Remembering the iconic cartoonist, artist and dreamer
On December 19th, 2024, Michael Leunig passed away; he will be remembered this Thursday the 30th with a memorial at St Paul’s Cathedral in Melbourne’s city. Leaving a formidable legacy in his wake, Leunig is best known for his cartoons published in The Age and Sydney Morning Herald newspapers over many decades. Whether as a philosopher, writer, poet or fine artist, his vision crossed the political, philosophical and emotional, yearning for a world that embraced humanity and enchantment.
Michael Leunig '...life just fings through your slippers...'
Leunig was born in 1945 to a working class family in East Melbourne, the eldest of five children. Inspired by the literary, mundane and unjust, he was conscripted to the Vietnam War in 1965 but due to partial deafness, rejected from service. Over the following years, Leunig worked as a factory labourer and meat-worker before becoming a political cartoonist for a daily newspaper in 1969.
Michael Leunig 'Untitled (Creatures Great and Small)'
As all cartoonists ought to, Leunig brushed against controversy. He set out to present the public with a different perspective, pushing against the polarised cultural climate in favour of beauty, wonder and the transcendent. To be at awe with the universe, whether before the night sky or a cup of tea, was of the utmost importance to Leunig.
“To reduce life just to the rational is to rule out so much pleasure and enjoyment in the non-rational, in the beautiful, and the cultivation of a sense of delight and beauty.”
Michael Leunig
Michael Leunig 'How to Make Salads' Michael Leunig 'His + Her Contraceptive Pack'
In this collection of rare and original works, including inks on paper, drawings for cartoons and golden etchings, provenanced from the Leunig Family, the absurdity, wit and whimsy of the artist’s inner life beam forth. From Mr Curly to his iconic bird, there is a jewel for every dreamer.
Michael Leunig 'Untitled (Man and Cat)'
