Clarice Marjoribanks Beckett Sold at Auction Prices

Painter, b. 1887 - d. 1935

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Nov. 25, 2023
BECKETT Clarice (1887-1935), 'Ricketts Point Evening,' c.1930-33., Oil on Board, 21x34cm
Est: $30,000 - $50,000
BECKETT, Clarice (1887-1935) 'Ricketts Point Evening,' c.1930-33. Signed 'C Beckett' lower left. Inscribed with title verso. Other inscriptions: 'I A Sheen / Property of Ross ? / No.11 Robert Haines / invoiced 20gns'. Also affixed verso label for National Gallery of Victoria. Oil on Board 21x34cm PROVENANCE: Private collection, Sydney.
Davidson Auctions
Nov. 21, 2023
§ CLARICE BECKETT 1887-1935 Misty Day (circa 1931) oil on board 31 x 40.5 cm
Est: $35,000 - $55,000
§ CLARICE BECKETT 1887-1935 Misty Day (circa 1931) oil on board signed 'C Beckett' lower right 31 x 40.5 cm PROVENANCE Clarice Beckett, Melbourne Helen Lempriere Wood, Sydney Keith Wood, Sydney, acquired from the above Fine Australian and International Art, Lawson-Menzies, Sydney, 15 April 2003, lot 22, illustrated Lauraine Diggins Fine Art, Melbourne Private Collection, Sydney, acquired from the above
Smith & Singer
Nov. 21, 2023
§ CLARICE BECKETT 1887-1935 Ricketts Point oil on board 38.5 x 49 cm
Est: $45,000 - $65,000
§ CLARICE BECKETT 1887-1935 Ricketts Point oil on board 38.5 x 49 cm PROVENANCE Clarice Beckett, Melbourne Hilda Mangan, Melbourne, by descent from the above Rosalind Humphries, Melbourne, acquired from the above Ruth Prowse, Canberra Private Collection, Melbourne, by descent from the above Niagara Galleries, Melbourne Private Collection, Sydney, acquired from the above EXHIBITED Ruth Prowse: Thirty Years of Collecting, Drill Hall Gallery, Australian National University, Canberra, 1 April - 16 May 2004 Clarice Beckett: A Collectors' Passion: The Ruth Prowse Collection, Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery, Mornington, 12 July - 28 August 2005, no. 22 (label verso) Clarice Beckett, Niagara Galleries, Melbourne, 29 April - 24 May 2014, no. 32, illustrated LITERATURE Drusilla Modjeska, Clarice Beckett, Niagara Galleries, Melbourne, 2014, pp. 34, 35 (illustrated), 51 (illustrated)
Smith & Singer
Nov. 21, 2023
§ CLARICE BECKETT 1887-1935 Half Moon Bay oil on board 28.5 x 38 cm
Est: $30,000 - $40,000
§ CLARICE BECKETT 1887-1935 Half Moon Bay oil on board 28.5 x 38 cm PROVENANCE Clarice Beckett, Melbourne Hilda Mangan, Melbourne, by descent from the above Rosalind Humphries, Melbourne, acquired from the above Ruth Prowse, Canberra Private Collection, Melbourne, by descent from the above Niagara Galleries, Melbourne Private Collection, Sydney, acquired from the above EXHIBITED Ruth Prowse: Thirty Years of Collecting, Drill Hall Gallery, Australian National University, Canberra, 1 April - 16 May 2004 Clarice Beckett: A Collectors' Passion: The Ruth Prowse Collection, Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery, Mornington, 12 July - 28 August 2005, no. 11 (label verso) Clarice Beckett, Niagara Galleries, Melbourne, 29 April - 24 May 2014, no. 34, illustrated LITERATURE Drusilla Modjeska, Clarice Beckett, Niagara Galleries, Melbourne, 2014, pp. 38 (illustrated), 51 (illustrated)
Smith & Singer
Sep. 21, 2023
CLARICE BECKETT (1887 - 1935) Yellow Leaves, Alexandra Avenue screenprint, ed. 43/75 43.5 x 59.5 cm (frame: 75 x 90 x 3 cm) Marning ...
