IMPORTANT AUSTRALIAN ART

The exhibition will be on view in Melbourne from Wednesday 9 August – Sunday 13 August, 10 am to 5 pm, at 14-16 Collins Street.

Among the highlights of the sale is Sidney Nolan’s magnificent Ned Kelly: Wounded Bushranger 1955 (lot 22, estimate $750,000–950,000, pictured above).

Included in Nolan’s highly significant solo exhibition at The Redfern Gallery, London, in May 1955, Wounded Bushranger is a dramatic composition that evokes empathy and pathos.  Here the armed and mounted outlaw slumps in his saddle, his eye visible through the slit in his helmet, directed to the ground out of physical necessity, rather than strategic bushmanship.  Ned Kelly’s horse is shown pushing forward, propelling his passenger towards the river, where he may escape the advances of his avenging pursuers.

Compositions from Nolan’s ‘second’ Ned Kelly series remain tightly held, with the majority residing in prestigious public and private collections.  We are honoured to be entrusted with the sale of Wounded Bushranger – a rare and inventive depiction from our most internationally renowned Australian artist – that was last offered for public auction almost a quarter of a century ago.

Following Melbourne, the Sydney exhibition will take place from Thursday 17 August – Wednesday 23 August, 10 am to 5 pm at 30 Queen Street, Woollahra.

The auction will be held at the National Council of Jewish Women of Australia, 111 Queen Street, Woollahra at 6.30 pm on 23 August 2023.

For more information, please contact: