Lot 34

Kaliman Gallery, Sydney 2009 (label verso)
Private collection, Victoria

Del Kathryn Barton, The Stars Eat your Body, Kaliman Gallery, Sydney, 27 November – 19 December 2009

Undeniably one of the most critically acclaimed, eagerly sought-after figures in Australian contemporary art, Del Kathryn Barton holds the rare distinction of being one of the only two women to have twice won the prestigious Archibald Prize for portraiture at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, cementing her influence in the field.

Her paintings are instantly recognisable for their luminous surfaces, teeming with obsessive mark-making, delicate linework, and feverishly intricate patterns. Within this visual landscape Barton constructs figures the hover between earthly and ethereal realms, their exaggerated eyes and finely etched features imbued with a hypnotic, otherworldly presence.

Created a year after her first Archibald Prize accolade in 2008 for You Are What Is Most Beautiful About Me, Dawn stands out within Barton's oeuvre for its depiction of a male subject - an anomaly in a body of work that predominantly centres on the female figure. While she has produced equally striking portraits of men, including her 2013 Archibald winning depiction of Hugo Weaving, male subjects are not often seen in her practice, however, still hold the same euphoric constructs.

Exhibited in The Stars Eat Your Body at Kaliman Gallery in 2009, Dawn retains the artist's characteristic approach to detail, with an elaborate interplay of linework, and rich jewel-like palette. This exhibition displayed a series of twelve portraits, each tightly cropped to present the head and shoulders, a compositional approach that has since become a recurring theme in Barton's practice. Whilst these figures lack the wings or multiple limbs often seen in her work, their otherworldly presence lingers in their swirling galaxy-like eyes and delicate, elfin features. The contours in Dawn are mirrored in those of his neighbours, with a sculptured nose and softly pouted blushed lips that resonate harmoniously with the surrounding portraits in the suite.

Barton's success has contributed to the ongoing shift in the gendered landscape of Australian contemporary art, positioning her as a pioneering force in a field historically dominated my male artists. The demand for her works, both in the primary and secondary market, reflects not only their technical brilliance but also their ability to captivate audiences, making her one of the most compelling voices in contemporary art.

Hannah Ryan
Senior Art Specialist

© Courtesy of The Artist and Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, Sydney