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Lin Onus Sold at Auction Prices

Painter, Sculptor

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        • LIN ONUS (1948-1996), Yorta Yorta language group, Gumbirri Garginingi 1996sold
          Aug. 30, 2023

          LIN ONUS (1948-1996), Yorta Yorta language group, Gumbirri Garginingi 1996

          Est: AUD4,000 - AUD6,000

          LIN ONUS (1948-1996) Yorta Yorta language group Gumbirri Garginingi 1996 screenprint 50.0 x 75.0 cm (image) edition: 27/85 signed and dated lower right: Lin Onus '96 numbered lower left: 27/85 titled lower centre: Gumbirri Garginingi

          Menzies
        • LIN ONUS (1948-1996) (Language group: Yorta Yorta) Wapurrar Guyi (Motionless Fish) 1995 gouache on illustration board 27 x 62.5cmsold
          Aug. 28, 2023

          LIN ONUS (1948-1996) (Language group: Yorta Yorta) Wapurrar Guyi (Motionless Fish) 1995 gouache on illustration board 27 x 62.5cm

          Est: AUD12,000 - AUD16,000

          LIN ONUS (1948-1996) (Language group: Yorta Yorta) Wapurrar Guyi (Motionless Fish) 1995 gouache on illustration board signed lower right: Lin Onus 27 x 62.5cm PROVENANCE: Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne 1995 (label verso) Private collection, Melbourne Leonard Joel, Aboriginal Art & Artefacts, Melbourne, 25 October 2012, lot 13 Private collection, Melbourne OTHER NOTES: © Lin Onus/Copyright Agency, 2023

          Leonard Joel
        • Lin Onus - Gumbirri Garqini, ed. 28/85, 1996sold
          Jun. 20, 2023

          Lin Onus - Gumbirri Garqini, ed. 28/85, 1996

          Est: AUD4,000 - AUD6,000

          Through his practice as an artist and advocate, Lin Onus played a pivotal role in the emergence of urban Aboriginal art. A Yorta Yorta man from Cumeraganga on the Murray River, he grew up in Melbourne, strongly influenced by the work of realist painters like Albert Namatjira. He began his own career as a watercolorist and photo-realist. Onus's work evolved after his 'adoption' by Arnhem Land elders in the mid-1980s, which conferred upon him the right to use certain traditional stories and designs. This enabled him to develop a distinctive visual language. Through a fusion of Western and Aboriginal systems of organising space, vision, and design, he sought to portray landscape as a carrier of myth, history, and ideology. “As an indigenous person, Lin could not just paint any animal he wanted. After meeting and chatting with the owner of the rights to the turtle totem, Lin was granted permission and part of the exchange included two pairs of blue-jeans.” “When it came to printing the last colour, the blue wash, I was not entirely happy with the colour nor the transparency of the ink. I tried to reach Lin many times to check the tests but he was not available. In the end I had to print the whole edition in its current state. The next day Lin came to sign the edition and he preferred the colour in the experimental edition too. I took the two experiments as my Printers Proofs…Here is one from the limited edition.” Shaike Snir, print publisher.

          Cooee Art
        • Lin Onus - Pitoa Garkman, ed. 36/85, 1994sold
          Jun. 20, 2023

          Lin Onus - Pitoa Garkman, ed. 36/85, 1994

          Est: AUD4,000 - AUD6,000

          Through his practice as an artist and advocate, Lin Onus played a pivotal role in the emergence of urban Aboriginal art. A Yorta Yorta man from Cumeraganga on the Murray River, he grew up in Melbourne, strongly influenced by the work of realist painters like Albert Namatjira. He began his own career as a watercolorist and photo-realist. Onus's work evolved after his 'adoption' by Arnhem Land elders in the mid-1980s, which conferred upon him the right to use certain traditional stories and designs. This enabled him to develop a distinctive visual language. Through a fusion of Western and Aboriginal systems of organising space, vision, and design, he sought to portray landscape as a carrier of myth, history, and ideology. The title of this work means 'frogs' in the Djinang language of Central Arnhem Land. Here, frogs, painted with traditional body markings, sit with their heads popping above the surface of the water in a still pond surrounded by gum trees. The work conveys the message that beyond the immediately apparent lies the Dreaming reality, accessible only if one is open to its presence.

