Lot 22

In good condition overall. Paint appears stable, and colours rich. The work is well framed with overall size including frame 171 x 142cm.
(LEONARD JOEL CONTACTLESS DELIVERY $110 within 20km of Melbourne premises)


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Australian Galleries, Melbourne 1994
Private collection
Presston Gallery, Sydney 2008
Private collection, Sydney

Arthur Boyd Recent Paintings and Etchings, Australian Galleries, Sydney, 29 November 1993–12 February 1994, Melbourne 18 April – 14 May 1994, cat. no. 15

Arthur Boyd first sighted his future home of Bundanon in 1971 after many years spent abroad in England. It was during a visit to the shared home of Frank MacDonald, Sandra McGrath and her husband Tony on the New South Wales South Coast that Yvonne and Arthur Boyd first formed an attachment to the area. They were meant to stay for just one weekend, but ended up staying for ten days. Both were completely entranced by the landscape at Bundanon, and Arthur was reinspired to depict the Australian landscape.

When the adjoining property, Riversdale, became available in 1974 the Boyds keenly acquired it and, soon after, the very property they had first visited. Although the McGraths and MacDonald had wished to sell Bundanon to the NSW State Government as a creative retreat, the Government sadly declined, and so instead the property was then sold to the Boyds in 1979. For Arthur and Yvonne, Bundanon was a place of beauty, inspiration, and belonging.

When reviewing the career of Arthur Boyd, the significance of Bundanon and the Shoalhaven area is uncontested. This new home brought about his most pivotal series and led to his legendary status in Australian Art history. What should not be overlooked, however, is the significance of Yvonne - both her own attachment to Bundanon and her profound impact on Arthur.

"Bundanon is Yvonne Boyd's legacy as much as Arthur's" said Deborah Ely, chief executive officer of Bundanon Trust. "She shared his vision as she shared his life. She was an artist of great talent and unrealised potential". 1.

Yvonne's opinion was held in the highest regard by Arthur as the one he needed most earnestly. "Where's she gone?" he would enquire when he needed to recall a detail. "She's got to put me right". Once, when he turned to her on the completion of a painting and asked: "Well, what do you think?"; and her response was a little slow in coming, he insisted:"I need your praise" He knew she would never let him down with an easy answer . 2.

Many of Arthur's paintings of Bundanon are powerful landscapes, encompassing the harsh beauty of Australian nature. Bundanon Garden and Studio 1993 demonstrates a more delicate approach, reminiscent of the Heidelberg artists such as Roberts or Streeton in its sentimentality. This particular painting is Arthur's touching tribute to Yvonne - his wife and home. Yvonne is at one with the garden, enveloped by its arching branches and floral tendrils. She sits joyfully amidst the blooming garden, their happy home framed behind her. In contrast to Arthur's sharp depictions of the rocky Shoalhaven with deep browns and reds, Bundanon Garden and Studio 1993 is an intricate pattern of pinks, purples, blues and greens. One can imagine Arthur showing it to Yvonne upon completion, eager to hear her praise and acceptance of his loving portrait.

After many years at Bundanon, Arthur and Yvonne resolved that Bundanon should in fact be for the people and so they decided to gift the property along with an impressive collection of artwork to the Federal Government. In 1993, the same year this painting was produced, then Prime Minister Paul Keating accepted this generous gift (in contrast to the NSW Government before him in the 1970s) and the 1000 hectares that encompassed Bundanon was established as an arts organisation and public museum. The following year a major retrospective was held of Arthur Boyd's work at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, a pivotal 12 months in cementing his legacy. Even after the gift of Bundanon, the landscape had a profound impact on Arthur and Yvonne Boyd and influenced his paintings until his death in 1999.

Olivia Fuller / Head of Art

1. Nicholson, A. M., Yvonne Boyd, wife of fellow artist Arthur Boyd, dies age 93, ABC, 13 November 2013
2. Bungey, D., Australia enriched by a generous life at Arthur Boyd's side, Sydney Morning Herald, 23 January 2014