Find Lots

• Auction House:
  Bonhams Australia
• Sale Name:
  Sir Sidney Nolan Works from the Estate of Lady Nolan, Part III
• Sale Date:
  24 Nov 2020 ~ 6pm (AEDT)
• Lot #:
  40
• Lot Description:
  Sidney Nolan
  (1917 - 1992)
  Antarctica - Explorer, 1964
  oil on board
  122.0 x 122.0cm (48 1/16 x 48 1/16in).
  signed and dated lower right: '16 Sept 1964 / Nolan'; signed, dated and inscribed verso: 'Antartica [sic] / 16 Sept 1964 / Nolan'
  RELATED WORKS: Explorer, 1964, oil on composition board, 121.9 x 121.9cm (NGA 2017.227); and Explorer, 1964, oil on composition board, 121.9 x 121.9cm (NGA 2017.231), both in the collection of the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, purchased 2017 from the estate of Lady Nolan
• Provenance:
  Sir Sidney Nolan, United Kingdom, until 1992; Lady Nolan, United Kingdom, until 2016; The Estate of Lady Nolan, United Kingdom
• Exhibited:
  Sidney Nolan, Australian Galleries, Melbourne, 21 September – 1 October 1965, cat. 16; Sidney Nolan - Antarctic Journey, Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery, Mornington, 29 November 2006 – 25 February 2007, cat. 49 (label attached verso)
• References:
  Rodney James, Sidney Nolan - Antarctic Journey, Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery, Victoria, 2006, cat. 49, p. 59 (illus.), p. 77, titled Explorer
• Notes:
  While painting the Antarctic explorers Nolan was reading The Worst Journey in the World by Apsley Cherry Garrard, a member of Scott's disastrous last expedition, who was left shocked by his experiences. Nolan's paintings of the Antarctic explorers delve into the physical and psychological struggles they endured. In this work and its companion piece Explorer Antarctica, 1964 (Bonhams, Sydney 26 June 2019, lot 193), the bowed head, saint-like with a halo of ice, is reminiscent of John Charles Dollman's popular painting, A Very Gallant Gentleman, 1913, that depicts the stooped figure of Captain Oates as he walked heroically from Scott's tent. Nolan, however, was rarely literal in depicting his legends nor limited himself to single sources of inspiration and here we also see the influence of Coleridge's epic poem The Ryme of the Ancient Mariner which recounts the story of a sailor surviving a voyage in Antarctic waters. For other important works from this series see lots 10, 20, 64, 72, 79, 89 and 107.
• Estimate:
  A$60,000 - 80,000
• Realised Price:
  *****
  

  Can't see the realised price? Upgrade your subscription now!

• Category:
  Art

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