          Cooee Art
        • Lin Onus - Gumiring Garkman, ed. 81/85, 1994sold
          Jun. 20, 2023

          Lin Onus - Gumiring Garkman, ed. 81/85, 1994

          Est: AUD4,000 - AUD6,000

          Lin Onus played a pivotal role in the emergence of urban Indigenous art through his practice as an artist and advocate. A Yorta Yorta man from Cumeraganga on the Murray River, he grew up in urban Melbourne strongly influenced by the work of realist painters including Albert Namatjira and began his own career as a watercolorist and photorealist. Onus's work evolved after his 'adoption' by Arnhem Land Elders in the mid 1980s conferred upon him the right to use certain traditional stories and designs. This enabled him to develop a distinctive visual language. Through a fusion of Western and Aboriginal systems of organising space, vision, and design he sought to portray landscape as a carrier of myth, history, and ideology. In this, and other works on a similar theme, Onus depicted the Dreaming reality encoded in the landscape. Here frogs, painted with traditional body markings, sit with their heads popping above the surface of the water in a still pond surrounded by gum trees. The work conveys the message that beyond the immediately apparent lies the Dreaming reality, accessible if one is open to its presence.

          Cooee Art
        • Lin Onus - Koi at Sankei-en, ed. 74/99, 1989sold
          Jun. 20, 2023

          Lin Onus - Koi at Sankei-en, ed. 74/99, 1989

          Est: AUD4,000 - AUD6,000

          The attitude and work of Lin Onus stemmed heavily from his background. He was the son of an Indigenous father and a Scottish mother and in his endeavour to discover his own identity, he mixed the indigenous and Western styles in his own unique way. Lin was born in 1948 in Melbourne, his father being of the Yorta Yorta people from the Barmah Forest country. Lin used images from this area when he took up painting and sculpture in 1974. He created paintings which were not only essentially Australian but showed what it is like to be an Aboriginal Australian living in a city. He helped to raise the profile of indigenous art, including being one of the leaders of the urban Aboriginal Art Movement. Importantly, his work is appreciated for his technical skill as much as the mix of styles. His strong socio-political views combined with great expertise resulted in art that is political, provocative and distinct. Lin Onus’ early works displayed anger at Indigenous social injustice, but he later employed whimsy to paint a less strident picture. Perhaps he learned the power of humour from his father, Bill. The story goes that in the early 50s Bill Onus was asked, in his role as President of the Australian Aborigines League, to provide a suitable token Indigenous name for a new Melbourne community festival. Lin loved to recall how Bill suggested “Moomba” to the gullible city fathers, saying it meant “let's get together and have fun”.

          Cooee Art
        • LIN ONUS 1948-1996 Evening Reflections synthetic polymer paint on paper on boardsold
          May. 02, 2023

          LIN ONUS 1948-1996 Evening Reflections synthetic polymer paint on paper on board

          Est: AUD30,000 - AUD40,000

          LIN ONUS 1948-1996 Evening Reflections synthetic polymer paint on paper on board signed 'Lin Onus' lower right 50 x 40 cm PROVENANCE Lin Onus, Melbourne Private Collection Major Fine Art Auction, Deutscher-Menzies, Melbourne, 28 August 2002, lot 164, illustrated Adam Galleries, Melbourne (label verso) Private Collection, Melbourne, acquired from the above on 11 September 2002

          Smith & Singer
        • LIN ONUS, GUMBIRRI GARGININGI 1996, SCREENPRINT ED. 28/85, 49.5 X 74CM, FRAME SIZE: 80 X 103CM PROVENANCE: THE NATIONAL AUSTRALIA...sold
          Jan. 19, 2023

          LIN ONUS, GUMBIRRI GARGININGI 1996, SCREENPRINT ED. 28/85, 49.5 X 74CM, FRAME SIZE: 80 X 103CM PROVENANCE: THE NATIONAL AUSTRALIA...