Est: $1,000 - $1,500
CLARICE BECKETT (1887 - 1935) Yellow Leaves, Alexandra Avenue screenprint, ed. 43/75 43.5 x 59.5 cm (frame: 75 x 90 x 3 cm) Marning Press embossed stamp lower right
Lawsons
Aug. 30, 2023
CLARICE BECKETT (1887-1935), Clarice Beckett Images
Est: $4,000 - $6,000
CLARICE BECKETT (1887-1935) Clarice Beckett Images complete set of colour screenprints (5) 56.0 x 76.0 cm (each, sheet) comprising: (i) Boatsheds, 45.5 x 67.5 cm (image) (ii) Misty Evening, Beaumaris, 41.5 x 59.0 cm (image) (iii) Bathing Boxes, 44.0 x 54.5 cm (image) (iv) Yellow Leaves, Alexandra Avenue, 44.0 x 60.0 cm (image) (v) Bay Road, Beaumaris , 49.0 x 65.0 cm (image) edition: Printer's Proof (edition of 75) each numbered lower left: PP each titled lower centre each with artist's blindstamp lower right published by Marnling Press, Sydney
Menzies
May. 03, 2023
CLARICE BECKETT, WATTLE AT SHERBROOKE, C.1923
Est: $25,000 - $35,000
CLARICE BECKETT (1887 - 1935) WATTLE AT SHERBROOKE, c.1923 oil on pulpboard 36.0 x 30.5 cm signed lower left: C. Beckett bears inscription with title on gallery label verso: CLARICE BECKETT / “WATTLE AT SHERBROOK [sic.]” PROVENANCE The Macquarie Galleries, Sydney (label attached verso) Rosalind Humphries Galleries, Melbourne (partial label attached verso) Private collection, acquired from the above in 1975 Leonard Joel, Melbourne, 26 July 1989, lot 42 (as ‘Wattle at Sherbrook’ [sic.]) Private collection Leonard Joel, Melbourne, 8 November 1989, lot 285A (as ‘Wattle at Sherbrook’ [sic.]) Private collection Sotheby's, Melbourne, 7 May 1990, lot 65 Private collection, Melbourne EXHIBITED Possibly: Paintings by Miss Clarice Beckett, Athenaeum Hall, Melbourne, 5 – 20 June 1923, cat. 17 (as ‘Dead Tree, Sherbrooke’) Clarice Beckett, Macquarie Galleries, Sydney, 5 – 17 February 1975, cat. 26 (as ‘Wattle at Sherbrook’ [sic.])
Deutscher and Hackett
May. 02, 2023
CLARICE BECKETT 1887-1935 Misty Morning (circa 1931) oil on board
Est: $20,000 - $30,000
CLARICE BECKETT 1887-1935 Misty Morning (circa 1931) oil on board 34 x 43 cm PROVENANCE Clarice Beckett, Melbourne Hilda Mangan, Melbourne, by descent from the above Rosalind Hollinrake Galleries, Melbourne, acquired from the above Private Collection, Melbourne Adam Galleries, Melbourne (label verso) Private Collection, Melbourne, acquired from the above on 26 June 2000
Smith & Singer
Mar. 21, 2023
CLARICE BECKETT (1887-1935) Princes Bridge c.1930 oil on board
Est: $70,000 - $80,000
CLARICE BECKETT (1887-1935) Princes Bridge c.1930 oil on board authentication label attached verso, signed by Hilda Mangan 32 x 35cm PROVENANCE: Rosalind Humphries Galleries, Melbourne (label verso) Private collection, Melbourne Thence by descent EXHIBITIONS: Homage to Clarice Beckett (1887 - 1935): Idylls of Melbourne and Beaumaris, Rosalind Humphries Galleries, Melbourne, 12 November - 1 December 1972, cat. no. 23 OTHER NOTES: A quiet achiever in the realm of Australian art, Clarice Beckett only began to receive the critical attention she deserved until after her death when Dr. Rosalind Hollinrake came upon a remarkable painting bearing the signature "C. Beckett". Since this rediscovery in the 1970s she has now been formally recognised and celebrated as one of the most important female artists and Tonalist innovators to capture Melbourne at a time of growth, making her an invaluable part of Australian art history. Serving as a Melbourne icon and gateway across the Yarra River for commuters since 1886, the Princes Bridge remains in its original form today as it would have when Clarice Beckett painted it in the 1930s. Princes Bridge was most likely painted from a position on the north-eastern side looking west. Beckett combines blue tones with touches of soft blush and white drawing the viewer's eyes through the trees, under the famous bridge, and out past the boats and glistening water of the Yarra River. Painted within the last moments of dusk, Beckett's