early 1960s, Olsen extended his creative interests to embrace painting ceilings in the homes of his friends and the designing of tapestries, each influenced and enriched the other. In 1962, art dealer Frank McDonald commissioned Olsen to paint a ceiling in his Woollahra home - a sunburst chiefly of primary colours, drawn spontaneously by brush directly onto the ceiling. The result was Summer in the You Beaut Country, imbued with his typically inquisitive, wandering lines, lively arabesques, and grinning faces. (The painting on six panels is now in the collection of the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne.) Joie de Vivre, 1964 Olsen’s first tapestry design, followed shortly after. Although it was not sent to Portugal’s Manufactura de Tapeçarias de Portalegre until 1964, the same enthusiasm translated into sunny colours, line and form inspires both. The differences are principally those of medium derived from technical requirements, the nature of wool and its use in tapestry requiring a greater degree of definition. Furthermore, the texture and warmth of the material gave it a different visual effect, colour texture and temperature adding to its celebratory mood. Joie de Vivre was catalogue number one in Olsen’s solo exhibition at Sydney’s Clune Galleries in 1965. The vitality of his work was infectious, reflected in the critical acclaim it received. Wallace Thornton wrote in the Sydney Morning Herald that it was ‘the most joyful exhibition to be seen in Sydney in recent memory.’1 In his guise as critic, artist James Gleeson’s enthusiasm matched that of Olsen - ‘whose work glows and blooms with an uninhibited acceptance of life.’2 Woven in an edition of six, Joie de Vivre tapestries were acquired by the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, and the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne while another went abroad to the USA as part of the Harold Mertz Collection. Later, a visit to the Portalegre workshop soon resulted in more tapestries - Nude with Clock, Yellow Summer, and Verdure (Westpac Banking Corporation), all of 1966. Now more inclined towards the monumental, they were suited to the public places for which they were destined. Tapestry designs continued into the early seventies, Olsen working with the Queensland weavers Bruce Arthur and Deanna Conti, while the following decade found Olsen at the Victorian Tapestry Workshop, Melbourne. Of these Paella 1981 was acquired by Smorgon Consolidated Industries, Victoria; Rising Sun was woven in 1987; and Light Playing with Evolution 1989 went to The University of Melbourne. The predominance of yellow in each celebrated the sun-drenched source of life. Of all these wonderful tapestries, Joie de Vivre is the most spontaneous in style, its colours and design exuberantly expressing the joyous vivacity of its title. Cheeky images of clown-like fun, its focal point the mad mouthed blue lips and jack-in-the-box, boisterously sport across a lively field of colour. His sensually pulsating rhythms and sinuous calligraphic lines lead ‘the eye a wanton kind of chase’.3 Yet, for all its robustness, Joie de Vivre has a distinctive refinement and an elegance that is beguiling and idiosyncratic.

1. Thornton, W., ‘Sculpture, Two One-man shows’, Sydney Morning Herald, 21 April 1965, p. 15 2. Gleeson, J., ‘Artist glad of life’, The Sun-Herald, Sydney, 25 April 1965, p. 76 3. Hogarth, W., The Analysis of Beauty, quoted in Burke, Joseph, William Hogarth, The Analysis of Beauty, Oxford University Press, 1955, p. 42

DAVID THOMAS

(John Olsen with Frank McDonald standing under Summer in the you beaut country), 1962 photographer: David Moore type C photograph 18.5 x 28.9 cm (image) National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne © Estate of David Moore

WILLIAM DOBELL

(1899 – 1970) LAKATOIS, KOKI, 1953 oil on composition board 21.5 x 26.5 cm signed lower right: W DOBELL

ESTIMATE: $25,000 – 35,000

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PROVENANCE

Miss Jennifer English, by 1964 Private collection, Perth Deutscher and Hackett, Sydney, 2 May 2012, lot 30 Private collection, Sydney

EXHIBITED

William Dobell retrospective: paintings from 1926 to 1964, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 15 July – 30 August 1964, cat. 158

LITERATURE

Gleeson, J., William Dobell, Thames and Hudson, London, 1964, cat. 217, pl. 89 (illus.), p. 200

CLIFTON PUGH

(1924 – 1990) AND THEY SAW EACH OTHER from the LEDA AND THE EMU series oil on composition board 58.0 x 87.0 cm signed indistinctly lower right: Clifton Pugh inscribed with title verso: AND THEY SAW EACH OTHER

ESTIMATE: $15,000 – 20,000

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Andrew Ivanyi Galleries, Melbourne Private collection, Melbourne, acquired from the above December 1980

FRED WILLIAMS

(1927 – 1982) LANDSCAPE, c.1960 watercolour and gouache on paper 35.5 x 54.0 cm (sight) signed lower right: Fred Williams.

ESTIMATE: $20,000 – 30,000

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PROVENANCE

Andrew Ivanyi Galleries, Melbourne Private collection, Melbourne, acquired from the above late 1980s

ALBERT NAMATJIRA

(1902 – 1959) FINKE VALLEY, MACDONNELL RANGE, c.1936 watercolour on paper 17.5 x 25.5 cm (sight) signed lower right: NAMATJIRA ALBERT bears inscription on old backing board verso: VICTORIAN / ABORIGINAL / GROUP / Miss A. N. Brown

ESTIMATE: $18,000 – 24,000

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PROVENANCE

The Victorian Aboriginal Group, Melbourne Miss A. N. Brown, Melbourne Tom Mathieson Gallery, Sydney (label attached verso) Private collection, Sydney Menzies, Sydney, 22 March 2012, lot 131 Private collection, Sydney

EXHIBITED

Albert Namatjira: Central Australian Water Colours, The Fine Art Society Gallery, Melbourne, 5 – 17 December 1938, cat. 24

FREDERICK McCUBBIN

(1855 – 1917) DUDLEY FLATS, WEST OF MELBOURNE oil on canvas 25.5 x 36.0 cm signed lower right: F McCubbin

ESTIMATE: $15,000 – 20,000

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PROVENANCE

Malvern Fine Art Gallery, Victoria, July 1981 (label attached verso) Private collection, Melbourne Menzies, Sydney, 8 December 2011, lot 91 Private collection, Melbourne Lawson~Menzies, Sydney, 13 February 2013, lot 31 Private collection, Sydney

CONRAD MARTENS

(1801 – 1878) SYDNEY FROM THE SOUTH HEAD ROAD, NEAR THE LIGHTHOUSE, 1849 watercolour on paper 28.5 x 44.5 cm (sight) signed lower left: C. Martens [indistinct] inscribed with title verso: ‘Sydney / from the South Head Road, near the lighthouse’

ESTIMATE: $25,000 – 35,000

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PROVENANCE

Lieutenant Joseph Dayman, Sydney, acquired directly from the artist, on 10 April 1849 Private collection Theodore Bruce, Adelaide, 12 December 1978, lot 204 Private collection, Adelaide Sotheby’s Australia, Sydney, 8 May 2012, lot 14 Private collection, Sydney