5 ii

return to index

The Life and Work of Godfrey Clive Miller, 1893 - 1964

PhD thesis by Ann Wookey

Appendix 5. Catalogue: works by and attributed to Godfrey Clive Miller (continued; link to notes)

__________________________________________________

Part A. Paintings on canvas, board or cardboard (go to Part A, nos 1-164)

__________________________________________________

Late mature

165.Blue landscape, nd (**ca 1948-55) [plate 88]
artwork details
oil on canvas, 67.3 x 100.6 cm
signed lr ‘Godfrey Miller’, not dated
estate id: ap
collection
unkn
provenance
Colonel Aubrey Gibson, Melbourne, 1956-69, acquired from the artist
offered Charles Nodrum Gallery, Melbourne, 1988-89
offered David Jones’ Art Gallery, Sydney, 1989-92
exhibited
? Twelve Australian Artists, toured to New Burlington Galleries, London, 24 July - 22 August 1953, then Bath, Bradford, Derby, Bristol, and Belfast into 1954, with the Arts Council of Great Britain, sponsored by the Australian Commonwealth Government, selected by the directors of the State Galleries of Australia, cat no 56 [as Blue landscape, Hazelbrook, not dated; likely because of similarity of title and measurements with as given in Henshaw, Godfrey Miller [1965], op cit and The Aubrey Gibson Collection below - however, the picture is a seascape: see comment]
The Aubrey Gibson Collection, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, 28 July - 17 September 1969, cat no 60 [as 261/2 x 395/8 ins, dated 1952-55]
reproduced
Ronald Millar, ‘The art collectors 2: Colonel Aubrey Gibson’, Art and Australia, vol 2, no 3, December 1964, p 171 [col]
Henshaw, Godfrey Miller [1965], op cit, pl 12 [as 26 x 40 ins, dated 1952-55; b&w]
The Aubrey Gibson Collection, exhibition catalogue, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, 1969, pl 60, p 71 [b&w]
comment
corres: in April 1964, Miller proposed the work for inclusion in a retrospective exhibition planned for mid-1964 at the Dominion Gallery, Sydney [not held]; whether the picture can be associated with the Hazelbrook series is questionable since a beach scene is seen - Hazelbrook is in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales, below Karoomba in the Western Highway, with no lakes in the near vicinity; whether related to Hazelbrook II mentioned in notebooks [NAG, not dated], as a work embodying transparency and non-transparency, is possible given the title of the painting exhibited in London in 1953
perhaps one of the [unidentified] paintings / watercolours done at Red Beach, New Zealand - one New Zealand Red Beach is on the North Island, near Whangarei and the Bay of Islands, another on Stewart Island, way to the south; the picture may retain its original frame added by Miller; Forest sketch [100] perhaps related