combination of soft forms and dark silhouettes effortlessly capture a quiet moment amidst the 5pm rush as murmurs of cars and passers-by are seen above. Elongated shadows ripple from the boats as the last of the sun glistens off the calm waters of the Yarra, revealing a magical moment of the city before night takes hold. Beckett emulates the rippled reflections of light, transforming the water from an unremarkable blue to a vibrating body of life and liquid colour. Similar methods have been applied to a number of comparable works that reflect her ongoing fascination with the Melbourne Yarra River, including another painting Princes Bridge, presenting an identical view to this work, featured in Rosalind Hollinrake's Clarice Beckett and the Artist's Circle. Two other important works of the Princes Bridge include View Towards Princes Street Bridge, Flinders Street Station and the APA Tower c.1930 at the Art Gallery of South Australia and Princes Bridge housed in the collection of the State Library of Victoria. Max Meldrum's theory of tonalism highly influenced Beckett in her understanding of soft-focus realism, enabling her to convey these precious, unseen moments of Melbourne through a lens that was years beyond her counterparts' abilities. Depicting foggy streets, misty mornings and hazy sunsets, Becketts minimalist approach has now found its rightful place within Australian history and in the hands of esteemed collectors nationally, marking her as one of Australia's most important interwar artists and arguably the most significant modern female artist of the 20th century. Lucy Foster Senior Specialist, Fine Art
Leonard Joel
Dec. 01, 2022
CLARICE BECKETT, BEAUMARIS SUNSET, C.1928 – 32
Est: $30,000 - $40,000
CLARICE BECKETT (1887 - 1935) BEAUMARIS SUNSET, c.1928 – 32 oil on pulpboard 29.5 x 41.5 cm signed lower left: C. Beckett PROVENANCE Private collection Leonard Joel, Melbourne, 28 July 1998, lot 154 Private collection, Melbourne Lauraine Diggins Fine Art, Melbourne (label attached verso) Private collection, Canberra, acquired from the above in 1999 EXHIBITED Annual Collectors’ Exhibition 1999, Lauraine Diggins Fine Art, Melbourne, 5 June – 3 July 1999, cat. 38 (illus. in exhibition catalogue) ESSAY Clarice Beckett is renowned for her sustained, early modernist vision of Melbourne, particularly focussed on the coastline near her home in the Bayside suburb of Beaumaris. When asked why she never desired to travel overseas, she replied ‘I have only just got the hang of painting Beaumaris after all these years, why should I go somewhere else strange to paint?’1 Beaumaris sunset is a wonderful example of her work, featuring the rugged coast at the end of Dalgetty Street, where the artist lived. The upper layers of the headland are comprised of Black Rock sandstone which have eroded over time to reveal the lower basalt level. Middens and hand-dug wells from the Bunurong people remain in clear evidence along the cliff’s base, as does a plethora of important marine fossils in the shallow waters offshore (now protected). The headland and its near neighbours also feature in such notable works as Tom Roberts’ Slumbering sea, Mentone, 1887 (National Gallery of Australia); and Arthur Streeton’s Fossil bay, flood tide, 1925 (private collection). In Beckett’s view, the falling light of sunset and the mirrored surface of the still waters emphasise the brooding aspect of the headland, with the lone tree to the left recalling the composition of Japanese woodblock prints. A small number of her works feature similarly placed trees, such as View across the Yarra to Government House, c.1931, and Trees beside the Yarra River, c.1925.2 Beckett was raised in Casterton in regional Victoria but the family often holidayed at Beaumaris. Her mother Kate ‘had taken sketching and painting classes and counted among her friends Walter Withers and Ola Cohn.’3 On their advice, she enrolled Clarice (and her sister Hilda) in National Gallery School in 1914, studying under Frederick McCubbin. Inspired later by a lecture by the artist-theorist Max Meldrum, she joined his school for a year. Meldrum taught his own theory of ‘optical science’ aka Tonalism, which, as its name implies, revolved around building an image based on tonal values alone. Although she remained within the Meldrumite orbit throughout her subsequent career, Beckett’s paintings were truly a combination of the Gallery School’s academic teaching, Tonalism – and herself. As her colleague Elizabeth Colquhoun noted, Beckett’s paintings were more ‘fragile’ than Meldrum’s. ‘It was a different kind of thing, but it was very truthful.’4 Beckett was prolific and exhibited regularly but struggled to find financial or critical success, even though her talent was celebrated by Meldrum who wrote that she created work ‘of which any nation could be proud.’5 Beckett’s fame has since increased to such an extent that almost every one of the country’s major institutions now own examples of her work. She was, in the words of the artist Sir William Dargie, ‘a pure and perfect artist in her own way, one of the finest ever to work in Australia.’6 1. Hollinrake, R., Clarice Beckett: the artist and her circle, Macmillan, Melbourne, 1979, p. 21 2. View Across the Yarra Towards Government House, c.1931, oil on board, 25.5 x 35.5 cm, Deutscher and Hackett, Twenty Important Women Artists + Selected Australian and International Fine Art, Melbourne, 10 November 2021, lot 9; Trees beside the Yarra River, c.1925, oil on pulpboard, 25 x 35.5 cm, Deutscher and Hackett, Important Australian + International Fine Art, Sydney, 14 September 2022, lot 77 3. Hollinrake, R., ‘Painting against the tide’, The Age, Melbourne, 3 April 1985, p. 16 4. Elizabeth Colquhoun, cited in Juliet Peers, More than just gumtrees: a personal, social and artistic history of the Melbourne Society of Women Painters and Sculptors, Dawn Revival Press, Melbourne, 1993, p. 197 5. Max Meldrum, cited in ‘Work of Clarice Beckett’, The Age, 5 May 1936, p. 9 6. Dargie, Sir W., ‘Introduction’ in Homage to Clarice Beckett (1887 – 1935): Idylls of Melbourne and Beaumaris, Rosalind Humphries Galleries, Melbourne, 1971 ANDREW GAYNOR
Deutscher and Hackett
Nov. 29, 2022
Clarice Beckett (1887-1935) Across the Bay, c.1928
Est: $50,000 - $80,000
Clarice Beckett (1887-1935) Across the Bay, c.1928 signed lower right: 'C.Beckett' oil on board 29.0 x 49.0cm (11 7/16 x 19 5/16in).
Bonhams
Nov. 29, 2022
Clarice Beckett (1887-1935) Evening, (Beach Road, Beaumaris)
Est: $70,000 - $100,000
Clarice Beckett (1887-1935) Evening, (Beach Road, Beaumaris) oil on board 29.5 x 39.5cm (11 5/8 x 15 9/16in).
Bonhams
Nov. 29, 2022
Clarice Beckett (1887-1935) Evening, Alexandra Avenue, c.1930
Est: $85,000 - $125,000
Clarice Beckett (1887-1935) Evening, Alexandra Avenue, c.1930 signed lower right: 'C. Beckett' inscribed, titled and initialled verso: 85 / Alexander Av / B / Indefinite' oil on board 29.0 x 39.5cm (11 7/16 x 15 9/16in).
Bonhams
Nov. 16, 2022
CLARICE BECKETT 1887-1935 Winter Sunset oil on board
Est: $40,000 - $60,000
CLARICE BECKETT 1887-1935 Winter Sunset oil on board 41.5 x 49.5 cm PROVENANCE Clarice Beckett, Melbourne Hilda Mangan, Melbourne, by descent from the above Rosalind Humphries Galleries, Melbourne (label verso) Private Collection, Melbourne Kozminsky Galleries, Melbourne (label verso) Private Collection, acquired from the above in 1999 Private Collection, Sydney EXHIBITED (Possibly) Homage to Clarice Beckett (1887-1935): Idylls of Melbourne and Beaumaris, Rosalind Humphries Galleries, Melbourne, 12 November - 1 December 1972, no. 55, $200 Winter Exhibition 1999, Kozminksy Galleries, Melbourne, 1999, no. 20, illustrated
Smith & Singer
Nov. 16, 2022
CLARICE BECKETT (1887-1935) Clarice Beckett Images Comprising: (i) Boatsheds; (ii) Misty Evening, Beaumaris; (iii) Bathing Boxes; (i...
