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Collection

An image of Self portrait by Sidney Nolan

Sidney Nolan

(Australia, England 22 Apr 1917–28 Nov 1992)

Title
Self portrait
Place of origin
Dimboola → Victoria → Australia
Year
1943
Media category
Painting
Materials used
Ripolin enamel on hessian sacking
Dimensions

61.0 x 52.0cm stretcher; 72.0 x 62.9 x 5.0cm frame

Signature & date
Signed and dated l.l., blue ball-point pen onto dry paint film "N ["N" backwards] March 43". Signed and dated centre verso, brown crayon "... / Nolan ["N" backwards]/ March 1943". Signed and dated verso on strainer right member, pencil "12/6/43 Nolan".
Credit
Purchased with funds provided by the Art Gallery Society of New South Wales 1997
Accession number
412.1997
Copyright
© The Trustees of the Sidney Nolan Trust/Bridgeman Art Library
Location
20th & 21st c Australian art
Further information

From the outset of his career in Melbourne, Sidney Nolan stood out as a highly original artist. He painted 'Self portrait' at the age of 26, during his military service in the Wimmera district of north-west Victoria. It embodies many of his
preoccupations at the time, including his interest in the landscape as subject.

Nolan’s imagery recalled the mask-like faces painted by so-called ‘haptic’ children in Viktor Lowenfeld’s book 'The nature of creative activity', which he and other artists were reading at that time. Another source may be indicated in a letter
Nolan wrote to his patron and muse, Sunday Reed, in 1944, in which he admires Picasso’s use of African cicatrisation or scarification and Maori markings in portraits. Selective distortion, exaggeration and the visual impact of pure, bold primary colours express Nolan’s feelings about his surroundings; however, the image is tempered by the lyrical passages depicting the vast Wimmera landscape.

Bibliography (51)

Brian Adams, Sidney Nolan: such is life, Melbourne, 1987, 60, 61 (illus.).

Brian Adams, Good Weekend Magazine Apr 1987, 'Sidney Nolan verus Australia', pg. 16-18, Sydney, Apr 1987, 17 (colour illus.).

Julian Agnew., Sidney Nolan: Across continents 2010, 'Introduction', London, 2010, (colour illus.). fig.no. 1

Prue Allen, Look Sep 1999, 'Message from the President of the Art Gallery Society', pg. 6, South Yarra, Sep 1999, 6.

Art Gallery of New South Wales, Art Gallery of New South Wales Annual Report 1998 1998, Domain, 1998, cover (colour illus.).

Zoja Bojic., South Sydney bulletin 17 Feb 1998, 'New Acquisitions: The Art Gallery of NSW', Strawberry Hills, 17 Feb 1998, unknown.

Edmund Capon, Look Mar 1998, 'Sidney Nolan's sense of self', pg. 14-15, Domain, Mar 1998, cover (colour illus.), 3 (colour illus.), 14-15 (colour illus.). Page 3 depicts a detailed image of this painting.

Jane Clark, Sidney Nolan - landscapes and legends: a retrospective exhibition 1937 - 1987 1987, 'War and the Wimmera', pg. 42-44, Sydney, 1987, 54 (colour illus.).

Peter Conrad., The observer 30 Oct 2005, 'A voyage around myself', London, 30 Oct 2005.

Julie Cotter, Art Monthly Australia Sep 1997, 'How London is Appropriating 'our' Nolan', pg. 11-12, Acton, Sep 1997, 11, 12 (illus.).

Rob Ditessa', Artist's palette 2000, 'Icons on show', pg. 54-59, Sydney, 2000, 59 (colour illus.).

Edward Gage, The Scotsman 26 Jun 1989, 'Nolan works bridge the great divide', pg. 6, Edinburgh, 26 Jun 1989, 6.

Prue Gibson, Australian art review Nov 2007-Feb 2008, 'Nolan retrospective', pg. 17, New South Wales, Nov 2007-Feb 2008, 4 (colour illus.), 17 (colour illus.).

Anne Gray, Face: Australian portraits 1880-1960 2010, 'Face: Australian portraits 1880-1960', pg. 15-41, Canberra, 2010, 36, 120 (colour illus.).

