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Title

Head of a woman

1945

Artist

Donald Friend

Australia

06 Feb 1915 - 16 Aug 1989

An image of Head of a woman by Donald Friend

About

'Head of a woman' is a remarkable portrait by Donald Friend, made after a period spent in the army during World War Two, a time when he re-directed his work towards realism. Friend's objective and dispassionate observation of his subject has resulted in a sensitive and revealing image of dignified old age. There are over thirty drawings by Friend in the Gallery's collection.

Australian Art Department, AGNSW, 2000

Details

Date

1945

Media category

Drawing

Materials used

pen and brown ink, wash on ivory wove paper

Dimensions

37.6 x 25.3 cm sheet

Signature & date

Signed and dated u.r., pen and brown ink "Donald. 45.".

Credit

Purchased 1946

Location

Not on display

Accession number

7649

Copyright

© Reproduced with permission of the Estate of Donald Friend. Licensed by Viscopy, Sydney.

Reproduction requests

Artist information

Donald Friend

Works in the collection

57

Shown in 4 exhibitions

Exhibition history

Referenced in 6 publications

Bibliography

Elizabeth Cross, Look, 'On drawing', pg. 22-27, Sydney, Aug 2005, 27 (colour illus.).

Barry Pearce, Michelangelo to Matisse: drawing the figure, 'Drawing and the portrait', pg. 55-59, Sydney, 1999, 58, 59 [colour illus.]. fig. 31; cat.no. 139

Anne Ryan, Look, 'Drawing it all together', pg. 28-29, Heidelberg, Dec 1997, 28 (illus.).

Lou Klepac, Donald Friend: a charmed life, Canberra, 2006. Checklist of works.

Barry Pearce, Donald Friend Retrospective 1915-1989, Sydney, 1990, 50, 51 (illus.). cat.no. 26

Hendrik Kolenberg, Australian drawings from the Gallery's collection, Sydney, 1997, 80 (illus.). cat.no. 71