Find Lots

#38

INTRODUCTION By Ron Ramsey

Colin and Elizabeth Laverty’s collection of Australian Indigenous art was arguably the largest and one of the most important private collections of its type in the world. With no initial plan to build such a collection, Colin and Liz simply responded to art intuitively and intelligently. Over several decades they enjoyed their artistic journey, absorbing information, meeting people and travelling Australia and the world, often advocating for Australian contemporary art, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous. Through their generosity, public and private art museums throughout Europe, the United States of America and Asia borrowed a total of 161 works for a broad range of exhibitions, while a further 131 works have been donated to Australian public galleries under the Cultural Gifts Program.

Such is the quality of their collection that images of some of their works have promoted exhibitions widely. For the Lavertys it was a source of great pride (and amusement) that posters advertising the Aratjara exhibition at the Hayward Gallery at Southbank, London featured a painting from their collection and were pasted throughout London, including the London Underground.

Colin from Sydney and Liz from Melbourne were both drawn to art, possibly because it was always around them. Colin’s mother had been interested in collecting paintings, and Colin as a medical student was spending his spare time, not only at sporting events, but at Gallery A, the Hungry Horse and Bonython Galleries in Sydney. He made his first purchase, an abstract painting by William Rose, in his early twenties. With a great passion for abstract expressionism ignited by a visit to the Two Decades of American Painting exhibition at the Art Gallery of New South Wales in 1967, Colin went on to purchase paintings such as Tony Tuckson’s Pink Lines (Vertical) on Red and Purple, 1970 – 73, now in the Queensland Art Gallery collection; Dick Watkins’s The Mooche, 1968, which featured in the National Gallery of Victoria’s landmark exhibition The Field, also now in the Queensland Art Gallery collection; and Peter Booth’s Painting, 1973 now in the Newcastle Art Gallery collection.

Colin’s interest in art was broad and in 1980 he published a book on a neglected aspect of Australian colonial art, namely sporting paintings. In 1983 – 84 he curated and wrote the catalogue for a touring exhibition Pastures and Pastimes which focussed on the portraits of animals (mainly sheep and cattle) as well as famous 19th Century racehorses and their riders.

Liz grew up in Melbourne surrounded by wonderful art. Her paternal grandfather knew the painters of the Heidelberg School and she lived with two important late Frederick McCubbin paintings, among others. Her family is also linked to Alfred Felton who, along with his partner Frederick Grimwade, worked in her maternal great grandfather’s business. Liz was a nurse and mother in Melbourne and, with her friends Frederica Clunies Ross and artist Robert Hannaford, she frequently visited Gallery A (then in Melbourne), Powell Street and the Young Painters Gallery.

Once together in Sydney, Colin and Liz established and developed Dr Colin Laverty and Associates, a much respected specialised pathology practice. Colin’s ground breaking research made an important contribution to the eventual development of the cervical cancer vaccine. Their spare time together was focussed on art galleries and exhibitions and they collected, in depth, artists such as Richard Larter, Noel McKenna, Dick Watkins, Ken Whisson, Aida Tomescu, Ildiko Kovacs and William Robinson. Such was their loyalty to many artists they continued to purchase their works over three decades.

It was however in 1988 whilst visiting the Bicentennial Expo at Southbank Brisbane, that they were overwhelmed by the beauty of the Western Desert display of Australian Indigenous painting. From that moment, there was no looking back.

Travelling extensively to remote communities from Arnhem Land to the Tiwi Islands, and from the Western Desert to the Kimberley, they travelled by car, four wheel drive, plane, helicopter and ship. Nowhere was too remote. Most importantly for the Lavertys, they befriended artists whom they regularly visited and supported – some were young and emerging, some not so young and emerging, and some were senior elders entrusted with ancient totems and rituals. They collected in depth, charting the artists’ development, just as they did with the non-Indigenous artists. The Lavertys held works of 426 Indigenous artists from 40 different locations including Emily Kngwarreye, Rover Thomas, Paddy Bedford, Eubena Nampitjin, John Mawurndjul, Mick Namarari, Sally Gabori, Daniel Walbidi and Kitty Kantilla, to name but a few.

Colin and Liz purchased work from a range of sources but particularly through community art centres, developing friendships with art centre managers and gallerists such as Will Stubbs at Yirrkala, Stephen Williamson and Samantha Togni at Balgo Hills, Apolline Kohen at Maningrida, Emily Rohr at Short Street Gallery, Broome and Dallas Gold at Raftspace, Darwin. As distant as these art centres may seem from the major cities of Australia, regularly a number of collectors would assemble there at the same time and the competition to purchase works would be polite but fierce; having said that, the Lavertys were also known to hold back to allow novice collectors an opportunity to purchase, with often the inexperienced buyers looking to the couple for advice.

As public galleries continued to borrow from the Lavertys, in 1998 the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) in Sydney featured the first exhibition drawn solely from the Laverty collection. The show featured work by 37 artists including Indigenous and non-Indigenous paintings, Morning Star poles and a selection of woven baskets and Hermannsburg pots. The next exhibition drawn from their collection would take place ten years later at the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery in New Plymouth, New Zealand.