Est: $4,000 - $6,000
CLARICE BECKETT (1887-1935) Clarice Beckett Images Comprising: (i) Boatsheds; (ii) Misty Evening, Beaumaris; (iii) Bathing Boxes; (iv) Yellow Leaves, Alexandra Avenue; (v) Bay Road, Beaumaris complete suite of screenprints (5), ed. 4/75, printed posthumously artists name embossed lower right editioned lower left titled lower centre accompanied by the original portfolio with title page and frontispiece 56 x 76cm (each, sheet) PROVENANCE: Marnling Press, Sydney Private collection, Melbourne OTHER NOTES: This folio of 5 screenprints is a rendition of original paintings by the artist, printed posthumously, by master printmaker Michelle Perry at Marnling Press and published by Clarice Beckett Images. The original paintings that the prints are based from were provided by Rosalind Hollinrake.
Leonard Joel
Oct. 12, 2022
CLARICE BECKETT (1887-1935), Clarice Beckett Images
Est: $4,000 - $6,000
CLARICE BECKETT (1887-1935) Clarice Beckett Images complete set of colour screenprints (5) 56.0 x 76.0 cm (each, sheet) comprising: (i) Boatsheds; (ii) Misty Evening, Beaumaris; (iii) Bathing Boxes; (iv) Yellow Leaves, Alexandra Avenue; (v) Bay Road, Beaumaris edition: 41/75 each numbered lower left: 41/75 each titled lower centre presented with title page and colophon in original portfolio published by Marnling Press, Sydney
Menzies
Oct. 04, 2022
CLARICE BECKETT (1887-1935) Grey Day oil on board
Est: $20,000 - $30,000
CLARICE BECKETT (1887-1935) Grey Day oil on board signed lower right: C Beckett titled on label verso 22 x 29cm PROVENANCE: The Radcliffe Collection, Melbourne c.1920 The Collection of Alan Martin Private collection, Melbourne Mossgreen Auctions, Melbourne, 11 October 2015, lot 2 Private collection, Melbourne OTHER NOTES: Clarice Beckett was perhaps the most important yet underappreciated woman artist during the 1920s and 1930s in Australia. Capturing Melbourne's landscape and its most atmospheric nuances, Beckett's works appear effortless, bringing a sincere and truthful representation of nature before her. Only since her rediscovery in the 1970s by Rosalind Hollinrake has she now been formally recognised and celebrated as one of the most important female artists and Tonalist innovators to capture Melbourne at a time of growth, making her an invaluable part of Australian art history. We would like to thank Rosalind Hollinrake for her kind assistance in cataloguing this work.
Leonard Joel
Sep. 14, 2022
CLARICE BECKETT, SKETCH FOR BEACH ROAD, C.1933
Est: $20,000 - $30,000
CLARICE BECKETT (1887 - 1935) SKETCH FOR BEACH ROAD, c.1933 oil on cardboard 16.0 x 23.0 cm PROVENANCE Mrs Hilda Mangan, Victoria, the artist’s sister Gallery Huntley, Canberra (label attached verso) Private collection, Canberra EXHIBITED Exhibition of paintings by Clarice Beckett, Gallery Huntley, Canberra, 10 – 28 June 1980, cat. 2 (as ‘Sketch for "Bay Road"’) RELATED WORK Beach Road, c.1933, oil on canvas on board, 44.0 x 49.0 cm, private collection, illus. in Lock, T., Clarice Beckett: The Present Moment, Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, 2021, p. 123
Deutscher and Hackett
Sep. 14, 2022
CLARICE BECKETT, TREES BESIDE THE YARRA RIVER, C.1925
Est: $10,000 - $15,000
CLARICE BECKETT (1887 - 1935) TREES BESIDE THE YARRA RIVER, c.1925 oil on pulpboard 25.0 x 35.5 cm signed lower left: C. Beckett PROVENANCE Estate of Max Meldrum, Melbourne Thence by descent Private collection, Melbourne EXHIBITED Max Meldrum & Associates, Sotheby’s, Melbourne, 19 – 26 March 1997, cat. 75 ESSAY Clarice Beckett painted several works featuring the Yarra River during the middle of the 1920s. By selecting a simple subject of the trees and river, she was able to transform the subject through tone into one of light and shade. Writing about Beckett in a feature article in The Age at this time, art critic Alexander Colquhoun states, ‘when Miss Clarice Beckett held her first show at the Athenaeum gallery in 1923, her work certainly found admirers, but the admiration was by no means general, and there was a good deal of confusion in the public mind as to whether she was a futurist, or only a new and dangerous variety of Meldrumite.’1 Neither her work, nor her way of working are, however, in any respect uncertain; rather merely the results of a sincere and reverent observation of Nature. As her teacher and mentor Max Meldrum observed following Beckett’s memorial exhibition in 1936 ‘the late Miss Beckett had done work of which any nation could be proud. No European critic would say that Miss Beckett belonged to any particular school, and that would be the highest compliment one could bestow. She ranked as a great artist.’2 1. Colquhoun, A., ‘Australian Artists of To-Day: Miss Clarice Beckett’, The Age, Melbourne, 18 July 1931, p. 7 2. Meldrum, M., ‘Work of Clarice Beckett’, The Age, Melbourne, 5 May 1936, p. 9
Deutscher and Hackett
Sep. 14, 2022
CLARICE BECKETT, BATHING BOXES, BEAUMARIS, 1928 - 30
Est: $60,000 - $80,000
CLARICE BECKETT (1887 - 1935) BATHING BOXES, BEAUMARIS, 1928 - 30 oil on canvas on compressed card 47.0 x 67.0 cm signed lower left: C Beckett bears inscription verso: 29 framer's label attached verso: John Thallon, Melbourne PROVENANCE Private collection, Melbourne Private collection, Melbourne, thence by descent Private collection, Melbourne, a gift from the above ESSAY Clarice Beckett’s enduring connection to the Bayside region of Port Phillip Bay was forged in early childhood. Although raised in Casterton in regional Victoria, her family often holidayed at Beaumaris, a coastal suburb to the south of the city of Melbourne.1 Beckett’s mother counted the artists Walter Withers and Ola Cohn among her friends and on their advice, she enrolled Clarice (and her sister Hilda) in National Gallery School in 1914, studying under Frederick McCubbin. Inspired later by a lecture by the artist-theorist Max Meldrum, Beckett joined his classes for nine months. Meldrum taught his own theory of ‘optical science’ aka Tonalism, which, as its name implies, revolved around building an image based on tonal values alone. Although she remained within the Meldrumite orbit throughout her subsequent career, Beckett’s paintings were truly a combination of the Gallery School’s academic teaching, Tonalism – and herself. As her colleague Elizabeth Colquhoun noted, her paintings were more ‘fragile’ than Meldrum’s; ‘It was a different kind of thing, but it was very truthful.’2 With her hand-made painting trolley in tow, Beckett would wander the same areas repetitively, always approaching a scene with a different ambition as to the mood she wished to capture. Indeed, when asked why she never felt the desire to travel more widely, she responded ‘I have only just got the hang of painting Beaumaris after all these years, why should I go somewhere else strange to paint?’3 From the earliest days of colony, this locale attracted pleasure seekers