Dobell painted this portrait in 1938 just before leaving London to return to Australia. The paintings from his London years are now considered to be amongst his best works for their excellent depiction of the ordinary and everyday. As James Gleeson wrote of Dobell's work: 'This is his secret; he sees the ordinary and paints it as though it was extraordinary; he sees the commonplace and paints it a…

Provenance

Collection of Mitty Lee Brown; Collection of D. R. Sheumack; Sotheby's, Fine Australian and European Paintings, Melbourne, 25/08/1997, Lot No. 195; Private collection, Sydney

Exhibitions

William Dobell Retrospective, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 1964, cat. 67. The D. R. Sheumack Collection of Australian Paintings, S. H. Ervin Museum and Art Gallery, Sydney, 17 May - 12 June, 1983, cat. 24. Counterclaims: Presenting Australian Art 1938-1941, S. H. Ervin Museum and Art Gallery, Sydney, 1986, cat. 15.

Literature

Australian Present Day Art, Ure Smith, Sydney, 1943, p. 28 Penton, B. ,The Art of William Dobell, Ure Smith, Sydney, 1946, p. 89 Smith, B. Australian Painting, Oxford University Press, Melbourne, 1962, pl. 153 Gleeson, J., William Dobell, Thames & Hudson, London, 1964, pl. 27 Gleeson, J., William Dobell, Angus & Robertson, 1981, fig. 23. Christie, R. and Miller, J. (eds), The D. R. Sheumack Collection, Eighty Years of Australian Painting, Sotheby's Australia, Sydney, 1988, cat. 94 Pearce. B. & Kolenberg, H., William Dobell, the painter's progress 1899-1970, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 1997, illus. X.