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• Auction House:
  Bonhams Australia
• Sale Name:
  Important Australian Art
• Sale Date:
  23 Aug 2022 ~ 7pm (AEST)
• Lot #:
  84
• Lot Description:
  Albert Namatjira
  (1902-1959)
  Indoona, c.1939
  watercolour on paper
  25.0 x 17.0cm (9 13/16 x 6 11/16in).
  signed lower right: 'ALBERT NAMATJIRA'
• Provenance:
  Artarmon Galleries, Sydney (label attached verso); Private collection, Sydney
• References:
  Andrew MacKenzie, Albert Namatjira: 1902-1959, Famous Australian Art Series, Mallard Press, Brisbane, 1989, p. 22 (illus.); Alison French, Seeing the Centre: The Art of Albert Namatjira 1902-1959, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, 2002, p. 43
• Notes:
  Indoona, c.1939 is an exceptionally rare example of portraiture in the oeuvre of an artist internationally renowned for his remarkable paintings depicting the Australian landscape. One of only three known profile portraits, Indoona depicts a friend of Namatjira's and, unlike the other two portraits, Kamatu and Nguritooyalpa c.1937 1 and other full-length figures depicted by the artist that are set in specific locations, this example is set against a bare background. The artist did not pursue portraiture beyond these early years and perhaps, as Alison French suggests, these works were specifically commissioned by friends and family. In stark contrast to the 'Westernised' artist that Namatjira was to become, Indoona depicts a traditional Aboriginal man who undoubtedly lived a starkly different life to that of his painter. Although not as skilled in rendering the human form as he was with the landscape that surrounded him, Namatjira has nonetheless successfully captured the quiet intensity and feeling in his subject's gaze. The sombre palette enhances the mood of this formal portrait. Francesca Cavazzini 1 Alison French, Seeing the Centre: The Art of Albert Namatjira 1902-1959, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, 2002, p.53 (illus.)
• Estimate:
  A$15,000 - 18,000
• 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.