The Art of Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri
Basel, Gordon and Breach Arts International, 1994 (first edition).
Large quarto, 177 pages with 10 maps or diagrams, numerous illustrations (many in colour) and 63 colour plates.
Papered boards; top edge slightly foxed; front endpaper a little discoloured; an excellent copy with the lightly sunned dustwrapper.
Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri (c.1932-2002) was 'one of the truly visionary Australian artists of the twentieth century.... [He] was an expert wood-carver and took up painting long before the emergence of the Papunya Tula School in the early 1970s. When [he] joined this group of "dot and circle" painters early in 1972 he immediately distinguished himself as one of its most talented members and went on to create some of the largest and most complex paintings ever produced' (Art Gallery of New South Wales website, December 2006). A number of interesting ephemeral pieces are loosely inserted. (A) Undated handwritten paperwork from John O'Loughlin of the Gallery of Desert Dreamings in Adelaide, regarding 'Honeyant Dreaming', a painting by the artist purchased by the recipient. Two colour photographs are included; one forms part of a 'detailed profile of the artist and dreaming plus authenticity statement'. (B) Two invitations to later exhibitions of works by the artist (held concurrently in Sydney in February and March 1999, at Corbally Stourton Contemporary Art, and Christopher Day Gallery 'In Association with Corbally Stourton'), and a personal letter to a client (dated 20 January 1999) enquiring 'Would you like to come and have a preview before it opens? What about lunch one day?', signed by Patrick Corbally Stourton. (C) A slightly amended priced catalogue of another exhibition of his work at Jinta Desert Art Gallery, Sydney, also held in March 1999. (D) A typed letter on Corbally Stourton letterhead, dated 5 March 1999, signed by Patrick Corbally Stourton, sent to the valued client; it was accompanied by a photocopy of an article in 'The Australian Financial Review' (4 March 1999). The article, by Terry Ingram, notes that the exhibition at the Christopher Day Gallery 'was taken down ahead of time last week after the artist, Clifford Possum, said he did not recognise some of the paintings which were hanging there under his name'. Stourton's lengthy letter explains how the paintings in his exhibition 'were bought in good faith from Mr J. O'Loughlin ... a long standing friend of Clifford Possum. Indeed, he accompanied Clifford to London in 1992 when Clifford met the Queen at Buckingham Palace. I had therefore little reason to doubt the authenticity of these works, particularly as some of the paintings have been photographed with the artist holding them. This is a normal method of identification as the artists often do not read or write. Clifford Possum, who is old and has failing eyesight, viewed the works and claimed he had not seen or painted some of them. At the same time, he could not explain how he came to be photographed holding the very same paintings'. (E) A substantial booklet for an exhibition at the Art Gallery of New South Wales in May-July 1999 of 'Warlugulong 1976', a major work by Tim Leura Tjapaltjarri and Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri. (F) Original newspaper articles, one breaking the story ('The Australian,' 25 February 1999), one an obituary (the artist died on 20 June 2002), and one ('A final battle of wills' in 'The Weekend Australian' on 20-21 July 2002) that concludes with the information that in 1999 'a $500,000 exhibition of works being sold under Possum's name in a Sydney Gallery was identified as comprising almost all fakes. A white man, John O'Loughlin, was charged and sentenced for the forgeries'. [A small quantity].
Item #105712
Price (AUD):
$500.00