Lot 22

Currently, the work presents in overall good condition consistent with the artist's work and its age. Some minor paper abrasions and surface spots are visible upon close inspection. Recently the work has been restored, the most notable repair was for an incision in the paper above the figure.
This is no longer apparent when viewing the work, however evidence of this repair is visible on the back of the paper. Some minor pigment loss was also repaired in various areas across the work. There were some small pigment losses in the shoulder of the figure, in the area of black on the left-hand side of the work and immediately around the incision. A professional conservator has used watercolour and airbrush to fill and correct these areas.
Photographs of the work before restoration, and after unframed, can be supplied upon request. The work has been newly framed measuring 101 x 74.5cm.


The opinions expressed in the condition reports are a guide only and should not be treated as a statement of fact. Prospective buyers are encouraged to physically inspect item, or book a virtual viewing or request further images during our pre-sale period where Leonard Joel staff are available for advice.
Please note condition reports can be amended during the pre-sale period, so we strongly suggest any interested bidders check the published condition report available on the website before the auction commences. Leonard Joel makes no guarantee of the originality of mechanical or applied components. Absence of reference to such modifications does not imply that a lot is free from modifications.

Private collection, Melbourne
Thence by descent

In 1955, Joy Hester was invited by Georges and Mirka Mora to show at Mirka Cafe, 183 Exhibition Street, the French-style eatery the Moras had opened the previous year in Melbourne's theatre district. After arriving from Paris in 1951, the Moras, who lived nearby at 9 Collins Street, were transforming the culture of their new home with sophistication, conviviality and considerable Gallic charm. Hester and Gray Smith, her partner, were good friends and had babysat their young sons, Philippe and William, on a weekly basis at their home in Upwey in the Dandenong Ranges while the Moras ran the cafe.

1955 was a busy, productive year for Hester. She increased the scale of her brush and ink works and, for the first time, regularly signed and dated them, marking a new level of professionalism. The Mirka Cafe show was the second of only three solo exhibitions during Hester's lifetime. (1) As there was no catalogue, the inclusion of Man with Beard cannot be confirmed. That year Hester also contributed to two Contemporary Art Society group exhibitions and The Herald Outdoor Art Show. However, Head of a Woman in Hat (1955, National Gallery of Victoria), which was in the Mirka Cafe show, has the same dimensions.

Also for the first time, Hester won (faint) praise from the critics. Alan McCulloch described her solo show as 'striking in its originality, somewhat bizarre in general feeling and resembling in effect - if we exclude the Expressionist element - the negative print in photography'. (2) Arnold Shore noted the 'looming intensity' of the wash drawings whose 'emotional nature' was accentuated by 'an individual interpretation of character'. (3)

Though Hester was living in the township of Upwey, the impact of the Australian bush and of country people had informed her vision since moving to rural Hurstbridge in 1948. She was enamoured of the land and its people, avidly reading Australian history and poetry. Nature also provided a healing retreat as Hester recovered from Hodgkin's disease.

Who is Man with Beard? Could he be a 19th century bushranger? The few remaining photographs of Ned Kelly prove it's not him. There's a passing resemblance to Francis McCallum (1822-1857), known as Captain Melville, though he sported a moustache. Hester occasionally drew portraits and rarely concentrated on landscape. She was concerned with issues more evanescent and symbolic: the human face as repository for issues of identity where nothing is fixed, all is in transition. Man with Beard is a striking image: a strong, sensitive face with eyes that are piercing yet blank, and a sensuous mouth. He seems to look at us yet looks past us, his beard like dark water, dissolving his face. He is an apparition, a ghostly visitation from the colonial past.

Dr Janine Burke, Honorary Senior Fellow, University of Melbourne.

1. Hester's other solo exhibitions were at Melbourne Bookclub Gallery, 225 Collins Street, Melbourne, 6-17 February, 1950 and Gallery of Contemporary Art, Tavistock Place, Melbourne 9-23 April 1957.
2. Alan McCulloch, The Herald, 27 July 1955, p.20.
3. Arnold Shore, The Argus, 27 July 1955, p.8.

© Joy Hester/Copyright Agency 2022