Michael Leunig was an iconic Australian cartoonist, writer, painter, philosopher and poet, best known for his cartoons published in the Sydney Morning Herald and Age newspapers over 55 years. Spanning the political, cultural and philosophical, his visual world was one of whimsy, wit and a deep humanity.

‘Quadrant, a tribute to James McAuley…’ sees Leunig mock the founder of conservative literary journal, Quadrant. A complex figure, James McAuley came to prominence as one of the minds behind the Ern Malley hoax, in which progressive journal The Angry Penguins published a series of poems by a made-up man. Posed as masterpieces of modernism, Ern Malley’s poems were actually randomly generated by McAuley and Harold Stewart in a plot to skewer the absurdity of modern art.

McAuley went on to famously convert to Roman Catholicism and in 1956, founded Quadrant. The journal had a regular column called “Pseuds Corner” which would compile ridiculous quotes, usually from left-wingers. Drawn in the wake of McAuley’s death, ‘Quadrant, a tribute to James McAuley…’ satirically suggests McAuley’s own conservative ideas belonged in the “Pseuds corner”.

Hand-signed by the artist and provenanced from the Leunig family’s private collection, this work is an intriguing find for collectors of Leunig and collectors of political art and artefacts.

Michael LEUNIG (1945 - 2024)
'Quadrant, A tribute to James McAuley...'
ink on paper
Image Size: 7 x 9 cm
Dimensions: 15 x 10 cm
Signed: Signed lower right: Leunig
Comes with Letter of Provenance
Inscriptions in margin: 100%; MUST PRINT THIS

Condition: Very Good: Describes a work of art's image as Excellent, but may show some small signs of surrounding wear to paper or frame. There are no tears to paper margin or disruption to the paint surface.

(c) The Artist or Assignee