Find Lots

• Auction House:
  Mossgreen
• Sale Name:
  Fine Australian Art
• Sale Date:
  28 Oct 2014 ~ 6.30pm
• Lot #:
  16
• Lot Description:
  John Henry Olsen
  (born 1928)
  The Fish 1989
  watercolour, gouache and pastel
  80 x 90 cm
  signed and dated 'John Olsen 89' lower left; bears Australian Galleries label verso
• Provenance:
  Private Collection, Melbourne
• Exhibited:
  John Olsen, Australian Galleries, Sydney, 2-28 April 1990, cat. no. 25
• Notes:
  John Olsen is one of Australia's most prolific and accomplished artists. Frogs, fish and other creatures inhabiting ponds and wetlands are recurring motifs in Olsen's work, which frequently explores a spiritual connection to the Australian landscape. The year 1988 was a transitional one for Olsen who moved to the Blue Mountains to live with Katharine Howard, whom he wed early the following year. Working in his new Wentworth Falls studio, in 1989 he completed the body of work, including The Fish, for his exhibition at Australian Galleries held in 1990. Deborah Hart revealed that he was '...painting with a renewed vigour on a wide range of themes: Sydney Harbour remembered in its juicy-fruit vitality; gouaches and watercolours of the 'Potter's Studio' recalling his experiences working with the ceramicist, Robert Mair; and the revitalisation of the frog, fish and lily pond.'1 John Olsen is renowned for his iconic Salute to Five Bells 1972-73 mural at the Sydney Opera House, his The King Sun 2013 mural for the Walker Corporation's 'Tower B' complex at Docklands, Melbourne was the subject of a recent documentary. He has also completed a significant body of prints and works on paper. Olsen's work is represented in the National Gallery of Australia, state and regional galleries, and private and corporate collections. He was awarded the Wynne Prize in 1969 and 1985, the Sulman Prize in 1989 and the Archibald Prize in 2005 for his work Self Portrait Janus Faced. John Olsen was recognised for his services to the arts, being awarded an Order of the British Empire in 1977 and an Order of Australia in 2001. Dr Shireen Huda 1 Deborah Hart, John Olsen, Craftsman House, New York, 1991, p. 199
• Estimate:
  A$25,000 - 35,000
• 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.