________________________

166.Blue unity, nd (**ca 1948-55)
artwork details
oil, pen and ink on canvas, 69.8 x 88.2 cm
signed lr in pen and ink ‘Godfrey Miller’, not dated
estate id: noJH
collection
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, acc no 69.53 [dated 1954-55]
provenance
loaned by the artist ca 1955 to the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney
on loan from the artist ca 1964 to Mr and Mrs H G Kaplan, Sydney
Mr and Mrs H G Kaplan, Sydney, 1965-ca 1969
loaned by Mr H G Kaplan, 1967, to the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney
offered Artarmon Galleries, Sydney, 1969
acquired National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, from Artarmon Galleries
exhibited
Godfrey Miller Retrospective Exhibition [Alan McCulloch, intro], National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, 10 June - 17 July 1959, cat no 3 [not dated]
Macquarie Galleries Adelaide Exhibition, Royal South Australian Society of Arts, Adelaide, 30 August - 10 September 1960, cat no 51 [no details, not dated, nfs]
Godfrey Miller Memorial Exhibition [John Henshaw], Darlinghurst Galleries, Sydney, 16 February - 27 March 1965, cat no 27 [not dated]
Recent Australian Art, toured to Papua New Guinea, December 1971 [National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, 1971], cat no 19 [as oil on canvas, 1954-57, 273/8 x 343/4 ins]
reproduced
Henshaw, Godfrey Miller [1965], op cit, pl 5 [as 273/8 x 343/4 ins, dated 1954-57; col]
Art and Australia, vol 14, no 3, January - April 1977, p 341 [b&w]
referenced
? ‘Recent gallery prices’, Art and Australia, vol 7, no 1, June 1969, p 23 [as Unity in blue, oil, 27 x 35 ins (68.2 x 88.3 cm), $12,000, Artarmon Galleries; despite difference in title, probable since measurements close and Unity in blue was held by then by the AGNSW]
reviewed
W.T. [Wallace Thornton], ‘Splendid Memorial to Godfrey Miller’, exhibition review, The Sydney Morning Herald, Sydney, 17 February 1965, p 13
comment
the picture may retain its original frame added by Miller; Forest sketch [100] is inscribed verso as related, but this is not obvious; Untitled (Forest series) [60] related in composition and treatment of trees [to a degree] but not otherwise, also much cruder; Untitled (Landscape / Forest series) [plate 38] [53] may be a study; related in composition and style to Unity in blue [plate 80] [152]

________________________

167.Figure in red at evening, nd (**ca 1948-55) [plate 89]
artwork details
oil on canvas, 62 x 100 cm
signed lr ‘Godfrey Miller’, not dated
estate id: ap
collection / provenance
Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, acc no 0.1603, purchased through the d’Auvergne Boxall Bequest from Macquarie Galleries exhibition at the Royal South Australian Society of Arts [1955-88; as Figure in red, 1955]
exhibited
exhibition mounted by Macquarie Galleries, Sydney at the Royal South Australian Society of Arts, 1955
? 1955 - Melbourne [see comment - perhaps the 1955 Macquarie Galleries in Adelaide exhibition and Miller mistaken over where ptgs going, or ptg already acquired by AGSA, and therefore did not go on to Melbourne]
Australian Contemporary Painting (Interstate Gallery Purchases), travelling exhibition to all State galleries, 1956 - 57, cat no 20 [as Figure in red, not dated]
Godfrey Miller Retrospective Exhibition [Alan McCulloch, intro], National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, 10 June - 17 July 1959, cat no 22 [as Figure in red, not dated]
Australian Painting: Colonial, Impressionist, Contemporary, Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide Festival of Arts, Adelaide, March 1962, cat no 153 [as Figure in red, not dated]
Australian Painting: Colonial, Impressionist, Contemporary, toured Perth, The Tate Gallery, London, 1962, National Gallery of Canada, Ottowa, and Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver, Canada, 1963, cat no 145 [as Figure in red, not dated]
cancelled for retrospective exhibition, Dominion Art Galleries, Sydney, 21 July 1964 [because of Miller’s death in May, 3 week loan recorded on AGSA files]
The Body Beautiful, Naracoorte Art Gallery, Naracoorte, SA, mid-December 1977, cat no unkn
reproduced
Elizabeth Young, ‘Two Australian contemporary painters’, Bulletin of the National Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, vol 17, no 4, serial no 64, April 1956 [as Figure in red, not dated; unkn]
Thomas, Modern Australian Painting & Sculpture: a Survey of Australian Art from 1950 to 1960 [1960], op cit, p 18 [as Figure in red, not dated; col]
Turnbull, Young and Thomas, Australian Painting: Colonial, Impressionist, Contemporary [1962], op cit, cat no 145 [col]
Clive Turnbull, Elizabeth Young and Daniel Thomas, Antipodean Vision: Australian Painting, Colonial, Impressionist, Contemporary, Cheshires, Melbourne, 1962, p 65 [as Figure in red, not dated; col]
Donald J Finley, Modern Australian Painting, Beaverbook Newspapers, London, 1963, opp pl 11 [b&w]
Henshaw, Godfrey Miller [1965], op cit, pl 8 [as Figure in red, 24 x 39 ins, 1952-55; col]
Keavney [1966], op cit, p 11 [as Figure in red, not dated; col]
Picture Book: Selected Works from the collection of the Art Gallery of South Australia, Art Gallery Board of South Australia, Adelaide, 1972 [b&w]
Kim Bonython, Modern Australian Painting 1950-1975, Rigby, Adelaide, 1980, p 28 [as Figure in red, 1952-55; col]
photograph, National Archives of Australia [b&w]
reviewed
Alan McCulloch, ‘Spirit of enterprise at Gallery’, exhibition review, The Herald, Melbourne, Wednesday 17 June 1959, p 20
referenced
James Gleeson, Masterpieces of Australian Painting, Lansdowne, Melbourne, 1969, p 124
working drawings
Henshaw, Godfrey Miller [1965], op cit, opp pl 8
comment
corres: Miller mentioned to two correspondents in May 1955 that the work was to be shown in Melbourne [perhaps confused either with its showing by the Macquarie Galleries in Adelaide in 1955 [see above], or the work did not come on to Melbourne, having been acquired by the AGSA]; to one of these correspondents, he called the work “Figure in red at evening” and to the other he noted that he had called it “Figure in red” and that ‘It has shades of red various; Evening; reclining: orange: flower. I started a new one today (10 years work)’; recorded in June 1958 as a painting about “light”; later, in April 1964, Miller proposed the work for inclusion in a retrospective exhibition planned for mid-1964 at the Dominion Gallery, Sydney [not held]; colour related to Trees in moonlight [168]

