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Collection

An image of Last Supper by Ian Fairweather

Ian Fairweather

(Scotland, Australia 29 Sep 1891–20 May 1974)

Title
Last Supper
Other titles:
The Last Supper
Place of origin
Bribie Island → Queensland → Australia
Year
(1958)
Media category
Painting
Materials used
synthetic polymer paint and gouache on three sheets of laid paper on hardboard
Dimensions

97.0 x 244.0cm board; 109.0 x 235.5 x 6.5cm frame

Signature & date
Signed l.r., grey gouache "IF [monogram]". Not dated.
Credit
Purchased with funds in memory of Patrick White, Norman Schureck and Susan Chandler 2010
Accession number
201.2010
Copyright
© Ian Fairweather/DACS. Licensed by Viscopy, Sydney
Location
20th & 21st c Australian art
Further information

After returning to Australia following his ill-fated raft journey to Timor in 1952, Ian Fairweather moved to Bribie Island in Queensland. Here he began a series of large religious paintings, of which 'Last Supper' is considered the finest.

Elements of his earlier travels through Asia, knowledge of calligraphy and exposure to contemporary European art all fuse in this work, one of Fairweather’s earliest attempts at abstraction. The title refers to Christ’s last meal with his 12 disciples, yet as Fairweather biographer Murray Bail observes:

In what would seem to be a complex repainting of Leonardo’s full-frontal mural, Fairweather tilts the long table, but there is no clearly apparent Christ. Instead, two forces of waving hands and sandalled feet huddle on the left and right. The erupting bedlam suggests more the impending martyrdom of our Saviour by the mob …

Bibliography (13)

Murray Bail, Ian Fairweather, Sydney, 1981, 149,152-153 (colour illus.), 172, 220, 243. cat.no. 146; titled 'Last Supper'; Collection of Daniel Thomas, Canberra

Murray Bail, Ian Fairweather, 'Anak Bayan', pg. 141-157, Sydney, 2009, 143, 147, 148-49 (colour illus.), 150, 156, 238, 255. cat.no. 153; colour plate no. 128; titled 'Last Supper'; private collection, Melbourne

Michaela Boland., The Australian 20 Nov 2010, 'AGNSW sells painting donated by Patrick White', Canberra, 20 Nov 2010.

Michaela Boland., The Weekend Australian 16 Nov 2010, 'Gallery torn about sale of Patrick White's favoured picture', Canberra, 16 Nov 2010.

Tom Heath, Architecture in Australia [vol. 54 no. 4] Dec 1965, 'Ian Fairweather retrospective exhibition', pg. 106-107, Sydney, Dec 1965, 107 (illus.).

Mervyn Horton (Editor), Art and Australia Sep 1965, 'Art directory', pg. 141-144, Sydney, Sep 1965, 143 (illus.). Collection: Daniel Thomas; Caption reads: 'The W.D. & H.O. Wills Prize was won this year by Ian Fairweather with one of his finest paintings to date. This success followed soon after the loan exhibition of his paintings since 1934 which circulated amongst the State galleries. This year, too, saw his Drunken Buddha Exhibition of paintings used to illustrate his translation of the Chinese novel of this name'.

Des Houghton., Courier Mail 27 Nov 2010, 'Holy row as Philip Bacon buys Ian Fairweather's 'Gethsemane' for $960,000', Queensland, 27 Nov 2010.

Terry Ingram, The Australian financial review 28 Oct 2010, 'Controversial painting swap', pg. 51, Sydney, 28 Oct 2010, 51.

Macquarie Galleries, Ian Fairweather (1958) 1958, Sydney, 1958. cat.no. 1; titled 'The Last Supper'; priced 125 guineas

Barry Pearce, Look Jun 2011, 'Fairweather's last supper - its journey into our collection', pg. 12-13, Newtown, Jun 2011, 12-13 (colour illus.).

Queensland Art Gallery (Curator), Fairweather: a retrospective exhibition Jun 1965, South Brisbane, Jun 1965. cat.no. 52; titled 'The Last Supper'; Collection Daniel Thomas

Katrina Strickland, The Australian financial review 18 Nov 2010, '$1 million fair going for gallery', pg. 3, Sydney, 18 Nov 2010, 3.

Wallace Thornton, The Sydney Morning Herald 21 Jul 1965, 'Retrospective collection by Ian Fairweather', pg. 14, Sydney, 21 Jul 1965, 14.

Exhibition history (4)

Ian Fairweather (1958), Macquarie Galleries, Sydney, 19 Nov 1958–01 Dec 1958

Fairweather: a retrospective exhibition (1965-1966):

Ian Fairweather 1891-1974: a centenary commemoration (1991), National Gallery of Victoria [St Kilda Road], Melbourne, 25 Sep 1991–06 Nov 1991

Australian Collection Focus: some recent acquisitions: - Nolan, Boyd, Fairweather, Rees (2010), Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 16 Oct 2010–09 Jan 2011