          Est: AUD3,000 - AUD4,000

          LIN ONUS, GUMBIRRI GARGININGI 1996, SCREENPRINT ED. 28/85, 49.5 X 74CM, FRAME SIZE: 80 X 103CM PROVENANCE: THE NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK ART COLLECTION

          Leonard Joel
        • LIN ONUS, GUMBIRRI GARGININGI 1996, SCREENPRINT, ED. 9/85, 49.5 X 74CM, FRAME SIZE: 80 X 103CM PROVENANCE: THE NATIONAL AUSTRALIA...sold
          Jan. 19, 2023

          LIN ONUS, GUMBIRRI GARGININGI 1996, SCREENPRINT, ED. 9/85, 49.5 X 74CM, FRAME SIZE: 80 X 103CM PROVENANCE: THE NATIONAL AUSTRALIA...

          Est: AUD3,000 - AUD4,000

          LIN ONUS, GUMBIRRI GARGININGI 1996, SCREENPRINT, ED. 9/85, 49.5 X 74CM, FRAME SIZE: 80 X 103CM PROVENANCE: THE NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK ART COLLECTION

          Leonard Joel
        • LIN ONUS, GUMBIRRI GARGININGI 1996, SCREENPRINT ED. 17/85, 50 X 75CM, FRAME SIZE: 80 X 103CM PROVENANCE: THE NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BA...sold
          Jan. 19, 2023

          LIN ONUS, GUMBIRRI GARGININGI 1996, SCREENPRINT ED. 17/85, 50 X 75CM, FRAME SIZE: 80 X 103CM PROVENANCE: THE NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BA...

          Est: AUD3,000 - AUD4,000

          LIN ONUS, GUMBIRRI GARGININGI 1996, SCREENPRINT ED. 17/85, 50 X 75CM, FRAME SIZE: 80 X 103CM PROVENANCE: THE NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK ART COLLECTION

          Leonard Joel
        • ONUS Lin (1948-1996), 'Goonyah Na Bilda,' 1994., S/Print A/P, 50x75cmsold
          Dec. 04, 2022

          ONUS Lin (1948-1996), 'Goonyah Na Bilda,' 1994., S/Print A/P, 50x75cm

          Est: AUD2,000 - AUD4,000

          ONUS, Lin (1948-1996) 'Goonyah Na Bilda,' 1994. S/Print A/P 50x75cm

          Davidson Auctions
        • LIN ONUS, SPEARGRASS, 1993sold
          Dec. 01, 2022

          LIN ONUS, SPEARGRASS, 1993

          Est: AUD25,000 - AUD35,000

          LIN ONUS (1948 - 1996) SPEARGRASS, 1993 gouache on illustration board 49.0 x 37.0 cm signed lower right: Lin Onus PROVENANCE Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne  S&P Global, Melbourne, acquired from the above c.1995 Read more about Important Works by Lin Onus from The Collection of S&P Global, Australia here: https://www.deutscherandhackett.com/important-works-lin-onus-collection-sp-global-australia

          Deutscher and Hackett
        • LIN ONUS, NGAKAYDJIL (LIZARDS), C.1993sold
          Dec. 01, 2022

          LIN ONUS, NGAKAYDJIL (LIZARDS), C.1993

          Est: AUD35,000 - AUD45,000

          LIN ONUS (1948 - 1996) NGAKAYDJIL (LIZARDS), c.1993 gouache on illustration board 49.0 x 37.0 cm signed lower left: Lin Onus PROVENANCE Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne  S&P Global, Melbourne, acquired from the above c.1995 Read more about Important Works by Lin Onus from The Collection of S&P Global, Australia here: https://www.deutscherandhackett.com/important-works-lin-onus-collection-sp-global-australia

          Deutscher and Hackett
        • LIN ONUS, BIRRAKALA (BUTTERFLIES) AT NIGHT, 1993sold
          Dec. 01, 2022

          LIN ONUS, BIRRAKALA (BUTTERFLIES) AT NIGHT, 1993

          Est: AUD35,000 - AUD45,000

          LIN ONUS (1948 - 1996) BIRRAKALA (BUTTERFLIES) AT NIGHT, 1993 gouache on illustration board 49.0 x 37.0 cm signed lower right: Lin Onus PROVENANCE Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne  S&P Global, Melbourne, acquired from the above c.1995 Read more about Important Works by Lin Onus from The Collection of S&P Global, Australia here: https://www.deutscherandhackett.com/important-works-lin-onus-collection-sp-global-australia

