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Details
- Other Title
- The New House
- Place where the work was made
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Melbourne
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Victoria
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Australia
- Date
- 1953
- Media category
- Painting
- Materials used
- oil on canvas on hardboard
- Dimensions
- 142.5 x 71.2 cm frame
- Signature & date
Signed and dated l.r. corner, black oil "John Brack 53".
- Credit
- Purchased with funds provided by the Gleeson O'Keefe Foundation 2013
- Location
- Naala Nura, ground level, 20th-century galleries
- Accession number
- 192.2013
- Copyright
- © Helen Brack
- Artist information
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John Brack
Works in the collection
- Share
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About
'The new house' by John Brack is a depiction of Australian culture during the Menzies era (1950s and into the 60s), where the home was viewed as the foundation of the Australian way of life.
It portrays a conventional married couple - suburban homeowners - standing in front of their fireplace in a simply adorned interior. A reproduction of van Gogh's 'Langlois Bridge' (1888) hangs above the mantelpiece, while beneath it a small clock marks the time. The white apron worn by the woman, indicative of her domestic duties, suggests that lunch has just concluded.
'The new house' is strictly composed on a narrow vertical canvas with a precise arrangement of colour. It pervades a sense of flatness, embodied by Brack's smooth application of paint, emphasising the clean, sparse qualities of the room.
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Places
Where the work was made
Melbourne
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Exhibition history
Shown in 7 exhibitions
Paintings and drawings by John Brack (1953), Peter Bray Gallery, Melbourne, 27 Oct 1953–Nov 1953
John Brack: selected paintings and drawings 1947-1977 (1977), RMIT Gallery, Melbourne, 15 Mar 1977–01 Apr 1977
John Brack: paintings and drawings 1945-1977 (1977), Australian National University, Canberra, 21 Sep 1977–06 Oct 1977
Australian art: colonial to contemporary, Deutscher Fine Art (Melbourne), Malvern, May 1995–Jun 1995
After van Gough: Australian artists in homage to Vincent, Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery, Mornington, 06 Sep 2005–30 Oct 2005
John Brack Retrospective (2009-2010), Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia, Melbourne, 24 Apr 2009–09 Aug 2009
John Brack Retrospective (2009-2010), Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, 02 Oct 2009–31 Jan 2010
20th-Century galleries, ground level (rehang), Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 20 Aug 2022–2023
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Bibliography
Referenced in 30 publications
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Sarah Adams., www.artshub.com.au, 'Record-breaking auction reaps $19m', Australia, 27 Jun 2013, n.pag.. viewed 27.06.2013, http://au.artshub.com/au/news-article/news/visual-arts/record-breaking-auction-reaps-19-dollarsm-195816
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Michaela Boland, Weekend Australian, 'Master cards', pg. 9, Sydney, 07 Sep 2013, 9. indirect reference to the artwork
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John Brack, John Brack retrospective: paintings and drawings, 1945-1977, 'Catalogue', Canberra, 1977, n.pag.. cat.no. 6
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Michael Brand, Look, 'From the Gallery director', pg. 11, Sydney, Sep 2013, 11.
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Nicole Chettle., www.abc.net.au, 'Grundy collection of Australian art sets auction record', Australia, 28 Jun 2013, n.pag.. viewed 27.06.2013, http://www.afr.com/p/national/arts_saleroom/grundy_art_auction_sets_record_9J3drW0Sr9lDPtU4qGcf6K
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Dewi Cooke., www.theage.com.au, 'Grundy art collection tipped to sell for $20m', Melbourne, 13 Jun 2013, n.pag.. viewed June 05.07.2013, http://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/art-and-design/grundy-art-collection-tipped-to-sell-for-20m-20130613-2o7a4.html
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Hal Crawford (Editor in Chief), ninemsn.com.au, 'Art Gallery NSW snaps up Grundy works', Sydney, 01 Jul 2013, n.pag.. viewed 01.07.2013, http://news.ninemsn.com.au/entertainment/2013/07/01/14/46/art-gallery-nsw-snaps-up-grundy-works
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John Cruthers, Important Australian art from the collection of Reg Grundy AC OBE and Joy Chambers-Grundy, 'Introduction', pg. 10-11, Sydney, 2013, 11, 210, 211 (colour illus.), 212, back cover (colour illus.). lot no. 65; estimated price $1,100,000-$1,300,000.