with the first public swimming baths dating from the 1840s. By the turn of the century, clusters of bathing boxes were built within the ti-tree scrub by private individuals, or to service the patrons of nearby guesthouses. In Bathing Boxes, Beaumaris, Clarice Beckett turns her gaze to one such group located in the cove of Watkins Bay, at the end of the street where the artist lived. Beckett’s distinctive style is immediately recognisable and, when seen collectively, her paintings provide an unsurpassed record of the changing landscape of the region. By the time Bathing Boxes, Beaumaris was likely painted, bathing huts could be found on all beaches in the area, sometimes two or three deep. The aspect of this work is nearly identical to that of Yachts in the bay, c.1933, a smaller painting in the collection of the National Gallery of Australia; and the Beckett family’s own hut was just outside the frame to the left. The artist’s compositional skill and mastery of colour allows the jumble of huts to be elegantly constrained by the greens of the grass and trees; and the single patch of blue water to the right emphatically anchors the whole design. A related work, Bathing Boxes, Beaumaris, c.1932, depicts the same scene from the seaward side, and was offered by Deutscher and Hackett in April 2021. Ultimately, this idyllic view no longer remains as a huge storm in 1934 destroyed bathing boxes up and down the coast, most of which were not replaced. Bathing boxes Beaumaris, therefore, retains historic as well as aesthetic importance. 1. The family subsequently lived at ‘St Enoch’s’, Dalgetty St, Beaumaris, from 1919. The house burned down in 1945. 2. Elizabeth Colquhoun cited in Peers, J., More than just gumtrees: a personal, social and artistic history of the Melbourne Society of Women Painters and Sculptors, Dawn Revival Press, Melbourne, 1993, p. 197 3. Clarice Beckett, c.1928, cited in Hollinrake, R, Clarice Beckett: the artist and her circle, Macmillan, Melbourne, 1979, p. 21 ANDREW GAYNOR
Deutscher and Hackett
Aug. 23, 2022
Clarice Beckett (1887-1935) (Path Through the Ti-Trees)
Est: $30,000 - $50,000
Clarice Beckett (1887-1935) (Path Through the Ti-Trees) oil on board 40.0 x 35.0cm (15 3/4 x 13 3/4in). For further information on this lot please visit the Bonhams website
Bonhams
Jul. 27, 2022
CLARICE BECKETT, BEACH SCENE, C.1932 – 33
Est: $80,000 - $120,000
CLARICE BECKETT (1887 - 1935) BEACH SCENE, c.1932 – 33 oil on canvas 35.0 x 45.0 cm signed lower left: C. Beckett PROVENANCE Private collection, Melbourne Christie’s, Melbourne, 9 April 1991, lot 177 Joseph Brown Gallery, Melbourne, acquired from the above The Cbus Collection of Australian Art, Melbourne, acquired from the above on 22 April 1991 EXHIBITED The Bus Collection of Australian Art, Wollongong City Gallery, New South Wales, 16 March – 12 April 1992, cat. 54 A Century of Australian Art, Gosford Regional Gallery, New South Wales, 14 April – 28 July 2000 A New World, Latrobe Regional Gallery, Victoria, 1 May – 30 August 2009 Figurative Works from the Cbus Collection, Latrobe Regional Gallery, Victoria, 4 August – 2 December 2012 The Ordinary Instant, Bayside Arts & Cultural Centre, Melbourne, 22 July – 11 September 2016 Clarice Beckett: The Present Moment, Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, 27 February – 23 May 2021 on long term loan to Wollongong City Gallery, New South Wales (label attached verso) LITERATURE Lock, T., Clarice Beckett: The Present Moment, Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, 2021, pp. 149 (illus.), 195 (illus.) Nainby, B., Stanhope, Z., and Furlonger, K., The Cbus Collection of Australian Art, in association with Latrobe Regional Gallery, Melbourne, 2009, pp. 18, 57 (illus.), 238 ESSAY In Beach scene, c.1932 – 33, Clarice Beckett gives us a perfect and familiar scene of Melbourne bayside leisure as played out in the shallows of Port Phillip Bay. These mostly calm waters provide a languid experience for swimmers, and for children who find their own teasures as they investigate the waters and nearby rock pools. Beckett lived nearby and was an avid bather, taking a dip every morning before returning to the necessary domestic duties that were now, in the early 1930s, making major intrusions on her ability to find time for painting. Beckett was at the forefront of Australian modernism in these years, in spite being almost forgotten in the decades after her death; thankfully, the forensic research done