An Antipodean icon, Reg Mombassa—also known as Chris O’Doherty—occupies a rare cultural space, equally influential as artist, musician and designer. One of Australia’s most collected and instantly recognisable contemporary figures, his work is worn, loved and collected by audiences ranging from Patrick White to Elton John.

In this cartoon portrait of a man crowned with a halo, Mombassa’s humour does the heavy lifting. With a wink rather than a wagging finger, the image playfully subverts ideas of sainthood, virtue, and moral authority, gently blurring the line between the sacred and the everyday. The halo, or 'plastic ring', becomes less a symbol of perfection than a prompt to laugh at our own myths and ideals, and at the human tendency to elevate the ordinary.

Wry, irreverent, and unmistakably Mombassa, the work invites viewers not to take sanctity—or themselves—too seriously. For collectors of irreverent contemporary Australian art, Mombassa remains an artist not to miss.

Reg MOMBASSA (1951 - )
'Self Portrait with Beard and Plastic Ring' 2008
Oil on paper
Image Size: 75 x 58 cm
Signed: Signed within image 'C O'D, Reg M', title inscribed on verso 'Self Portrait with Beard and Plastic Ring'

Comes with Letter of Provenance

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