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Deutscher Fine Art (Melbourne) (Compilator), Australian art: colonial to contemporary 1780s to 1990s, 'Australian art: colonial to contemporary', pg. 3-96, Melbourne, 1995, cover (colour illus.), 75 (colour illus.). lot no. 101; titled 'The New House'
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Alexandra Djurichkovic., Australian art collector online, 'AGNSW reveals major new Australian acquisitions', Sydney, 03 Jul 2013, n.pag.. viewed 03.07.2013, http://www.artcollector.net.au/AGNSWrevealsnewAustralianacquisitions
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Steve Dow, smh.com.au, 'Gallery's $3.85m painting splurge causes a few gasps', pg. 20, Sydney, 02 Jul 2013, 20 (colour illus.). photograph of work being installed
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Steve Dow, The Sydney Morning Herald, 'Grundy home carries on minus artful Brack bliss', pg. 21, Sydney, 28 Jun 2013, 21.
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Steve Dow., smh.com.au, 'Gasps as Art Gallery of NSW shells out millions on Brack', Sydney, 01 Jul 2013, n.pag. (colour illus.). viewed 01.07.2013, http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/art-and-design/gasps-as-art-gallery-of-nsw-shells-out-millions-on-brack-20130701-2p6r2.html
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Steve Dow., smh.com.au, 'Sold! Grundy art collection takes in record $19m', Sydney, 26 Jun 2013, n.pag. (colour illus.). viewed 26.06.2013, http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/art-and-design/sold-grundy-art-collection-takes-in-record-19m-20130626-2oxuu.html
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Kirsty Grant, John Brack, 'Human nature: the art of John Brack', pg. 87-136, Melbourne, 2009, 96, 121, 145, 147 (colour illus.), 148, 149, 211.
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Sasha Grishin AM, The art of John Brack - Volume 2, 'Oil paintings', pg. 2-40, Australia, 1990, 4, 85 (illus.). cat.no. 20
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Sasha Grishin, The art of John Brack - Volume 1, 'The urban icons', pg. 37-54, Australia, 1990, 43.
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Terry Ingham., www.aasd.com.au, 'AGNSW makes big breakfast of Grundy', Armadale, 01 Jul 2013, n.pag.. viewed 02.07.2013, http://www.aasd.com.au/index.cfm/news/384-agnsw-makes-big-breakfast-of-grundy/
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J.D., Port Phillip Gazette, 'The art galleries: Roman holiday', pg. 40-43, Melbourne, Autumn 1954, 42. titled 'The New House'; review of Peter Bray Gallery solo exhibition
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Chris McAuliffe, Art and suburbia, 'The 1950s: the siren song of suburbia', pg. 64-75, Sydney, 1996, 23 (colour illus.), 70, 71. plate no. 7
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Chris McAuliffe, Art and Australia (Vol. 35, No. 3), 'John Brack's forgotten people', pg. 365-373, Sydney, 1998, 365 (colour illus.), 368, 371.
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Patrick McCaughey, John Brack: a retrospective exhibition, 'The complexity of John Brack', pg. 7-10, Melbourne, 1987, 13, 27 (illus.), 116, 138.
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Alan McCulloch, The Herald, 'Art review: the little man in paint', pg. 10, Melbourne, 27 Oct 1953, 10. titled 'The New House'; review of Peter Bray Gallery solo exhibition
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Jeni Porter (Editor in Chief), The Australian Financial Review, 'Art Gallery of NSW gets back in the Brack', Melbourne, 04 Jul 2013, 18 (colour illus.). photograph of work being installed; author unknown
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Tim Sowden, Beasts of suburbia: reinterpreting cultures in Australian suburbs, 'Streets of discontent: artists and suburbia', pg. 76-93, Melbourne, 1994, 76, 77 (illus.), 78, 89,. titled 'The New House'
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Katrina Strickland., www.afr.com, 'Grundy art auction sets $19.2m record', Melbourne, 27 Jun 2013, n.pag.. viewed 27.06.2013, http://www.afr.com/p/national/arts_saleroom/grundy_art_auction_sets_record_9J3drW0Sr9lDPtU4qGcf6K
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Katrina Strickland, The Australian Financial Review, 'Public galleries go for Grundys', pg. 3, Melbourne, 29 Jun 2013-30 Jun 2013, 3.
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Wayne Tunnicliffe, Look, 'John Brack: two superb new acquisitions', pg. 30-31, Sydney, Dec 2013-Jan 2014, 30 (colour illus.), 31.
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Tammy Weller., www.artshub.com.au, 'Art Gallery of NSW acquires new Australian works', Australia, 02 Jul 2013, n.pag.. viewed 04.07.2013, http://au.artshub.com/au/news-article/news/arts/art-gallery-of-nsw-acquires-new-australian-works-195872
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Editor Unknown (Editor), Bulletin, 'Artbursts', Sydney, 04 Nov 1953, n.pag.. titled 'The New House'; review of Peter Bray Gallery solo exhibition
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