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• Auction House:
  Mossgreen
• Sale Name:
  Important Art
• Sale Date:
  20 Nov 2017 ~ 6.30pm
• Lot #:
  23
• Lot Description:
  Charles Blackman
  (born 1928)
  Vase of Flowers Placed on a Stool, 1973
  oil on canvas
  174 x 138 cm
  signed and dated upper right: BLACKMAN 73
• Provenance:
  Savill Galleries Sydney; Private collection, Perth
• Exhibited:
  Charles Blackman, Fuji Television Gallery, Tokyo, 1973; Intimate Reflections: Charles Blackman, Savill Galleries, Sydney,13 March – 12 April 1997, cat. no. 28
• Notes:
  Described as a vibrant, poetic and romantic character, Blackman’s artwork reflects his demeanor, where various notions of love, grief, loss, joy, affection and empathy are explored in a dream-like manner. Boasting a career that spans over 60 years, he is regarded as one of the most significant and unique artists in Australia. These still life artworks in this auction (lot 23 and lot 24) are representative of two very different stages of Blackman’s life, yet are equally important. The earlier and smaller still-life (24) was painted in 1957, and demonstrates a much more subdued artistic style. It is undeniably charming, and given that Blackman was in his late 20s when he painted it, suggests its importance in the context of his career development. Three years after the earlier painting was completed, Blackman went to London and stayed for six years, having been awarded the prestigious Helena Rubenstein Scholarship in 1960. Here, he exhibited at Whitechapel Gallery, The Tate and various other British institutions, and explored not only his technical ability, but that of British and European artists.1 More than a decade later, Vase of Flowers Placed on a Stool (lot 23) painted in 1973 gave voice to an established and highly regarded artist. According to an account of the Blackman exhibition at Savill Galleries in 1973, in which the artwork featured, the artist ‘recall(ed) how the pop art and modern art he was seeing in London prompted him to be less realistic in making his imagery and to abstract it more.’2 Blackman has clearly achieved this, where the still life almost feels psychedelic. The highly saturated colour palette underscores Blackman’s originality, and highly developed sense for colour and composition. Four years after this work, Blackman was named as a recipient of the OBE for his services to art. Iona Litchfield 1 Ken McGregor, Art Series Hotels: Charles Blackman, 2009; 2 The Qantas Club Magazine, Charles Blackman Recalls Life in the 1960’s, February 1998, p. 17
• Estimate:
  A$70,000 - 90,000
• 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.