Australian Drawings of the Thirties and Fourties in the National Gallery of Victoria

The drawings in this catalogue are selected mainly from the years 1930-50, a time of considerable development and complexity in Australian art. There are works included of an earlier date, such as Grace Crowley’s Les Mirmandaises, and a later drawing by David Strachan, A Hand Holding Dividers. Since we were choosing drawings from a period which witnessed major changes in the directions of artistic concern, it seemed sensible, for the sake of more complete documentation, to make the parameters flexible.

This collection is not entirely comprehensive but has works of fine quality by some of the more important artists and encompasses a sufficient range to allow considerable insight into the period. It is interesting to note that drawings by those moderate progressives such as George Bell and Russell Drysdale were acquired as early as 1944.

Of the works by the radical expressionists, Arthur Boyd’s important group of sixteen drawings was acquired in 1966, whilst those by John Perceval, Joy Hester, and Albert Tucker have been purchased in the last four years. However, we have only one drawing by Sidney Nolan. It is anticipated that future acquisitions in this area will further redress the balance.

Sourced from; Bridget Whitelaw, Australian Drawings of the Thirties and Forties in the National Gallery of Victoria, National Gallery of Victoria, 1980, p. 17