For more than fifty years, Michael Leunig gently and brilliantly skewered the absurdities of everyday life. Now, as one of Australia’s most cherished and quietly missed voices, his work feels more luminous than ever. In the rare original ink drawing 'Dishebana (The Japanese Art of Dishwasher Stacking)', he turns a kitchen chore into a small meditation on modern life.

A quintessential “Leunig man” kneels before an open dishwasher, utterly absorbed in a manual titled 'Dishebana: The Japanese Art of Dishwasher Stacking'. Around him, crockery rests in a state of pre-zen chaos. It is domestic life distilled into devotion — a tea-plate koan, a rinse-cycle ritual.

Rendered in Leunig’s unmistakable hand, the work hums with immediacy, warmth, and gentle rebellion. Its provenance deepens its allure, coming directly from the Leunig family’s private collection.

Dishebana is more than a drawing — it is a philosophical chuckle, a domestic haiku, and a beautifully observed moment of human absurdity.

Michael LEUNIG (1945 - 2024)
'Dishebana (The Japanese Art of Dishwasher Stacking)'
Ink on paper
Image Size: 13 x 18 cm
Dimensions: 19 x 25 cm
Signed: Signed 'Leunig' lower right corner.
Comes with Letter of Provenance
Condition:Very Good.
(c) The Artist or Assignee