The accuracy and precision of the Lavertys’ record keeping, no doubt reflecting their medical backgrounds, was the envy of many public art galleries. Meticulously assembling extensive background material, publicity, curatorial and statistical information, Colin, in particular, was driven to produce a book on their collection that provided an informed overview of contemporary Australian Indigenous art. Entitled Beyond Sacred, the publication features magnificent images both of works of art and country, and essays by respected writers and curators. Impressively designed by Liz’s daughter, Melbourne based graphic designer Jane Kleimeyer, the first edition was launched in 2008 and coincided with Paintings from Remote Communities: Indigenous Australian Art from the Laverty Collection, an exhibition at Newcastle Art Gallery.

Both the publication and the exhibition were extremely successful. The book soon sold out and went onto a second edition. The exhibition was a joyful experience for the Lavertys, who were taken by surprise to see such a large and impressive showing of their Indigenous collection. The Newcastle community’s reaction to the exhibition and to the knowledge and generosity of the Lavertys initiated a significant shift in the collecting policies of the gallery. It also ignited interest in another exhibition for Newcastle and Laverty 2 featuring Australian Indigenous and non-Indigenous art was launched in 2011.

During the development of Laverty 2, Colin was slightly anxious about the selection and pairing of works. He was also concerned that his beloved 19th Century sporting paintings might be out of place. However, thankfully, the reverse was true with the 19th Century sporting paintings sitting comfortably alongside the many small works of Noel McKenna. Moving seamlessly through the work of Ildiko Kovacs, Paddy Bedford, Alma Webou, Aida Tomescu, Daniel Walbidi and Tony Tuckson, the exhibition lived up to Colin’s strong view that Australian Indigenous art should be viewed as contemporary Australian art and not segregated into a separate category. Colin had the exhibition photographed and would often, thereafter, be seen with his folder of photos which he brought out at any time and in any city to prove his point.

In May 2008 the Lavertys went to Tokyo, Japan to view the three Emily Kngwarreye paintings they had loaned to the major exhibition Utopia: the Genius of Emily Kngwarreye at the National Arts Center. In the massive space of the Art Center, the Emilys were a sensation but it was somewhat ironic that in the neighbouring space was an exhibition of the caryatids of Italian 20th Century artist Amedeo Modigliani. The Japanese marketing machine labelled the Modigliani as work of a 20th Century primitive and the Emilys as that of a contemporary modernist. Colin’s desire for Australian Indigenous art to be viewed as contemporary art was clearly gaining momentum.

Due to boundless enthusiasm, the Laverty collection had grown beyond their expectations, so much so, that in 2012 Colin and Liz decided they needed to start the difficult task of reducing the number of works at home and in storage. An auction was planned for March 2013 at the Museum of Contemporary Art, where 15 years before the first of their collection exhibitions was held. Sadly, only weeks before the auction, Colin passed away. Liz, whilst understandably sad to see the works leave their collection, was thrilled by the interest and enthusiasm of the large crowd. The auction broke several records for a number of the artists represented.

Now with this second auction, also at the Museum of Contemporary Art, many of the works which illustrate the pages of the Laverty’s publication Beyond Sacred are offered. It must give Liz great satisfaction to know that works she and Colin had intuitively selected and cherished are destined for national, state and regional collections as well as private collectors throughout Australia and overseas.

08 Mar 2015 ~ 2.30pm

Museum of Contemporary Art
Sydney CBD, NSW 3141 Australia

17 Feb 2015 ~ 11am - 6pm
105 Commercial Road
South Yarra, VIC 3141
Australia

18 Feb 2015 ~ 11am - 6pm
105 Commercial Road
South Yarra, VIC 3141
Australia

19 Feb 2015 ~ 11am - 6pm
105 Commercial Road
South Yarra, VIC 3141
Australia

20 Feb 2015 ~ 11am - 6pm
105 Commercial Road
South Yarra, VIC 3141
Australia

21 Feb 2015 ~ 11am - 6pm
105 Commercial Road
South Yarra, VIC 3141
Australia

22 Feb 2015 ~ 11am - 6pm
105 Commercial Road
South Yarra, VIC 3141
Australia

26 Feb 2015 ~ 11am - 6pm
55 Oxford Street
Surry Hills, NSW 2010
Australia

27 Feb 2015 ~ 11am - 6pm
55 Oxford Street
Surry Hills, NSW 2010
Australia

28 Feb 2015 ~ 11am - 6pm
55 Oxford Street
Surry Hills, NSW 2010
Australia

01 Mar 2015 ~ 11am - 6pm
55 Oxford Street
Surry Hills, NSW 2010
Australia

02 Mar 2015 ~ 11am - 6pm
55 Oxford Street
Surry Hills, NSW 2010
Australia

03 Mar 2015 ~ 11am - 6pm
55 Oxford Street
Surry Hills, NSW 2010
Australia

04 Mar 2015 ~ 11am - 6pm
55 Oxford Street
Surry Hills, NSW 2010
Australia

05 Mar 2015 ~ 11am - 6pm
55 Oxford Street
Surry Hills, NSW 2010
Australia

06 Mar 2015 ~ 11am - 6pm
55 Oxford Street
Surry Hills, NSW 2010
Australia

07 Mar 2015 ~ 11am - 6pm
55 Oxford Street
Surry Hills, NSW 2010
Australia