Hector Gilliland
(Australia 30 Dec 1911–20 Apr 2002)
- Title
- Gravel works, Richmond NSW
- Other titles:
- Gravel Works, Richmond
- Year
- (circa 1937-circa 1939)
- Media category
- Watercolour
- Materials used
- pencil, watercolour on ivory wove paper
- Dimensions
-
28.5 x 38.9cm sheet (irreg.)
- Signature & date
- Signed l.r., grey watercolour "GILLILAND". Not dated. Signed u.r. verso on paper, pencil ".../ Hector Gilliland/.../ ...". inscribed, lower centre, pencil “”
- Credit
- Gift of Juliet Lockhart in memory of John Lockhart AO QC 2008
- Accession number
- 54.2008
- Location
- Not on display
- Further information
Hector Gilliland was born in Tasmania and studied art at the East Sydney Technical College, Sydney 1935-40, Canberra University 1946-48 and in Europe in the 1950s. He also taught art in Sydney between 1959 and 1977. He was a founding member of the 'Sydney 9' group of abstractionists in 1961, which also included Olsen, Rapotec, Meadmore and Plate.
Gilliland is best known for his watercolours, from freely handled landscapes of the late 1930s, through to the austere geometric abstractions of the late 1970s. His restrained aesthetic and sophisticated abstraction stood him apart from his contemporaries and encouraged the development of a more robust approach to watercolour. His work was the subject of an important monograph by Bruce James and Robyn Martin-Weber in 2000.
- Bibliography (4)
-
Bruce James (Australia) (Author), Hendrik Kolenberg (Netherlands; Australia) (Author), Robyn Martin-Weber (Australia) (Author), Hector Gilliland, Roseville, 2000. cat.no. 8; dated 1937-1938
Macquarie Galleries, Canberra (Australia, estab. 1965, closed 1978) (Author), Hector Gilliland: Work from key periods 1937-1978, Canberra, 1978. cat.no. 1; dated 1937; titled 'Gravel Wokrs, Richmond NSW'
Powell Street Gallery (Australia) (Author), Hector Gilliland: Retrospective exhibition of work from 1937-1939, South Yarra, 1977. cat.no. 1; dated 1937
Macquarie Galleries (Australia, estab. 1925, closed 1993) (Author), Hector Gilliland, Sydney, 1976. cat.no. 2; dated 1937; titled 'Gravel Works, Richmond'
- Exhibition history (3)
-
Hector Gilliland (1976), Macquarie Galleries, 18 Aug 1976–30 Aug 1976.
Hector Gilliland: Retrospective exhibition of work from 1937-1939, Powell Street Gallery, 10 Sep 1977–29 Sep 1977.
Hector Gilliland: Work from key periods 1937-1978, Macquarie Galleries, Canberra, 21 Oct 1978–05 Nov 1978.