since the early 1970s by gallerist-historian Rosalind Hollinrake has seen this neglect overturned. Beckett’s art was based on rigorous training at the National Gallery School and followed by nine months with the ‘Tonalist’ painter Max Meldrum. There is a softness inherent in paintings which adhere to Meldrum’s theories as the emphasis is placed on tone and proportion, underscored by a rejection of preliminary sketching and hard lines. Beckett’s genius was to take these ideas further and the comprehensive exhibition Clarice Beckett: The present moment held at the Art Gallery of South Australia in 2021 opened many people’s eyes to her achievement in this regard. Beckett’s bayside paintings such as Beach scene possess an intimate modesty where no single figure appears to be posing or even inferring anything greater than a personal absorption in their own private activities. It is Beckett’s paint application, composition and technique that she wished to be at the forefront, as much as the subject itself; she sought to ‘give a sincere and truthful representation of a portion of the beauty of Nature, and to show the charm of light and shade.’1 Beckett’s paintings are evocative, poetic ruminations on the world around her, and companion works to Beach scene include Sandringham beach, c.1933, and Yachts in the Bay, c.1933 (both in the collection of the National Gallery of Australia); and Beach scene, 1932, The red sunshade, 1932, and Bathing boxes, Brighton, 1933 (all in the collection of the Art Gallery of South Australia). 1. Beckett, (catalogue entry), Twenty Melbourne painters: 6th annual exhibition, Atheneum Gallery, Melbourne, 1924 ANDREW GAYNOR
Deutscher and Hackett
Jun. 29, 2022
CLARICE BECKETT (1887-1935), Beaumaris Foreshore
Est: $30,000 - $40,000
CLARICE BECKETT (1887-1935) Beaumaris Foreshore oil on board 37.0 x 29.0 cm
Menzies
Jun. 28, 2022
CLARICE BECKETT (1887-1935) Beaumaris Seascape c.1928 oil on board
Est: $35,000 - $45,000
CLARICE BECKETT (1887-1935) Beaumaris Seascape c.1928 oil on board 18 x 22cm PROVENANCE: The Collection of Brian Mangan, Victoria cat. no. 270 The Collection of Rosalind Hollinrake, Victoria c.1980s Private collection, Victoria, acquired from the above OTHER NOTES: Before adopting Tonalism, Beckett graduated from the National Gallery School, studying under L. Bernard Hall and Frederick McCubbin in 1916. After leaving the school, she continued her studies with Max Meldrum, becoming involved with A.M.E. Bale, Colin Colahan, Percy Leason and Alma Figuerola. Unlike many of her other female counterparts who travelled abroad to further her studies in Europe, she chose to remain in Melbourne, unmarried and her parents' primary caregiver. In 1919 Beckett's family moved to Beaumaris where she lived and worked without a studio. (1) Despite not having a physical studio, Beckett made the outdoors her space with the opportune moments she had, painting en plein air. While prioritising her home duties, Beckett's painting time was limited to the early hours of the morning and evenings. This work, Beaumaris Seascape c.1928 captures Beckett's extraordinary skill with light and texture. Drawing out the warm tones from the Beaumaris coast-line, Beckett effortlessly creates a complex pallete of creamy yellows, pale greens and crisp blues. This particular aspect invites the viewer to look through the scene while catching wisps of colour and movement, suggesting a warm breezy day. The little time Beckett had to paint was cherished and did not arrest her development as an artist. Honing pace and consistency, Clarice managed a large output of works over a small period of time, exhibiting regularly with the Society of Twenty Melbourne Painters and the Melbourne Society of Women Painters and Sculptors. Clarice Beckett was perhaps the most important yet underappreciated woman artist during the 1920s and 1930s in Australia. Capturing Melbourne's landscape and its most atmospheric nuances, Beckett's works appear effortless, bringing a sincere and truthful representation of nature before her. Only since her rediscovery in the 1970s by Rosalind Hollinrake has she now been formally recognised and celebrated as one of the most important female artists and Tonalist innovators to capture Melbourne at a time of growth, making her an invaluable part of Australian art history. Lucy Foster | Art Specialist (1) Burke, J., Australian Women Artists 1840-1940, Greenhouse Publications, Melbourne, 1980, p. 160
Leonard Joel