Pro Hart: (1928- 2006) Works from the artists estate, Broken Hill. View the catalogue here bit.ly/VBH1hK Auction Tuesday 22nd July at 6:30pm Viewing Wednesday, 16 July 9am-8pm Thursday, 17 July 10am-4pm Friday, 18 July 10am-4pm Saturday, 19 July 10am-5pm Sunday, 20 July 10am-5pm Monday, 21 July by appointment Close to a decade after Pro Hart’s passing, his estate is offering the artist’s most prized and personal works from his private collection which he was unable to part with during his lifetime. Many may be surprised by the breadth of Pro Hart’s practice across the one hundred and seventy two paintings and one rare sculpture. While self-taught, Hart has often been labelled mistakenly as naive, a tag at which he bristled. Betty Churcher, former Director of the National Gallery of Australia commented that unlike naive artists who express themselves unselfconsciously and are without interest in art history and other artists’ work, Pro Hart “is sharply aware of art traditions both here in Australia and overseas. He realised what Drysdale had done for the Riverina district he could adapt for this semi-arid region of New South Wales. So this is the style he uses to tell the story of life in and around Broken Hill.” 1 The catalogue will attest to Hart’s many facets, interests and styles being divided into sections including Masks: Mines & Miners: Cities & Beaches: Figures & Portraits and Abstraction & Action Painting. A clear view and insight into Pro Hart’s early work in paintings is richly afforded in The B.I.C. Man c.1975 and his self portrait titled The Yabby Eater 1978 revealing Hart’s appreciation of Dobell and his own artistic talent. The collection includes some much loved Country Race Meeting scenes presented on a major scale, the exuberant Floral Still Lifes and the charming Waltzing Matilda series. Additionally his “mechanically assisted” action paintings are represented by an abstract cannon painting, complete with explosive paint smatterings and complimented by a self-referential outback scene of Pro Hart creating aforesaid cannon-style painting! Befitting the personal context of this collection is the inclusion of Hart’s most significant and complex painting, Judas Flying a Kite 1962. Initially the work belonged to respected art dealer Kim Bonython and it soon passed into the esteemed collection of Margaret and Douglas Carnegie who championed Hart and included it an exhibition of their collection at the NGV in 1966. The work changed hands once more and in 1999 Pro Hart was able to happily reclaim his most treasured painting when it was auctioned by Leonard Joel. Now as things come full circle once again, collectors will have the opportunity to acquire not only Judas Flying a Kite along with all the paintings in the auction with the knowledge of its significance to the artist. 1. Betty Churcher in Fry, G. Pro Hart: Life & Legacy, Pro Hart Art Sales, NSW 2014, p.35
Posted on: Fri, 04 Jul 2014 00:54:23 +0000
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