Lot 22

The Collection of Erna Mendelson, Melbourne
Thence by descent
Noel Stott Fine Art, Melbourne 1996
The Collection of Frank and Janet South, Victoria

The Roaring Twenties as the Fiery Forties, Noel Stott Fine Art Gallery, Melbourne, November - December 1996, cat. no. 4

Smith, U., The Small Treasures of a Lifetime: Lloyd Rees, Some Early Memories of Australian Art and Artists, Sydney, 1969, p. 98 (illus.)

Lloyd Rees capacity for reinvention is particularly evident in the final decades of his practice, when his work shifted towards an increased emphasis on light, atmosphere and tonal subtlety.

'The River Derwent from the Heights of Sandy Bay, Tasmania' c.1967 belongs to this important transitional moment. Rees first visited Hobart in 1967, following his son Alan's appointment at the University of Tasmania, and the city quickly became a recurring subject.(1) The softer, more diffused light of Tasmania presented a marked contrast to the brilliance of Sydney Harbour, prompting a more restrained and atmospheric approach.

Viewed from an elevated position in Sandy Bay, the composition is structured through Rees' enduring commitment to drawing. The undulating road leads through a quiet suburban landscape of houses and vegetation, guiding the eye towards the distant expanse of the Derwent River, rendered in muted grey-blue tones. While the scene retains a clear sense of place, the artist's focus lies less in description than in evoking the prevailing mood.

(1) Free, R. and Rees, L., Lloyd Rees: An Artist Remembers, Craftsman House, Sydney, 1987, p. 95

© Lloyd Rees/Copyright Agency, 2026