________________________

168.Trees in moonlight, nd (**ca 1948-59)
artwork details
oil on canvas on wood, 63 x 86 cm
signed lr ‘G M’, not dated
estate id: ap
collection
Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane, acc no 1:0834 [1960-88; dated ca 1959]
provenance
loaned by the artist to Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane, for over a year prior to exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria in 1959
acquired Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane, from the artist, gift of the Godfrey Rivers Trust
exhibited
Godfrey Miller, Macquarie Galleries, Sydney, 7 - 19 July 1957, cat no 7 [not dated]
Godfrey Miller Retrospective Exhibition [Alan McCulloch, intro], National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, 10 June - 17 July 1959, cat no 8 [not dated]
Godfrey Miller Memorial Exhibition [John Henshaw], Darlinghurst Galleries, Sydney, 16 February - 27 March 1965, cat no 36 [not dated]
Stanthorpe, March 1970
Pittsworth, October 1970
reproduced
Henshaw, Godfrey Miller [1965], op cit, pl 7 [as 25 x 34 ins, dated 1956-59; col]
Queensland Art Gallery: Selected Works, Queensland Art Gallery, South Brisbane, 1982, p 87 [as oil on canvas mounted on board; col]
colour prints [161/2 x 221/2 ins] and greeting cards [33/4 x 51/4 ins] for counter sales, Queensland Art Gallery, South Brisbane, nd
reviewed
Our Art Critic [Paul Haefliger or Wallace Thornton], ‘Exhibition of Paintings by Godfrey Miller’, exhibition review, The Sydney Morning Herald, Sydney, 7 August 1957, p 2
James Cook Art Review, exhibition review, Daily Telegraph, Sydney, 7 August 1957, p 11
James Gleeson, ‘Art of Godfrey Miller’, exhibition review, The Sun, Sydney, 7 August 1957
W.T. [Wallace Thornton], ‘Splendid Memorial to Godfrey Miller’, exhibition review, The Sydney Morning Herald, Sydney, 17 February 1965, p 13
comment
corres: sale negotiated [following its loan for some period to the gallery, and subsequent inclusion in the NGV retrospective] between June 1959 and October 1960; information on where painted [the Domain, Sydney], and when [before the trees removed for the carpark] given in August 1959 and June 1961, and on its subject [“moonlight”] in June 1961; instructions to leave picture in its ribbon framing appear in an undated letter and in one from June 1961 [seems to have been reframed]; colour relates to Figure in red at evening [plate 89] [167]

