If you were to ask an Australian art collector to name their favourite abstract painter from this country then I would guess that most would answer John Coburn. Like the works of other well known artists - such as John Olsen, Tim Storrier and Robert Dickerson - mature John Coburn paintings have a very distinctive style which is easy to pick out once you have seen a few examples. Coburn is not however an abstract painter in the pure sense - but for that matter is anyone? His shimmering shapes echo the distinctive small hills of the Australian landscape that stand out in such contrast to the vast flatness of the desert. Coburn also had a great ability to evoke in visual form the strange feeling of evening light and the abstract harmonies of music.

Posted in: Collecting Art

I am sometimes asked by my clients who are considering the purchase of a Tim Storrier work - "What do you think are his best pieces?". Perhaps what they really are interested in is what style of Storrier painting I consider to be his most popular. Popularity does not always equate with quality and yet there are some artists - and I would include Storrier amongst them - whose best work is also often their most popular because this is the work which has resonated the most with the viewing public. In regards to Tim Storrier I have found that his 'Blaze Line' and 'Coals' series to be particularly sought after - especially if they are a night or sunset scene.

Posted in: Collecting Art

The reputation of Lloyd Rees may well be the sleeping giant of the Australian art world. Rees has always been well loved - especially in Sydney - but the humble beauty of his art has often lead to it being under-appreciated. Lloyd Rees was a stunningly consistent artist over his whole career - from his early exquisite pencil drawings and paintings to the Turner-like splendor of his last years. His early work - especially 'The Road to Berry' was an influence on Brett Whiteley and although some people are not so sure about his later works I believe they are unique in Australian art in their treatment of light. I have a late Lloyd Rees lithograph in my own collection and am still amazed by how much it moves me when I look at it.

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Robert Dickerson is an artist who sits within the modernist tradition of Australian art. His works largely consists of subtle variations upon his own distinctive way of representing the human face. Once you are familiar with a few Dickerson paintings or prints you will find his work easy to pick out. It is this very fact that is sometimes used as a criticism of his art. However I think that this is a superficial stance. Robert Dickerson's work is very rarely pretty. I would argue that what people are responding to - in part at least - is its underlying emotional appeal - the hints of sadness and anger that these figures exhibit in their familiar suburban or work settings. Dickerson's art is more than just a 'branding' phenomena. He has tapped into some sort of questioning dis-ease within our everyday life.

Posted in: Collecting Art