          Deutscher and Hackett
        • LIN ONUS, BUTTERFLIES, 1993sold
          Dec. 01, 2022

          LIN ONUS, BUTTERFLIES, 1993

          Est: AUD35,000 - AUD45,000

          LIN ONUS (1948 - 1996) BUTTERFLIES, 1993 gouache on illustration board 49.0 x 37.0 cm signed lower left: Lin Onus PROVENANCE Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne  S&P Global, Melbourne, acquired from the above c.1995 Read more about Important Works by Lin Onus from The Collection of S&P Global, Australia here: https://www.deutscherandhackett.com/important-works-lin-onus-collection-sp-global-australia

          Deutscher and Hackett
        • LIN ONUS, MALWAN POND – DAWN, 1994sold
          Dec. 01, 2022

          LIN ONUS, MALWAN POND – DAWN, 1994

          Est: AUD180,000 - AUD250,000

          LIN ONUS (1948 - 1996) MALWAN POND – DAWN, 1994 synthetic polymer paint on canvas 91.5 x 122.0 cm bears inscription on label verso: Lin Onus / "Malwan Pond - Dawn" 1994 PROVENANCE Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne (label attached to stretcher bar verso) S&P Global, Melbourne ESSAY In 1986, while visiting Maningrida in Arnhem Land in his role as the Victorian representative for the Aboriginal Arts Board, Lin Onus first met Yolngu elder and respected painter Jack Wunuwun. It was a meeting that would deeply influence the younger artist and forever alter his life and artistic direction. Onus visited Wunuwun at Garmedi, in the artist’s homelands in Central Arnhem land, where Wunuwun adopted Onus into the Murrungun-Djinang clan – the first of what would become annual visits to the outstation, journeys that Onus would call his ‘spiritual pilgrimages.’1 Wunuwun was known for pioneering the rendering of three dimensions and perspective in bark painting by drawing on influences from European art and, in his role as mentor to the younger artist, Wunuwun was able to offer Onus a cultural haven by welcoming him into the Yolngu kinship system. This relationship revealed Aboriginal traditional knowledge to Onus, which enhanced his own Yorta Yorta experience of the world. Through Wunuwun, Onus was given an Aboriginal language he could access, together with creation stories that he was permitted to paint, acquiring a knowledge of symbols, patterns and designs from the community elders. These learnt designs became intrinsic to Onus’ art for the rest of his life where the resulting personal style juxtaposed the  rarrk clan patterns with a western photorealist style of landscape, integrating Indigenous spirituality and narrative with Western representation.   Onus’ watery landscapes embrace what Wunuwun described as ‘seing below the surface’2 and function on a number of levels. Rich in reflections and ambiguities these enigmatic views clearly dispensed with the conventional idea of a European panoramic view. A landscape apparently hangs upside down from the sky. Reflected in the still water, the rising dawn sun shines golden on the serpentine tree branches and illuminates the detritus below, while a school of rarrk-covered fish swim both under the water and seemingly through the sky and the branches of the trees. As Margot Neale elaborates, these paintings are ‘deceptively picturesque, for things are not always what they seem. Laden with cross-cultural references, visual deceits, totemic relationships and a sense of displacement, they, amongst other things, challenge one's viewing position: Are you looking up through water towards the sky, down into a waterhole from above, across the surface only or all three positions simultaneously?’3 Onus’ use of a rarrk overlay can be seen as a process of ‘indigenising the other, of claiming ownership of the land and creatures, and of subverting the primacy of Western systems of representation.4 1. Onus cited in Neale, M.,  Urban Dingo: The Art of Lin Onus 1948 – 1996, Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane, 2000, p. 15 2. Neale, M. et al, Lin Onus: A Cultural Mechanic, Savill Galleries, Melbourne (exhibition catalogue), 2003, p.1. 3. Ibid. 4. Neale, op. cit., 2000, p. 16 CRISPIN GUTTERIDGE Read more about Important Works by Lin Onus from The Collection of S&P Global, Australia here: https://www.deutscherandhackett.com/important-works-lin-onus-collection-sp-global-australia

