Collection
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Title
Nebuchadnezzar on fire falling over a waterfall
(1966-1968)
About
According to the Book of Daniel in the Old Testament, Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, was punished by God for his pride and made insane for seven years:
… driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hairs were grown like eagles’ feathers and his nails like birds’ claws.
Reminded of Icarus, who flew too close to the sun and fell to the earth in flames, Arthur Boyd portrays Nebuchadnezzar as a meteor heading towards a waterfall in the Australian bush. Parallels with contemporary events may also be
drawn. As Robert Hughes pointed out in 1994, ‘Nebuchadnezzar on fire falling over a waterfall clearly related to the acts of self-immolation by protestors against the Vietnam war’.
Details
Other Title
Nebuchadnezzar over a waterfall
Date
(1966-1968)
Materials used
oil on canvas
Dimensions
183.2 x 175.0 x 2.4 cm
Signature & date
Signed l.r. corner, red oil "Arthur Boyd". Not dated.
Credit
Gift of Ms Catherine Palmer 1983
Location
Not on display
Accession number
168.1983
URL / Share
Arthur Boyd
Nebuchadnezzar on fire falling over a waterfall
Shown in 4 exhibitions
Exhibition history
Celebrity Choice - Sam Neill, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 08 Jan 1987–08 Feb 1987
Arthur Boyd retrospective (1993-1994):
- Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney 15 Dec 1993–06 Mar 1994
- National Gallery of Victoria [St Kilda Road], Melbourne 30 Mar 1994–23 May 1994
- Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, Hobart 09 Jun 1994–21 Aug 1994
- Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth 22 Sep 1994–20 Nov 1994
Australian icons: twenty artists from the collection, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 04 Aug 2000–03 Dec 2000
Arthur Boyd: Landscape of the Soul:
- National Art School, Darlinghurst 10 Jan 2019–09 Mar 2019
- Ipswich Art Gallery, Ipswich 25 May 2019–29 Aug 2019
- Shepparton Art Museum, Australia 12 Sep 2019–24 Nov 2019
Referenced in 14 publications
Bibliography
Rob Ditessa', Artist's palette, 'Icons on show', pg. 54-59, Sydney, 2000, 54-55 (colour illus.).
Lou Klepac, Australian painters of the twentieth century, 'Sidney Nolan', pg. 136-147, Sydney, 2000, 155 (colour illus.).
Barry Pearce, Look, 'The legacy in Sydney Arthur Boyd', pg. 18-20, Melbourne, Jul 1999, 19 (colour illus.), 20.
Natalie Wilson, Australian art: in the Art Gallery of New South Wales, 'Out of Melbourne: realisms and mythologies', pg. 163-164, Sydney, 2000, 164, 182 (colour illus., detail), 183 (colour illus.), 300.
Fernanda Eberstadt, When the Sons of Heaven Meet the Daughters of Earth, London, 1997, cover.
Rosemary Clark, Collection of 1994 Australian Stamps, 1994, 16 (illus.).
Barry Pearce, Arthur Boyd retrospective, Sydney, 1993, cover (colour illus.), 108 (colour illus.). cat.no. 108
Sam Neill, Celebrity choice: Sam Neill, Sydney, 1987, front cover (colour illus.). catalogue entry; no catalogue numbers; not paginated
T.S.R. Boase, Nebuchadnezzar, 18 drawings and 34 paintings, London, 1972, 20-21 (colour illus.). plate no. 4
Art Gallery of New South Wales, Art from Australia: 2016 calender, Sydney, 2015, n.pag. (colour illus.). month of June
Roger S Magnusson, Angels of death: exploring the euthanasia underground, Carlton South, 2002, front cover (colour illus., detail), back cover (colour illus.).
Janet McKenzie, Arthur Boyd: Art and life, 'Collaborative projects', pg.130-55, London, 2000, 139-140, 141 (colour illus.), 143.
Rosemary Clark, Mary Hoban and Lisa Lim, The collection of 1999 Australian stamps, 'Australian legends - Arthur Boyd, AC, OBE', pg. 18-19, Australia, 1999, 18 (colour illus.), 19.
Campbell Reid (Editor), The Weekend Australian, Sydney, 01 May 1999-02 May 1999, 23, 24 (colour illus.).