Max Harris, Art and Australia [vol. 5, no. 2] Sep 1967, 'Nolan at St Kilda', pg. 437-442, Sydney, Sep 1967, 438 (illus.). private collection

Alistair Hicks, The Times 06 Sep 1988, 'Beneath the surface', pg.16, London, 06 Sep 1988, 16 (illus.).

Terry Ingram., The Australian financial review 12 Feb 1998, 'London dealer back in the dress circle', Sydney, 12 Feb 1998, unknown.

Nicholas Isherwood, Nolan's Nolans: a reputation reassessed 1997, London, 1997, cover (colour. illus.), 9 (colour illus.). cat.no. 9

Bruce James, Art Gallery of New South Wales handbook, 'Australian Collection: Painting and Sculpture', pg. 102-181, Domain, 1999, 149 (colour illus.).

Philippa Kelly, Artlook Jul 2004, 'Within and without the portrait', pg. 19-21, Fyshwick, Jul 2004, 21 (colour illus.). Review of the exhibition 'Looking within: Self portraits in Australia', held at the National Portrait Gallery, Canberra, in 2004.

Joan Kerr, Art Monthly Australia Apr 1999, 'The possibilities of a National Portrait Gallery', pg.4-7, Acton, Apr 1999, 6 (colour illus.).

Susan McCulloch-Uehlin, The Weekend Australian magazine 28 Aug 1999, 'The Artists', pg. 14-15, Surry Hills, 28 Aug 1999, 15 (colour illus.).

Hal Missingham, Sidney Nolan. Retrospective exhibition. Paintings from 1937 to 1967 1967, Domain, 1967, 17. cat.no. 6

Drusilla Modjeska, Stravinsky's lunch, 'No Man's Land', pg. 177-202, Sydney, 1999, 200 (colour illus.).

Joyce Morgan, The Sydney Morning Herald 06 Feb 1998, 'Gallery unveils a few small wonders', pg. 5, Sydney, 06 Feb 1998, 5 (illus.).

Barry Pearce, Sidney Nolan 2007, 'Nolan's Parallel Universe', pg. 17-66, Sydney, 2007, 10 (colour illus.), 23, 30, 31,59, 61, 90 (colour illus.), 99 (colour illus.), 230. cat.no. 12

Barry Pearce, Look: 1953-2003 celebrating 50 years May 2003, 'Presenting our own artists: how the AGS put balance into the Australian collection', pg. 42-44, Newtown, May 2003, 43 (colour illus.), 44.

the Art Gallery of NSW'. pg, The Sydney Morning Herald (metro) 27 Feb 1998-05 Mar 1998, 'Syndey Nolan's Self Portrait 1943, one of three new acquisitions, 28., Sydney, 27 Feb 1998-05 Mar 1998, 28 (illus.).

Maria Prerauer, The Bulletin with Newsweek 17 Feb 1998, 'Full house for media-shy Chaplin', pg. 73, Sydney, 17 Feb 1998, 72 (colour illus.).

Ursula Prunster, Look Dec 2000-Jan 2001, 'Image and identity: the perennial question of Australian identity features in the Gallery's 2001 lecture series', pg. 10-11, South Yarra, Dec 2000-Jan 2001, 10 (colour illus.).

Ursula Prunster, SELF PORTRAIT: Renaissance to Contemporary 2005, 'Sidney Nolan', pg. 178, London, 2005, 37, 178, 179 (colour illus.). cat.no. 47

Ursula Prunster, Aspects of Australian art 2000, Domain, 2000, (colour illus.). card no. 8: Sidney Nolan 'Self portrait' 1943

Public Programmes Department, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sidney Nolan retrospective 2007, Sydney, 2007, cover (colour illus.).

Barrett Reid, Art and Australia (Vol. 25, No. 2) Summer 1987, 'A landscape of a painter: the Sidney Nolan retrospective exhibition', pg. 179-181, Sydney, Summer 1987, 179 (colour illus.).

T.G. Rosenthal, Sidney Nolan, London, 2002, 6 (colour illus., detail), 8.

