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Collection

An image of Holiday sketch at Coogee by Tom Roberts

Tom Roberts

(England, Australia 08 Mar 1856–14 Sep 1931)

Title
Holiday sketch at Coogee
Other titles:
Coogee Bay
Coogee
Place of origin
Coogee → Sydney → New South Wales → Australia
Year
1888
Media category
Painting
Materials used
oil on canvas
Dimensions

40.3 x 55.9cm stretcher; 56.8 x 72.0 x 5.5cm frame

Signature & date
Signed and dated l.l. corner, dark brown oil "...Tom Roberts -/ April 88".
Credit
Purchased 1954
Accession number
9078
Location
19th c Australian art
Further information

Tom Roberts met Charles Conder in Sydney in 1888, and the two painted together at Coogee beach. These painting expeditions proved influential on the younger Conder. Later that year he followed Roberts to Melbourne to join him and Arthur Streeton at their artists’ camp at Heidelberg.

While Conder painted Coogee Bay with an emphasis on the decorative qualities of colour and form, Roberts’ 'Holiday sketch at Coogee' suggests his primary concern for the landscape’s natural effects. It is an early testament to Roberts’ plein-air ‘impressionist’ technique, which evokes the sun’s glare on the bright blue sea, bleached white sand, dry grass and spindly seaside vegetation.

Bibliography (62)

Anthony Horden & Son's (Compilator), Catalogue of an exhibition of the early work of Arthur Streeton, Tom Roberts and others Dec 1925, 'Foreword', page unknown, Sydney, Dec 1925. titled 'Coogee Bay; cat.no. 16; priced 135 guineas; not paginated

Anthony Hordern & Sons, Ltd., Catalogue of an exhibition of the early work of Arthur Streeton, Tom Roberts and others (1925) 1925, Sydney, 1925, (illus.). titled 'Coogee Bay'; cat.no. 16; priced 135 guineas

Okko Boer, Masters of the Heidelberg School, 'Tom Roberts: Father of the Heidelberg School', pg. 5-21, Leichhardt, 1998, front cover (colour illus.), 13. plate no. 1

Ian Burn, Australian art and architecture: essays presented to Bernard Smith, 'Beating about the bush: the landscapes of the Heidelberg School', pg. 83ff., Melbourne, 1980, 91, 92, 240.

Robert Campbell, Paintings of Tom Roberts, Adelaide, 1962, 18, 19 (colour illus.). NOTE: not paginated after page 12 and plate missing from AGNSW copy

Jane Clark and Bridget Whitelaw, Golden summers: Heidelberg and beyond 1985, Melbourne, 1985, 96 (colour illus.).

Miriam Cosic, The Australian 30 Mar 2007, 'Making a fresh impression', pg. 16, 30 Mar 2007, 16 (illus.).

the Daily Mirror Art Critic., Daily Mirror 16 Jun 1954, 'High prices for art collection', Sydney, 16 Jun 1954, page unknown. NOTE: Article references the auction sale of the Australian section of the late Sir Marcus Clark's art collection at Lawson's on 15 June 1954.

Robert Croll (Editor), Smike to bulldog: letters from Sir Arthur Streeton to Tom Roberts 1946, Sydney, 1946, 9, 10.

Robert Croll, Tom Roberts: father of Australian landscape painting, Melbourne, 1935, 22. NOTE: Reference to painting; titled 'Coogee'; Collection of Mr. R. M. Clark

Betty Currie, Girolamo Pieri Nerli (1863-1926) 1976, Melbourne, 1976, 17, 18, (illus.).

Mary Eagle, Australian Impressionism 2007, 'Friendly Rivalry: Paintings of Waterside Sydney, 1888 and 1890', pg. 103-108, Melbourne, 2007, 79, 104-105, 323, 114 (colour illus.). cat.no. 6.5

Don Featherstone (Director) and David Woodgate (Producer), The beach 2000, Australia, 2000, 00:18.40 for 30 seconds (colour, details).

Ann Galbally, Charles Conder: the last bohemian, 'A child of Empire', pg. 5-28, Melbourne, 2002, 25.

Australian artists at Horderns' Gallery', The Sydney Morning Herald 02 Dec 1925, 'Exhibition of early paintings, pg. 1, Sydney, 02 Dec 1925, 1 (illus.). Review of exhibition at Horderns' Gallery. Titled 'Coogee Bay'. See AGNSW Press Clippings Book August 1925-June 1927, pg. 166,167.

James Gleeson, Masterpieces of Australian painting, 'Tom Roberts', pg. 58-63, Melbourne, 1969, 60 (illus.). titled 'Holiday Sketch at Coogee'; plate no. 6; dated April 1888

Heather Gwilliam, Tom Roberts 1999, 'The Golden Age', pg. 13-22, Cambridge, 1999, 14 (illus.).

