Title
Self portrait
1932
Artist
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Details
- Date
- 1932
- Media category
- Painting
- Materials used
- oil on wood panel
- Dimensions
- 35.0 x 27.0 cm board; 54.0 x 46.0 x 6.0 cm frame
- Signature & date
Signed and dated l.l. corner, white oil "WILLIAM DOBELL 1932".
- Credit
- Purchased with assistance from the Trustees of the Sir William Dobell Art Foundation 1985
- Location
- Not on display
- Accession number
- 399.1985
- Copyright
- © Courtesy Sir William Dobell Art Foundation
- Artist information
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William Dobell
Works in the collection
- Share
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About
This self portrait was painted three years after William Dobell arrived in London as recipient of the 1929 New South Wales Society of Artists Travelling Art Scholarship. Prior to painting this work, Dobell had visited Holland and studied
Rembrandt and Van Gogh in 1930, and travelled to Belgium to study the work of the Dutch masters in 1931.'Self portrait' represents a daring act of self-exposure. Its significance lies in Dobell’s successful attempt to define the self without glamour, bravado or artifice. Though small in size, this portrait has an intensity of presence. It was produced during a period when the impoverished artist often painted on small scraps of panel or strawboard.
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Exhibition history
Shown in 8 exhibitions
Celebrity Choice - Sam Neill, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 08 Jan 1987–08 Feb 1987
Great gifts, great patrons, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 17 Aug 1994–19 Oct 1994
William Dobell the painter's progress (1997-1998), Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 14 Feb 1997–27 Apr 1997
William Dobell the painter's progress (1997-1998), Newcastle Art Gallery, Newcastle, 07 May 1997–06 Jul 1997
William Dobell the painter's progress (1997-1998), Museum of Modern Art at Heide, Melbourne, 29 Jul 1997–21 Sep 1997
William Dobell the painter's progress (1997-1998), Queensland Art Gallery, South Brisbane, 25 Oct 1997–07 Dec 1997
William Dobell the painter's progress (1997-1998), Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, Hobart, 08 Jan 1998–01 Mar 1998
Australian icons: twenty artists from the collection, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 04 Aug 2000–03 Dec 2000
Well connected: Dobell & company, Lake Macquarie City Art Gallery, Booragul, 12 May 2001–17 Jun 2001
To look within: Self portraits in Australia, University of Queensland Art Museum, Brisbane, 16 Apr 2004–20 Jun 2004
To look within: Self portraits in Australia, National Portrait Gallery [Old Parliament House], Canberra, 09 Jul 2004–19 Sep 2004
Australian modern masterpieces from the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Art Gallery of Ballarat, Ballarat, 05 Oct 2011–27 Nov 2011
Australian modern masterpieces from the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Newcastle Art Gallery, Newcastle, 10 Dec 2011–04 Mar 2012
Discovering Dobell, TarraWarra Museum of Art, Healesville, 27 May 2017–13 Aug 2017
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Bibliography
Referenced in 19 publications
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Brian Adams, Portrait of an artist: A biography of William Dobell, Melbourne, 1983, 64 (illus.).
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Scott Bevan, Bill: the life of William Dobell, Cammeray, 2014, n.pag.. colour illustration in between pp 244-245
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Helen Campbell, Australian art: in the Art Gallery of New South Wales, 'Out of Sydney: city and hinterlands', pg. 185-186, Sydney, 2000, 187 (colour illus.), 300.
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Mary Eagle, Australian Modern Painting Between the Wars 1914-1939, 'Sydney divided', pg. 138-165, Sydney, 1989, 150, 151 (colour illus.). plate no. 112
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Deborah Edwards, Look, 'William Dobell's Self-portrait', pg. 17, Heidelberg, Sep 1986, 17 (illus.).
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Anna Gray, Face: Australian portraits 1880-1960, Canberra, 2010, 144 (colour illus.).
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Jane Hylton, William Dobell: portraits in context, 'Image of contention', pg. 10-20, Kent Town, 2003, 2 (colour illus.), 14, 19, 22, 41 (colour illus.).
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Margaret Meagher (Editor), State of the arts, 'William Dobell 1899-1970 The Painter's Progress', Sydney, Dec 1996-Mar 1997, 7 (illus.).
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Sam Neill, Celebrity choice: Sam Neill, Sydney, 1987, (colour illus.). catalogue entry; no catalogue entry; not paginated
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Marcus O'Donnell (Editor), Outrage, Melbourne, Mar 1997, 3 (colour illus.), 36 (colour illus.), 37-39.
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Barry Pearce, Australian painters of the twentieth century, 'William Dobell', pg. 76-87, Sydney, 2000, 79 (colour illus.).
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Peter Raissis, William Dobell - the painter's progress, 'London: life and portraits', pg. 32-72, Sydney, 1997, 24, 32, 33 (colour illus.), 144. cat.no. 4a
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Meryl Ryan, Well connected: Dobell and company, Lake Macquarie, 2001, front cover brochure insert (illus.), inside brochure insert (illus.). cat.no. 1; brochure insert not paginated
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Andrew Sayers, To look within: self portraits in Australia, 'The artist's self-portrait in Australia', pg. 6-33, Brisbane, 2004, 6 (colour illus., detail), 24, 25 (colour illus.).
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Jill Sykes (Editor), Look, Sydney, Apr 2007, 43 (colour illus.).
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Wendy Symonds (Editor), Look, Heidelberg, Feb 1997, 13 (colour illus.).
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Judith White, Australian art collector, 'Yours sincerely: William Dobell', pg. 56-59, Sydney, Apr 2000-Jun 2000, 59.
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Author Unknown, William Dobell: the painters progress, Sydney, 1997, cover (illus.).
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Author Unknown, The Art of William Dobell, Sydney, 1946, 18, 86 (illus.).
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