From 1970 to 1971, Charles Blackman escaped Australia for Paris. He had won the prestigious Cite des Artes scholarship and upon setting down in France, fell in love with the culture, commencing what art historians refer to as his “Golden Era” for drawing. He set out to immerse himself in Parisian culture, to become a “serious” artist by mastering the nude.

‘Standing Nude’ comes from this era. It recalls Kenneth Clark’s famous delineation between naked and nude — the former denoting the unclothed, the latter a loaded concept, aesthetic and convention. The nude, Clark argued, was not a subject in art “but a form” and any good artist must wrangle it to progress.

Sensual, minimal and elegant, ‘Standing Nude’ sees Blackman dance with art history. It is a personal expression of creative sophistication, liberated from the shackles of Australia and social conservatism, while also recalling the complex position nudes hold — at once mythological and intimate, caught between strength and vulnerability. 

Signed, newly framed and provenanced from the Charles Blackman Foundation, the highly collectable ‘Standing Nude’ pulls the viewer back to the city of love. It will bewitch collectors of Blackman, modern art and nudes.

Charles BLACKMAN (1928 - 2018)
'Standing nude' circa. 1970
Ink on paper
Image Size: 72 x 39 cm
Dimensions: 97 x 61 x 4 cm
Signed: Signed lower right 'Blackman'
Comes with a Certificate of Authenticity from the Charles Blackman Foundation

Condition: Very Good. Image is in an excellent condition. Paper margins have evidence of pencil that has rubbed off from the artists hand when drawing. This work of art is newly framed.

© Charles Blackman / Copyright Agency 2023

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