Gould collection an auction bonus for collectors

Sidney Nolan’s Ned Kelly – Outlaw, 1955 carries the highest estimate ($1.2-$1.8 million) of the iconic works among the Robert Gould Collection earmarked for auction through Deutscher and Hackett from 7pm Wednesday March 15 at Sydney’s National Art School in Forbes Street, Darlinghurst.

Fascinated by the 19^th century bushranger’s exploits, Nolan’s depiction of Kelly’s armoured mask as a black square has become internationally recognised.

This particular painting was probably included in Nolan’s May 1955 exhibition at London’s Redfern Gallery under the title Portrait of a Bushranger and is typical of his portrayals – a defiant bushranger dominating the composition while his black mask rises like an ominous sentinel.

The Sydney auction comprises works both from Gould’s Melbourne-based gallery and his personal collection.

It features works by modern Australian artists including William Dobell, Nolan, Arthur Boyd, Albert Tucker, John Perceval, Charles Blackman, John Olsen, Brett Whiteley and Rosalie Gascoigne.

Gould Galleries was established in 1980 by Rob Gould and his mother Dita and has successfully traded for 36 years from the same premises in Toorak Road, South Yarra.

In that time, Gould has built a reputation as one of Australia’s leading Australian gallerists – advising private, institutional and corporate collectors both locally and internationally.

The 74-lot auction features several major works including Perceval’s Fisherman’s Sights, Williamstown and The Hull, Williamstown, both painted in 1956 and Blackman’s Divided Painting c1962.

Other significant works include Nolan’s Burke Lay Dying 1950, Boyd’s Wimmera Landscape with Cockatoos c1965 and Dobell’s Helen Blaxland and Tonia 1941.

At $600,000-$800,000 estimate, Whiteley’s Galah, painted in 1968, is another worthwhile collector work.