First Daughter (Brack)

First Daughter is a 1955 Modernist painting by Australian artist John Brack. The painting depicts his daughter Clara as a young girl kneeling on the floor drawing a person on a piece of paper. The subject is seen from above - from the viewpoint of a father.[1]

First Daughter
ArtistJohn Brack
Year1955
Typeoil on canvas on composition board
Dimensions75.5 cm × 55.4 cm (29.7 in × 21.8 in)
LocationPrivate collection, Sydney

The painting was first shown in the exhibition John Brack, at Peter Bray Gallery,[2][3] Melbourne, 8-17 March 1955, for the price of 35 guineas; then at John Brack: The Sport of Kings and Other Paintings, at the Johnstone Gallery, Brisbane, 27 March - 8 April 1957, titled there 'Little Girl Drawing', and purchased for 40 guineas,[4] by Mr J.C. Tritton, Brisbane.

It was sold at auction by Christie's in 1971 and "disappeared from view", becoming part of various private collections.[5][6]

The painting was part of the private collection of Sydney banker, and co-founder of Macquarie Bank, David Clarke.[7] It was sold at auction by Sotheby's in April 2015 for a hammer price of AUD725,000.[8]

See also

References
  1. Sasha Grishin, The Art of John Brack, Oxford University Press, Melbourne, 1990, Vol. 2, p.32
  2. "Austerity of line and color controls the effect of the portrait of the artist's wife and the studies of his four daughters. "Little Girl's Head" (5) makes a lovely pattern of a "hairdo" seen from the back. The sprawled form of "First Daughter" (4) draws the eye to her own art effort on a paper placed on the floor." Shore, Arnold (1955). 'Artist stresses human values'. (1955, March 8). The Argus p. 13. Retrieved 8 July 2015, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article71637449
  3. 'Painter's Commentary on Social Scene', The Age, Melbourne, 8 March 1955
  4. Gertrude Langer, 'Painter Portrays City Life', The Courier Mail, Brisbane, 27 March 1957
  5. Cockington, James (21 April 2015). "Art world's big hitter back on the block". The Age. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  6. Cockington, James (21 April 2015). "Brack on the block". The Age. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  7. "Sotheby's to auction Macbank co-founder David Clarke's $5m collection". The Australian. 26 February 2015.
  8. Dumas, Daisy (29 April 2015). "John Brack's artwork First Daughter, not seen by public for 60 years, sells for $725,000". The Age. Fairfax Ltd. Retrieved 29 April 2015.


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