In the European 1955–56 winter, Sidney Nolan cloistered himself on the Greek island of Hydra. He was done with Ned Kelly and seeking a new myth, immersed himself in Homer’s Iliad and Robert Graves’s Greek Mythology. Somehow, the artist sensed a throughline between Antiquity and Australianness – he wanted to paint an Australian epic in the grandeur and savagery that Homer had sung.

As journalist George Johnston remembers, Nolan ceaselessly produced during this time. In fervent excitement he painted centaurs, skulls, helmets and figures entwined in near abstraction. ‘Sculpture Sketch’ (1956) is an example of this, a minimal yet iconic expression of Nolan barreling towards his famed Gallipoli series of paintings. “I am just trying to work it out”, he reflected.

‘Sculpture Sketch’ is a highly collectable work, its configuration sought after. At once raw and iconic, it is painted with the dynamism of an artist deep in exploration, hauled up on a blustery Greek island caught between the myths of Antiquity and Australia. For collectors of Nolan and Australian art, ‘Sculpture Sketch’ is a true discovery. Impeccably framed with museum quality materials and perspex on the reverse so you can see the artists signature , this work of art is both safeguarded for years to come and ready to be enjoyed the moment its hung.

Sidney NOLAN (1917 - 1992)
'Sculpture Sketch' 1956
mixed media on paper
Image Size: 31 x 26 cm
Dimensions: 52 x 46 x 4 cm
Signed: N verso, dated 56 and titled Sculpture Sketch
Comes with Letter of Provenance

Companion work exhibited Exhibited: Sidney Nolan Works on Paper Retrospective, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 1980-81, cat. no. 95 (touring exhibition).
Certificate Of Authenticity signed by the Agent for the estate of Lady Nolan provided

Condition: Very Good

(c) Sidney Nolan / Copyright Agency

Read about this work and more in Sidney Nolan | Poems, Myths and Mermaids.