Andrew Sayers, To look within: self portraits in Australia 2004, 'The artist's self-portrait in Australia', pg. 6-33, Brisbane, 2004, 29-30, 31 (colour illus.).

Andrew Sayers, Sidney Nolan heads 2001, Canberra, 2001. not paginated; Checklist of works and reference to work in essay by Andrew Sayers.

Andrew Sayers (Director), National Portrait Gallery 1999, Canberra, 1999, (colour illus.).

Sebastian Smee'., The Australian 21 Dec 2004, 'Gallery makes room for foundation's gift of Nolans', Surry Hills, 21 Dec 2004.

Sotheby's Australia, Sotheby's Sydney: Important Australian Art (31 August 2010), Melbourne, 2010, 38.

Ann Stephen, On looking at looking : the art and politics of Ian Burn, 'Modernism and the Nolan Effect', pg. 55-60, Victoria, 2006, 60 (colour illus.).

Katrina Strickland, The Australian financial review 28 May 2009, 'Masks and muses: Relationships reveal a restless talent', pg. 44, Sydney, 28 May 2009, 44 (colour illus.). References 'Mask and Memory' documentary on Sidney Nolan, aired ABC 1 4 June 2009.

Kim Sweetman, Daily telegraph 06 Feb 1998, 'The beauty of $3 million', pg. 9, Surry Hills, 06 Feb 1998, 9 (colour illus.).

Jill Sykes (Editor), Look Mar 2005, 'Doing justice to Nolan', pg. 8, Newtown, Mar 2005, 8.

Jill Sykes (Editor), Look Oct 2007, Newtown, Oct 2007, 11.

Catherine Taylor, The Australian 06 Feb 1998, 'The Arts on Friday: Nolan self-portrait in gallery coup', pg. 15, Surry Hills, 06 Feb 1998, 15 (colour illus.).

Matthew Westwood., HQ Sep 2000, 'Sidney Nolan', Darlinghurst, Sep 2000, page unknown (colour illus.).

Natalie Wilson, Australian art: in the Art Gallery of New South Wales, 'Out of Melbourne: realisms and mythologies', pg. 163-164, Domain, 2000, 164, 174 (colour illus.), 301.

The Art Gallery of New South Wales Purchase 1998, 'Sidney Nolan', Sydney, 1998, (colour illus.).

Editor Unknown (Editor), The Sydney Morning Herald 10 Feb 1998, 'A fake?', Sydney, 10 Feb 1998, unknown. Letter to the editor

Editor Unknown (Editor), The Sydney Morning Herald 19 Aug 1967, 'Face of Sidney Nolan', Sydney, 19 Aug 1967, page unknown (illus.). This image shows Sidney Nolan and Hal Missingham holding the painting at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, at the time of the Sidney Nolan Retrospective in 1967.

Exhibition history (14)

Sidney Nolan (1943), Contemporary Art Society Studio, Melbourne, 03 Aug 1943 -

Sidney Nolan Retrospective (1956), Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 1956–1956

Sidney Nolan retrospective exhibition. Paintings from 1937 to 1967:

Paintings by Sidney Nolan (1971), Skinner Galleries, Perth, Perth, 19 Jan 1971 -

Sidney Nolan: landscapes and legends a retrospective exhibition 1937 - 1987:

Nolan's Nolans: a reputation reassessed, Agnew's, London, London, 11 Jun 1997–25 Jul 1997

Inaugural permanent display, National Portrait Gallery [Old Parliament House], Canberra, 04 Mar 1999–04 Mar 2000

Australian icons: twenty artists from the collection, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 04 Aug 2000–03 Dec 2000

Nolan Heads, National Portrait Gallery [Old Parliament House], Canberra, 04 Aug 2001–30 Sep 2001

To look within: Self portraits in Australia:

Self portrait: Renaissance to contemporary:

Sidney Nolan (2007-2008):

An expanded vision: Mary Turner collection, Orange Regional Gallery, Australia, 27 Aug 2011–30 Oct 2011

Wimmera, David Jones Art Gallery, Adelaide, Adelaide