Janet Hawley, Good Weekend 24 Feb 1996, 'Tom Roberts Bailed Up', pg. 32-39, Sydney, 24 Feb 1996, 34 (colour illus.).

Dr Ursula Hoff, Charles Conder - his Australian years, Melbourne, 1960, 28 (illus.). plate no. 3

Bruce James, Art Gallery of New South Wales handbook, 'Australian Collection: Painting and Sculpture', pg. 102-181, Domain, 1999, 110 (colour illus.).

James R. Lawson Pty Ltd, Estate late Sir Reginald Marcus Clark, K.B.E.; Catalogue no. 1; Australian pictures- porcelains-ivories-miniatures-articles of vertu and furniture, Sydney, 1954. NOTE: Not included in catalogue.

Sandra Jane, Art is ... making, creating and appreciating 2 1999, Milton, 1999, 219 (colour illus.).

Debra Jopson, Sun-Herald 26 Apr 2009, 'Loo with a view makes a bad impression', pg. 4, Sydney, 26 Apr 2009, 4 (colour illus.).

Robyn Krause-Hale and Ruth Pullin, Conder & friends 2003, 'New friends: Coogee', Melbourne, 2003, (colour illus.), (colour illus., detail).

J. S. MacDonald., A memorial exhibition of paintings by the late Tom Roberts (1932) 1932, 'Tom Roberts' place in Australian art', Melbourne, 1932. titled 'Coogee'; cat.no. 9; not paginated

Patrick H McCarthy, Bailed up: the story behind the painting, Sydney, 2006, 60.

Alan McCulloch, The golden age of Australian painting - Impressionism and the Heidelberg school, Melbourne, 1969, 26 (colour illus.), 28. plate no. 13

John McDonald, Art of Australia. Vol. 1: Exploration to Federation, ‘Our hill of gold’, pg. 419-484, Sydney, 2008, 442, 443 (colour illus.).

Nick Moncrieff-Hill, Southern Courier 10 Nov 2009, ‘Call to push paintings, not pubs’, pg. 5, Sydney, 10 Nov 2009, 5 (colour illus.).

National Art Gallery of New South Wales, Tom Roberts exhibition, National Art Gallery of NSW: souvenir catalogue 1947, Sydney, 1947, 10. cat.no. 9

Barry Pearce, Fifteen decades of Australian paintings 1981, Sydney, 1981, (colour illus.). cat.no. 6

Barry Pearce, Look: 1953-2003 celebrating 50 years May 2003, 'The enigmatic Charles Conder: spotlight on a lesser known Heidelberg painter', pg. 8-11, Newtown, May 2003, 9 (colour illus.).

Barry Pearce, Charles Conder 1868-1909 2003, 'Between worlds: Conder in Australia', pg. 12-31, Domain, 2003, 18, 19 (colour illus.).

Barry Pearce, Southern Reflections: 10 contemporary Australian artists 1998, 'An Introduction to Australian Art', pg. 34-42, Domain, 1998, 37 (colour illus.). fig.no. 6

Barry Pearce and Haruo Arikawa, Two hundred years of Australian painting: nature, people and art in the southern continent 1992, Tokyo, 1992, 90 (colour illus.). cat.no. 45

Barry Pearce, A century of Australian landscape: mood and moment, Sydney, 1983, 14, 32 (colour illus.). cat.no. 15

Ron Radford., Ladies in Landscapes 1974, 'Ladies in landscapes', Ballarat, 1974, (illus.). titled 'Holiday sketch at Coogee'; cat.no. 30; sepia toned reproduction

Ron Radford, Humphrey McQueen, Mary Eagle, Virginia Spate, Daniel Thomas, Jane Hylton, Barry Pearce, Leigh Astbury, Helen Topliss, Roger Butler and Jane Hylton, Tom Roberts 1996, Adelaide, 1996, 29 (colour illus.), 200 (illus.).

Lynne Seear, American Impressionism & Realism: A landmark exhibition from The Met 2009, 'Continental drift: Stories from Australia about an American exhibition', pg. 51-61, Sydney, 2009, 55, 184 (colour illus., detail), 185, 188 (colour illus.), 189, 321, 331. cat.no. 14A; Exhibition in the 'At Leisure Australia' section

Arnold Shore, Tom Roberts, Melbourne, 1964, 12, 28 (illus.).

Eileen Slarke, A century of Wylie's Baths Coogee: a cultural history, 'An inspirational site', pg. 5-6, Coogee, 2001, 5-6, 13 (colour illus.), 47.

Bernard William Smith, Australian painting, 1788-1990 with the three additional chapters on Australian painting since 1970, 'Chapter 4: Genesis 1885-1914', pg. 71-124, Melbourne, 1995, 75, 76 (illus.), 95. plate no. 53

Terry Smith, Transformations in Australian art: The nineteenth century - landscape, colony and nation [Volume One], 'Landscape with feeling: Golden summers and modern life', pg. 107-123, St Leonards, 2002, 117.

