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Lot #45 - Sidney Nolan

  • Auction House:
    Mossgreen
  • Sale Name:
    Important Art
  • Sale Date:
    20 Nov 2017 ~ 6.30pm
  • Lot #:
    45
  • Lot Description:
    Sidney Nolan
    (1917-1992)
    Mother and Child with Helicopter, 1966
    oil on board
    121 x 121 cm
    signed and dated lower right: ‘Nolan 1966’; signed and dated verso: Nolan 5 Oct 66
  • Provenance:
    Private collection, Melbourne
  • Notes:
    Sir Sidney Nolan is one of Australia’s most recognised and significant artists of all time. While best known for his depictions of the Kelly gang and the explorers Burke and Wills, Nolan pioneered an artistic expression that reflected Australian history, mythology and identity. Nolan’s technique and subject matter is often synonymous with his desire to show Australian stories of failure, confusion and loss in an honest and raw way. While Nolan was particularly interested in, and perhaps most famous for, the plight of Burke and Wills, the harshness of the Australian landscape and the suffering of the Anzacs at Gallipoli, he did demonstrate an interest in the Vietnam war, and the impact on Vietnamese civilians, as seen in this image. In this picture, Nolan actualises both a personal and public lament, showcasing the terrible impact of war on innocent lives. Although he was more vocal regarding the impact of Gallipoli, this image is indicative of Nolan’s far-reaching empathy, and social concerns. In the same year this artwork was created, the Mertz collection was bought by American millionaire Harold Mertz, and went on display in Adelaide, and later taken to the US.1 Primarily featuring Nolan, Boyd and other acclaimed Australian artists, American art experts Richard Madigan and Roy Moyer praised the exhibition, stating that ‘the new generation artists of the international school will never capture the soul of your country as these men have’ and that ‘the crudeness, even muddiness, of Nolan and Boyd is a characteristic entirely of its own.’2 Nolan is far better known for painting elegantly dressed women from the early 1960s, therefore making this work especially intriguing. Painted in a key period of Nolan’s career, it provides a snapshot into the various characters that made up his artistic repertoire. The dark colours and sweeping brushstrokes, coupled with the distressed faces of the mother and child, capture Nolan’s clear sense of compassion, especially when compared with his earlier portraits of young ladies. While asserting his aptitude for unique portrait painting, the artwork gives voice to Nolan’s social conscience, and the sympathetic side of the greater Australian community of the mid-1960s. Iona Litchfield 1 The News, Experts like Australian Artists, March 16 1966 ; 2 ibid.
  • Estimate:
    A$15,000 - 25,000
  • Realised Price:
    *****

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  • Category:
    Art

This Sale has been held and this item is no longer available. Details are provided for information purposes only.



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