________________________

169.Still life with lute, nd (**ca 1949-56) [plate 90]
artwork details
oil on canvas, 64.5 x 82.5 cm
signed lr ‘Godfrey Miller’, not dated
estate id: ap
collection / provenance
Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, acc no 9286, acquired from the exhibition Australian Artists of Note [by Director, Hal Missingham; 1956-2010; dated 1954-56]
exhibited
? The Arts Festival of the Olympic Games, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, 18 November - 15 December 1956, cat no 92 [as The lute, not dated; inclusion in this exhibition queried - see exhibition entry, Appendix 4]
Australian Artists of Note, David Jones’ Gallery, Sydney, 21 November - 5 December 1956, cat no 31 [not dated]
Purchases and Acquisitions for 1956, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 1957, no details
Contemporary Australian Painters [Laurie Thomas, intro], touring exhibition through Canada, 1957 - 58, cat no 41 [not dated]
Australian Painting: Colonial, Impressionist, Contemporary [Clive Turnbull, Elizabeth Young and Daniel Thomas], Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, Adelaide Festival of Arts, March 1962, cat no 154 [not dated]
Australian Painting: Colonial, Impressionist, Contemporary [Clive Turnbull, Elizabeth Young and Daniel Thomas], toured Perth, The Tate Gallery, London, 1962, National Gallery of Canada, Ottowa, and Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver, Canada, 1963, cat no 146 [not dated]
reproduced
Missingham, ‘Recent Australian painting’, [1957], op cit, p 41 [col]
Contemporary Australian Painters [Laurie Thomas, intro], toured through Canada, Australia, National Galleries of Australia, 1957 - 58, pl 3 [not dated; b&w]
Keavney [1966], op cit, p 11 [not dated; col]
Picturebook, Trustees of the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 1972, p 121 [col]
postcard, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney [dated 1954-56; col]
reviewed
Our Art Critic [Paul Haefliger], ‘New exhibition by Surrealist Gleeson . . . Australian Artists of Note’, exhibition review, The Sydney Morning Herald, Sydney, 21 November 1956, p 2
Our Art Critic, ‘National Art Gallery’s acquisitions for 1956’, news item [unidentified cutting on Mitchell Library, Sydney, ML MSS 2719]
comment
corres: the inspiration behind this theme appears in an undated letter [ca late 1956] to an unkn correspondent at the AGNSW; the gist of Miller’s remarks there is that the picture represented the past, the present and the future, and how oppositions needed to be accommodated to a single viewpoint, to quote:
I would suggest a still life is not something before us. It is behind us, to left of us to right, up above under and in us; it is then, it was, it will be. Same principles - so the Chinese teach. Once I saw a remark about London and Valdivostock [sic]. I thought it seemed right. In another way it seemed wrong. And it remained, under examination right and on the other hand, wrong. I liked the thinking. So I took a brush and painted an object (fruit) one way. And I painted another piece on the canvas another way. Then because of other elements I put in other objects. And I have just sold you the painting i.e. “Still life with lute”.
A further undated letter [also ca late 1956] talked of:
This wonderful spiritual Sunrise with its beautiful evolving and unfolding Forms - its immaterial colour . . . Incidently the painting I did “Still Life with Lute” was a direct painting from a similar, much earlier occurance.
The “spiritual sunrise” mentioned appears to relate to the British being ordered out of Egypt, with the Suez Canal affair given as the reason behind Miller’s wish that his work be omitted, in protest, from the Contemporary Australian Painting, Pacific Loan Exhibition in late 1956 [Building and trees [154] was exhibited]
Miller’s own framing may be present; thematically related to Still life with lute [157], Still life with musical instrument [plate 98] [184] and Still life with lute [194]; in composition and colour closest to Still life with lute [157]

