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• Auction House:
  Bay East Auctions
• Sale Name:
  The Art & Book Sale
• Sale Date:
  07 Oct 2012 ~ 2pm
• Lot #:
  73
• Lot Description:
  David Boyd
  (1924-2011)
  The Blessing 1966
  oil on canvas
  127 x 119cm
  signed and dated 'David Boyd 1966' lower right
• Provenance:
  Gift of the artist, circa 1969-1970 The Estate of the Late Pro Hart, NSW Deutscher and Hackett, Melbourne, 16 April 2008, lot 143 (illustrated) Private Collection, Melbourne Exhibited: 'Church and State', Johnstone Gallery, Brisbane, March and April
• Exhibited:
  'Church and State', Johnstone Gallery, Brisbane, March and April 1966; South Yarra Gallery, Melbourne, 1966; Barry Stern Galleries, Sydney, 1966 'Travelling Retrospective Exhibition', Commonwealth Institute Art Gallery, London; Commonwealth Institute Art Gallery, Edinburgh, 22 May to 7 June 1969; City Art Gallery, Sheffield, 19 July to 17 August 1969 'A Survey of Important Works 1959-1969', Artistry Galleries, Melbourne, 17-28 August 2009 Nancy Benko, 'David Boyd', Lidums, 1973, pp. 87, 88, 9
• Notes:
  Note: David Boyd's observations regarding the oppressive nature of church and state in Franco's Spain evolved into the Church and State series of the mid 1960s, which includes the current work, The Blessing, of 1966. Here peasants cower before a sumptuously dressed Bishop (representing the church) riding a demonic looking bull, while behind them lurk the silhouettes of the civil guard (representing the state). The Bishop's expression, which can be read as one of feigned holiness, adds an element of humour to an otherwise rather menacing portrayal life in Spain at that time. The many forces at play in this painting are admirably encapsulated by James Gleeson's 1966 comment that David Boyd's work '… is moody, romantic, sensuous and satirical all at the same time.' (1) Anne Phillips (1) Nancy Benko, David Boyd, Lidums, 1973, p. 87. Accompanied by a copy of the aforementioned publication by Nancy Benko
• Estimate:
  A$50,000 - 70,000
• 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.