Beauties from cherished collections in search of new custodians
Two exhibitions at Philip Bacon Galleries remind us of our mortality and of the enduring beauty of art.
I’ve already done a story about an exhibition focusing on death and dying this week, so mortality is very much front of mind. And sometimes one wonders what will happen to all our stuff once we have gone yonder, wherever yonder might be. The books, the archive and, of course, the artwork.
I’m thinking about this considering one of two exhibitions at Philip Bacon Galleries right now. There is an exquisite show called Still Life & Interiors, which features masterworks including a range of stunning works by the late great Margaret Olley. And the prices seem reasonable, so this is an amazing opportunity for collectors. Everyone should have an Olley, right?
Then there is the exhibition, A Private Collection, which is self-explanatory. There are some stunning works in this job lot, including some magical pieces by Sam Fullbrook, among others. It’s a gorgeous show and a poignant one. Philip Bacon has written a lovely little essay for the catalogue musing on art and, in a way, mortality. He talks about his relationships with his clients.
“The collectors of the works in this catalogue were interested and interesting people,” he writes. “They first came to the gallery when I opened in 1974 and had supported me and the artists I have represented continuously.
“Both (clients) were integral to Brisbane’s design and art worlds from the 1960s until their recent deaths. Early in their marriage they began to fill their extraordinary mid-century home, perched high above the Brisbane River, with pictures, sculpture, furniture, objects and books that enriched the way they lived their everyday lives.”
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‘It is exciting … to think of the pleasure and impact these works of art will have on the lives of their new custodians’
Bacon points out that Sam Fullbrook was “a cornerstone of the collection” and they are “works that exemplify the very best of Australia’s greatest colourist’s output”.
“The dispersal of a collection that was so personal and cherished gives rise to poignant reflection,” Bacon writes. “It is exciting, however, to think of the pleasure and impact these works of art will have on the lives of their new custodians.”
It makes one pause for thought while browsing and it also makes me think about the art dealer’s place in our lives. Philip Bacon himself operates in a unique way. He is to his clients a businessman, a friend, and at times a father confessor. At other times, an amateur psychologist.
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This is all part of a job he loves and his touching essay tugs at the heart strings a bit. And it also makes one admire the taste of these clients who remain anonymous in Bacon’s essay.
Highlights include those Fulbrooks, a Rupert Bunny nude, Robert Dickerson’s Lady Waiting (1975) and an amazing Sidney Nolan work from 1966, Ned Kelly’s Dream.
Charles Blackman’s Gauguin’s girlfriend (main picture) is another cracker and one of the more expensive at $150,000, but many of the others are priced so that new collectors could grab them with numerous works under $10,000. I hope it’s not gauche talking about money, but I thought you’d like to know.
The Still Life & Interiors exhibition features Margaret Olley, Rupert Bunny, Arthur Streeton, Donald Friend, Ray Crooke, William Robinson and other luminaries. This is an art museum quality show and yet another opportunity for collectors to get their hands on works that seldom come onto the market in this way.
I think my favourite Olley is Interior at Morry Street, West End, painted in 1970. It anchors her as a Brisbane artist as well as a Northern Rivers and Sydney one.
I’m being parochial, I know, but I can’t help it. Brisbane was a significant part of her life and Philip Bacon was her dear friend and art dealer. I had the pleasure of taking afternoon tea with Olley once at his gallery. She was quite a character and that is a treasured memory. What remains are those memories … and the work, sublime as it is.
A Private Collection and Still Life & Interiors continue at Philip Bacon Galleries, Fortitude Valley, until April 18.
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