Virginia Spate, Tom Roberts, Melbourne, 1978, 48 (colour illus.), 50, 52-54, 148. plate no. 12

Jill Sykes (Editor), Look Jul 2009, 'Special spot saved', pg. 8, Newtown, Jul 2009, 8 (colour illus.).

Daniel Thomas, Art Gallery of New South Wales Quarterly Jul 1969, 'Tom Roberts', pg. 466-487, Sydney, Jul 1969, 467 (illus.), 470. titled 'Holiday sketch at Coogee'

Helen Topliss, Tom Roberts 1856-1931: a catalogue raisonné. Volume 2 - Plates, Melbourne, 1985, (colour illus.). plate no. 46

Helen Topliss, Tom Roberts 1856-1931: a catalogue raisonné. Volume 1 - Text, Melbourne, 1985, 104. cat.no. 104

Trustees of the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Trustees of the Art Gallery of New South Wales: Minutes 30.1.1953-27.8.1954 1953-1954, Domain, 1953-1954, 4036. NOTE: Under the heading: 'Auction Sale - The late Sir Marcus Clark'.

Susan Venn, Roy and Matilda - The Golden Locket, Canterbury, 1994, (colour illus.).

Vivienne Webb, Australian art: in the Art Gallery of New South Wales, 'Golden age', pg. 37-38, Domain, 2000, 38, 57 (colour illus.), 302.

Patrick White, Patrick White's Choice Dec 1981, Sydney, Dec 1981, (illus.). cat.no. 2; not paginated

Donald Williams, In our own image: the story of Australian art 2002, Sydney, 2002, 48 (colour illus.).

Donald Williams, In our own image: the story of Australian art 1995, 'The search for an Identity 1880-1901', pg. 53-61, Sydney, 1995, 57 (colour illus.).

Elizabeth Young, Australian painting: colonial, impressionist, contemporary 1962, 'Impressionist', pg. 11-17, Adelaide, 1962, 40. cat.no. 43

Editor Unknown (Editor), The Sydney Morning Herald 06 Jul 1954, 'New painting for Gallery', Sydney, 06 Jul 1954, page unknown. Image of William Boustead, with scalpel in hand, restoring the painting upon its arrival at the Gallery in 1954.

The Australian Art Exhibition (1932) 1932, Sydney, 1932. titled 'Coogee'; cat.no. 66; on loan

Editor Unknown (Editor), Art Gallery of New South Wales picturebook, Domain, 1972, 78 (colour illus.). titled 'Holiday sketch at Coogee'

Editor Unknown (Editor), Christie's Australia - Australian and European Paintings, South Yarra, Nov 1998, 58, 61 (colour illus.). NOTE: Related work was titled 'Coogee', lot 54

Editor Unknown (Editor), The Australian women's weekly 07 Jul 1954, 'Art for auction', author unknown, Sydney, 07 Jul 1954, page unknown. Article about Lawson's auction of Sir Marcus Clarke's art collection.

Author Unknown, The Art Gallery of New South Wales 1996, Sydney, 1996.

Author Unknown, The Adelaide Festival of Arts 1962: Special exhibitions at the National Gallery of South Australia 1962, 'Australian Painting: Colonial, Impressionist, Contemporary', Adelaide, 1962. titled 'Coogee Bay'; cat.no. 54; not paginated

Exhibition history (15)

Early work of Arthur Streeton, Tom Roberts and others (1925), Anthony Horderns' Fine Art Gallery, 02 Dec 1925–24 Dec 1925

The Australian art exhibition (1932), Macleod Galleries, 22 Mar 1932 -

A memorial exhibition of paintings by the late Tom Roberts (1932), Fine Arts Society Gallery, Melbourne, 21 Jun 1932–02 Jul 1932

Tom Roberts - Retrospective Exhibition:

Estate late Sir Reginald Marcus Clark, K.B.E., Lawsons, Sydney, 10 Jun 1954–14 Jun 1954

Australian Painting: Colonial, Impressionist, Contemporary (1962-63):

Ladies in Landscapes:

Fifteen decades of Australian painting, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 10 Apr 1981–24 May 1981

Patrick White's Choice, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 22 Dec 1981–31 Jan 1982

A century of Australian landscape painting: mood and moment:

Two hundred years of Australian painting : Nature, people and art in the southern continent:

Tom Roberts (1996-1997):

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

Australian Impressionism, Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia, Melbourne, 31 Mar 2007–08 Jul 2007

American Impressionism and Realism: a landmark exhibition from the Met, Queensland Art Gallery, South Brisbane, 30 May 2009–20 Sep 2009