Collection
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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
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 Copyright Agency.
Shown in 4 exhibitions
Exhibition history
Donald Friend Retrospective 1915-1989:
- Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney 09 Feb 1990–25 Mar 1990
- National Gallery of Victoria [St Kilda Road], Melbourne 14 Apr 1990–06 Jun 1990
- Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, Hobart 26 Jun 1990–19 Aug 1990
Australian drawings from the Gallery's collection, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 13 Dec 1997–15 Mar 1998
Michelangelo to Matisse: Drawing the figure, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 20 Nov 1999–27 Feb 2000
Donald Friend: A charmed life, National Library of Australia, Canberra, 09 Nov 2006–04 Feb 2007
Referenced in 6 publications
Bibliography
Elizabeth Cross, Look, 'On drawing', pg. 22-27, Sydney, Aug 2005, 27 (colour illus.).
Lou Klepac, Donald Friend: a charmed life, Canberra, 2006. Checklist of works.
Australian drawings from the Gallery's collection, Sydney, 1997, 80 (illus.). cat.no. 71
Barry Pearce, Donald Friend Retrospective 1915-1989, Sydney, 1990, 50, 51 (illus.). cat.no. 26
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.).