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• Auction House:
  Mossgreen
• Sale Name:
  A Private Collection of Fine Contemporary Art
• Sale Date:
  23 Oct 2012 ~ 6.30pm
• Lot #:
  2
• Lot Description:
  Philip Wolfhagen
  (born 1963)
  Nocturne III, 2004
  oil and beeswax on linen
  158 x 213.5cm
  signed, titled and dated lower right
• Provenance:
  Christine Abrahams Gallery, Melbourne
• Exhibited:
  Melbourne Art Fair 2004, Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne
• References:
  Peter Timms, Philip Wolfhagen: Surface Tensions. A Tasmanian Monograph, Quintus Publishing 2007, illustrated p.38
• Notes:
  Philip Wolfhagen was born in 1963 and grew up on a sheep station in Central Tasmania. He completed his Bachelor of Fine Arts at the University of Tasmania, Centre for the Arts, Hobart in 1987 before moving to Sydney, where he undertook a Graduate Diploma of Visual Arts at Sydney College of the Arts in 1990. Named one of Australia's 'Most Collectable Artists' in 2010, Wolfhagen has made a name for himself through focusing primarily on the Tasmanian landscape. The motifs are consistent - the sky, the clouds, the sea, the hills and plains of the Tasmanian landscape. Nocturne is the epitomy of the characteristic Wolfhagen subdued palette and atmosphere, and is arguably the finest work to come on to the market in recent years. It speaks of the artist's Tasmanian home, of its history and of the future. Peter Timms, author of the artist's monograph, explains the impact of the landscape on Wolfhagen: 'From his front door, he looks out past the garden to the South Esk River and the rich grazing country beyond. It was almost inevitable that he would decide to explore it in paint... Paintings such as Nocturne III which does, in fact, depict the view from his front door, admit few overt signs of human occupation, save the occasional glow of distant house-lights or a bright streak of car tail-lights along the highway. In fact, they are not markedly different from his earlier pictures, a reminder that he has always favoured park-like country over deep forests or rugged mountains. These are surprisingly unaffected paintings, almost defiantly picturesque, as though he had been determined to ignore art history and concentrate only on what was there in front of him. Yet, as their titles suggest, they have about them that characteristic air of pensiveness and regret.'1 Throughout his career Wolfhagen has exhibited with Sherman Galleries, Sydney and Bett Gallery, Hobart. He is also represented by Karen Woodbury Gallery in Melbourne and Dominic Mersch Gallery in Sydney. His work is held in many public collections, including the National Gallery of Australia, National Gallery of Victoria, Art Gallery of South Australia, Newcastle Region Art Gallery, New England Regional Art Museum, Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery and Artbank. 1 Peter Timms, Philip Wolfhagen: Surface Tensions. A Tasmanian Monograph, Quintus Publishing 2007, p.39
• Estimate:
  A$40,000 - 60,000
• 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.