          Deutscher and Hackett
        • LIN ONUS (1948-1996), Yorta Yorta language group, Ngalkanydji and Flowers 1993sold
          Nov. 23, 2022

          LIN ONUS (1948-1996), Yorta Yorta language group, Ngalkanydji and Flowers 1993

          Est: AUD40,000 - AUD60,000

          LIN ONUS (1948-1996) Yorta Yorta language group Ngalkanydji and Flowers 1993 synthetic polymer paint on illustration board 49.5 x 37.5 cm signed lower right: Lin Onus MAGMA Galleries, Melbourne, label attached verso

          Menzies
        • LIN ONUS (1948-1996), Yorta Yorta language group, The Joy of Fish - In Waiting 1994sold
          Nov. 23, 2022

          LIN ONUS (1948-1996), Yorta Yorta language group, The Joy of Fish - In Waiting 1994

          Est: AUD350,000 - AUD450,000

          LIN ONUS (1948-1996) Yorta Yorta language group The Joy of Fish - In Waiting 1994 synthetic polymer paint on canvas 181.0 x 183.0 cm signed lower right: Lin Onus bears inscription verso: O51/ SO14

          Menzies
        • LIN ONUS 1948-1996 Ten Little Niggers (1992) synthetic polymer paint on canvassold
          Nov. 16, 2022

          LIN ONUS 1948-1996 Ten Little Niggers (1992) synthetic polymer paint on canvas

          Est: AUD400,000 - AUD600,000

          LIN ONUS 1948-1996 Ten Little Niggers (1992) synthetic polymer paint on canvas signed 'Lin Onus' lower right 182.5 x 244 cm PROVENANCE Lin Onus, Victoria Gallery Gabriella Pizzi, Melbourne The Kelton Collection, United States of America, acquired from the above in 1992 Private Collection, Switzerland, acquired from the above in 2020

          Smith & Singer
        • LIN ONUS (1948-1996) From the Adventures of X and Ray 2000 (The Ongoing Adventures of X and Ray) archival pigment print, ed. 23/99sold
          Nov. 16, 2022

          LIN ONUS (1948-1996) From the Adventures of X and Ray 2000 (The Ongoing Adventures of X and Ray) archival pigment print, ed. 23/99

          Est: AUD1,500 - AUD2,000

          LIN ONUS (1948-1996) From the Adventures of X and Ray 2000 (The Ongoing Adventures of X and Ray) archival pigment print, ed. 23/99 signed and dated lower right: Lin Onus (Onus/Eather) / 2000 signed in plate lower left editioned lower right titled lower centre 27 x 21cm PROVENANCE: Fireworks Gallery, Queensland Private collection, Queensland EXHIBITIONS: RELATED: Urban Dingo: The Art of Lin Onus (Burrinja) 1948-1996 A retrospective exhibition of Melbourne-based artist Lin Onus, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, Sydney, 11 August – 29 October 2000

          Leonard Joel
        • LIN ONUS (1948-1996) X and Ray in the Garden of Earthly Delights 2001 (From the Ongoing Adventures of X and Ray) archival pigment pr...sold
          Nov. 16, 2022

          LIN ONUS (1948-1996) X and Ray in the Garden of Earthly Delights 2001 (From the Ongoing Adventures of X and Ray) archival pigment pr...

          Est: AUD1,500 - AUD2,000

          LIN ONUS (1948-1996) X and Ray in the Garden of Earthly Delights 2001 (From the Ongoing Adventures of X and Ray) archival pigment print, ed. 3/99 signed and dated lower right: 2001/ Onus/Eather signed in plate lower left editioned lower right titled lower centre 24 x 18cm PROVENANCE: Museums Victoria, Melbourne Private collection, Melbourne EXHIBITIONS: RELATED: Urban Dingo: The Art of Lin Onus (Burrinja) 1948-1996 A retrospective exhibition of Melbourne-based artist Lin Onus, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, Sydney, 11 August – 29 October 2000

          Leonard Joel
        • LIN ONUS (1948-1996) Michael and I Are Just Slipping Down to the Pub For a Minute 2000 (The Ongoing Adventures of X and Ray) archiva...sold
          Nov. 16, 2022

          LIN ONUS (1948-1996) Michael and I Are Just Slipping Down to the Pub For a Minute 2000 (The Ongoing Adventures of X and Ray) archiva...

