Core to Sidney Nolan’s legacy is his unique fusion of myth and modernism. While best known for his Kelly series, Nolan’s gaze extended far beyond bushrangers—toward stories of loss, failure, and resilience, both in Australian history and beyond.

This work, inspired by Nolan’s 1950s photographic expeditions into drought-stricken Queensland and the Northern Territory, captures the haunting surrealism of life—and death—in the Australian outback. The desiccated form of the animal, seemingly weightless and adrift, echoes the bizarre reality Nolan encountered: carcasses tangled in trees, bleached by the unrelenting sun, as if suspended between worlds.

A ghostly tree trunk anchors the scene, evoking the landscapes Nolan meticulously documented. Here, the line between fact and imagination blurs, as he amplifies nature’s devastation into a poetic, unsettling vision.

Nolan’s drought series is represented in major collections including the NGV, AGNSW, and Tate Modern, underscoring its importance within his oeuvre. These works were part of a commission to document the catastrophic drought of 1952, which saw over a million cattle perish—a harrowing testament to the harsh realities of the Australian landscape.

Elegant yet eerie, this painting stands as a profound exploration of fragility and endurance. For collectors of significant Australian art and those drawn to environmental narratives, it offers a rare opportunity to acquire a piece that confronts both myth and mortality.

Nolan is represented in every state gallery and internationally at New York’s Museum of Modern Art and London’s Tate. Elegant and enigmatic, his work is a prize for collectors of important Australian art.

Sidney NOLAN (1917 - 1992)
'Drought Carcass' c. 1961
mixed media on paper
Image Size: 61 x 49 cm
Framed Dimensions: 64 x 52 x 2 cm

 
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) Sidney Nolan / Copyright Agency