________________________

170.Untitled (Trees and mountain series), nd (**ca 1949-56)
artwork details
gouache, watercolour, pen and ink on canvas, 45.8 x 63.6 cm
not signed, not dated
estate id: JH60
collection / provenance
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, acc no 70.93

________________________

171.Two trees and mountain, nd (**ca 1950-60)
artwork details
oil, 46.1 x 63.1 cm
signed lr ‘Godfrey Miller’, not dated
estate id: JHnk
collection / provenance
Mr and Mrs Justin W Dart, United States [1965]
exhibited
Godfrey Miller, Macquarie Galleries, Sydney, 7 - 19 July 1957, cat no 4 [not dated]
Godfrey Miller Retrospective Exhibition [Alan McCulloch, intro], National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, 10 June - 17 July 1959, cat no 9 [not dated]
Godfrey Miller Memorial Exhibition [John Henshaw], Darlinghurst Galleries, Sydney, 16 February - 27 March 1965, cat no 6 [not dated]
reproduced
advertisement, Art and Australia [December 1964], op cit, p 161 [Darlinghurst Galleries, Sydney; unkn]
Henshaw, Godfrey Miller [1965], op cit, pl 37 [as 181/4 x 25 ins, dated 1957-62; col]
christmas card, printed by Legend Press, Sydney [col]
working drawings
Henshaw, Godfrey Miller [1965], op cit, opposite pl 37
comment
corres: thoughts of calling it “Deux arbes et montaigne” appear in mid-1957
a more mature version of The red mountain (Trees and mountain series) [97], which relates in composition and colour

________________________

172.Trees in a quarry, nd (**ca 1950-56)
artwork details
oil on canvas, 45 x 61.3 cm
signed lr ‘Godfrey Miller’, not dated
estate id: JHnk
collection
privately, Tasmania [1965-88]
provenance
Artarmon Galleries, Sydney
acquired private collection, Tasmania, from Artarmon Galleries
exhibited
? Godfrey Miller, Macquarie Galleries, Sydney, 7 - 19 July 1957, cat no 6 [as Trees in quarry, not dated; could have been Joseph Brown collection or Mertz collection versions]
? Godfrey Miller Retrospective Exhibition [Alan McCulloch, intro], National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, 10 June - 17 July 1959, cat no 14 [as Trees in quarry, not dated; could have been Joseph Brown collection or Mertz collection versions]
? Godfrey Miller Memorial Exhibition [John Henshaw], Darlinghurst Galleries, Sydney, 16 February - 27 March 1965, cat no 11 [as Trees in quarry, not dated; perhaps since measurements similar to as given by Henshaw, Godfrey Miller [1965], op cit, pl 41, although so are those of Trees in a quarry, Mertz collection on loan to the National Gallery of Australia and also acquired in 1965]
? Special Exhibitions at the National Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide Festival of Arts 1966, Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, 1966, cat no 58 [no details, not dated; could have been Joseph Brown collection or Mertz collection versions]
reproduced
Henshaw, Godfrey Miller [1965], op cit, pl 41 [as 173/4 x 247/8 ins, dated 1963-64; b&w]
reviewed
if right painting:
James Cook Art Review, exhibition review, Daily Telegraph, Sydney, 7 August 1957, p 11
W.T. [Wallace Thornton], ‘Splendid Memorial to Godfrey Miller’, exhibition review, The Sydney Morning Herald, Sydney, 17 February 1965, p 13