          Est: AUD1,500 - AUD2,000

          LIN ONUS (1948-1996) Michael and I Are Just Slipping Down to the Pub For a Minute 2000 (The Ongoing Adventures of X and Ray) archival pigment print, ed. 59/99 signed and dated lower right: Lin Onus (Onus/Eather) 2000 signed in plate lower left editioned lower right titled lower centre 27 x 21cm PROVENANCE: Fireworks Gallery, Queensland Private collection, Queensland EXHIBITIONS: RELATED: Urban Dingo: The Art of Lin Onus (Burrinja) 1948-1996 A retrospective exhibition of Melbourne-based artist Lin Onus, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, Sydney, 11 August – 29 October 2000 LITERATURE: Neale. M., Urban Dingo: The Art and Life of Lin Onus 1949-1996, Craftsman House 2000, illustrated front cover (another impression) "This image was part of the series of works entitled 'Ongoing adventures of X and Ray'. This was begun in 1992 and like all good myths, has continued its adventures after Onus's death under the custodianship of his collaborator Michael Eather, and into the next generation with Onus's son Tiriki. In this scenario the two totemic animals perform social, moral, and political roles as they travel the places where Lin has been, or inhabit fictionalised landscapes. This work was inspired by a residency in Yokohama in 1989. This seminal work reveals both a kinship between these two travellers and the importance of the narrative and humour. Ray (the female Stingray) becomes a kind of surfboard for X (the male dingo), and they are seen riding the crest of one of art history's greatest waves, taken from the eighteenth century Japanese woodcut by Hokusai." (pp.19, 20)

          Leonard Joel
        • LIN ONUS and TIRIKI ONUS (1948-1996); born 1980, Yorta Yorta language group, Djalng Baltjigi Nguki Djinigma (Wish You Were Here)sold
          Oct. 12, 2022

          LIN ONUS and TIRIKI ONUS (1948-1996); born 1980, Yorta Yorta language group, Djalng Baltjigi Nguki Djinigma (Wish You Were Here)

          Est: AUD2,000 - AUD3,000

          LIN ONUS and TIRIKI ONUS (1948-1996); born 1980 Yorta Yorta language group Djalng Baltjigi Nguki Djinigma (Wish You Were Here) screenprint 50.0 x 70.0 cm (sheet) edition: Artist's Proof (edition of 70) signed lower right: Onus. numbered lower left: A/P titled lower centre: Djalng Baltjigi Nguki Djinigma artist's estate blindstamp lower right

          Menzies
        • Lin Onus - Gumbirri Gargining, 1996sold
          Oct. 11, 2022

          Lin Onus - Gumbirri Gargining, 1996

          Est: AUD3,500 - AUD5,500

          Through his practice as an artist and advocate, Lin Onus played a pivotal role in the emergence of urban Aboriginal art. A Yorta Yorta man from Cumeraganga on the Murray River, he grew up in Melbourne, strongly influenced by the work of realist painters like Albert Namatjira. He began his own career as a watercolorist and photo-realist. Onus's work evolved after his 'adoption' by Arnhem Land elders in the mid-1980s, which conferred upon him the right to use certain traditional stories and designs. This enabled him to develop a distinctive visual language. Through a fusion of Western and Aboriginal systems of organising space, vision, and design, he sought to portray landscape as a carrier of myth, history, and ideology. “As an indigenous person, Lin could not just paint any animal he wanted. After meeting and chatting with the owner of the rights to the turtle totem, Lin was granted permission and part of the exchange included two pairs of blue-jeans.” “When it came to printing the last colour, the blue wash, I was not entirely happy with the colour nor the transparency of the ink. I tried to reach Lin many times to check the tests but he was not available. In the end I had to print the whole edition in its current state. The next day Lin came to sign the edition and he preferred the colour in the experimental edition too. I took the two experiments as my Printers Proofs…Here is one from the limited edition.” Shaike Snir, Printer

          Cooee Art
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