Every year, modernist Eric Thake would send his friends a hand-made Christmas card. Original linocut prints, these cards have since become canonical, each observing a changing nation through one its most distinct voices. They also speak to Thake’s innerworld, with this particular work coming from the collection of his friend, revered writer and curator Ursula Hoff.

At first glance, ‘Christmas Greetings from Thake’s Flat’ appears to be a scene from one of Thake’s trips into the outback. This however, might be mirage – on the card’s inside Thake writes “Everything parched around these parts at present”, alongside an address in Kew. Under the Australian sun, Kew could be the dessert; everything has the same drawl as a cowboy’s accent.

Represented across numerous public collections, including at the National Gallery of Victoria, ‘Christmas Greetings from Thakes Flat’ is a museum-quality work. It speaks to Thake’s remarkable vision, Australian modernism and the friendship between an artist and scholar. With strikingly excellent provenance, it is a prize for collectors of modernist art.
 

Eric THAKE (1904 - 1982)
'Christmas Greetings from Thake’s Flat' 1961
linocut on paper
Image Size: 15 x 22 cm
Dimensions: 15 x 44 cm overall sheet size, scored to fold
Signed: Titled and dated lower centre; bears a hand-written dedication from the artist inside. Inscribed reverse sheet, ink: Dear Ursula / Everything parched around these parts at present / Eric and Grace / 3/11 Heather Grove Kew
Comes with Letter of Provenance

Impressions of this work are represented at the:
Art Gallery of New South Wales, accession number: DA50.1967
National Gallery of Victoria, accession number: P131-1974

Condition: Excellent

© The Artist or Assignee