________________________

173.Trees in a quarry, nd (**ca 1950-56)
artwork details
oil, pen and ink on canvas, 45.6 x 61.3 cm
signed lr ‘Godfrey Miller’ in pen and ink, not dated
estate id: noJH
collection / provenance
Mertz Collection of Australian Art, Archer M Huntington Art Gallery, University of Texas, Austin, Texas [1965-88; dated 1952-56], on loan to the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra [1988]
exhibited
? Godfrey Miller, Macquarie Galleries, Sydney, 7 - 19 July 1957, cat no 6 [as Trees in quarry, not dated; could have been Joseph Brown collection or Tasmanian private collection versions]
? Godfrey Miller Retrospective Exhibition [Alan McCulloch, intro], National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, 10 June - 17 July 1959, cat no 14 [as Trees in quarry, not dated; could have been Joseph Brown collection or Tasmanian private collection versions]
? Godfrey Miller Memorial Exhibition [John Henshaw], Darlinghurst Galleries, Sydney, 16 February - 27 March 1965, cat no 11 [as Trees in quarry, not dated; perhaps since measurements similar, although so are those given for Trees in a quarry, 1963-64, by Henshaw, Godfrey Miller [1965], op cit, pl 41]
The Mertz collection of Contemporary Australian Painting, Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, Adelaide Festival of Arts, 1966, cat no 58; included also in Special Exhibitions at the National Gallery of South Australia 1966, Adelaide Festival of Arts, Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, cat no 58 [as Trees in quarry, not dated, no details]
The Australian Painters, 1964-1966: Contemporary Australian Painting from the Mertz Collection, The Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 10 March - 16 April 1967, cat no 72 [as Trees in quarry, 18 x 24 ins, 1952-56]
reproduced
Henshaw, Godfrey Miller [1965], op cit, pl 18 [as 177/8 x 24 ins, 1952-56; col]
Ross K Luck, The Australian Painters, 1964-1966: Contemporary Australian Painting from the Mertz Collection, exhibition catalogue, The Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 1967, p 65 [col]
Gleeson, Masterpieces of Australian Painting [1969], op cit, p 125 [dated 1952-56; col]
reviewed
If right painting:
James Cook Art Review, exhibition review, Daily Telegraph, Sydney, 7 August 1957, p 11
W.T. [Wallace Thornton], ‘Splendid Memorial to Godfrey Miller’, exhibition review, The Sydney Morning Herald, Sydney, 17 February 1965, p 13

working drawings

Henshaw, Godfrey Miller [1965], op cit, opp pl 18
comment
subject recorded [at NGA] as Bombo Metal Quarry, Kiama, New South Wales

________________________

174.Figure group, nd (1950-58) [plate 92]
artwork details
oil on canvas, 66 x 99.7 cm
not signed, not dated
verso inscribed on MS label on stretcher in ink in artist’s hand ‘FIGURE GROUP’, typescript label on stretcher ‘FIGURE GROUP/Godfrey Miller/Lent by the artist’, in ink on stretcher ‘34JH’ and ‘D18’
estate id: JH34
collection
Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, acc no OA26.1964 [dated 1950-58]
provenance
Artlovers Gallery, Sydney
acquired by the Trustees, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, through the Florence Turner Blake Bequest Fund from Artlovers Gallery
exhibited
Godfrey Miller, Macquarie Galleries, Sydney, 7 - 19 July 1957, cat no 2 [not dated]
Godfrey Miller Retrospective Exhibition [Alan McCulloch, intro], National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, 10 June - 17 July 1959, cat no 21 [not dated]
Current Paintings by Godfrey Miller, Cell Block, East Sydney Technical School, Darlinghurst, 22 - 25 October 1962 [no cat; 9 paintings]
Godfrey Miller Memorial Exhibition [John Henshaw], Darlinghurst Galleries, Sydney, 16 February - 27 March 1965, cat no 17 [not dated]
Aspects: Aspects of Australian Art [Robert Lindsay], travelling exhibition, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 1976, cat no 61 [dated 1950-58]
reproduced
Henshaw, Godfrey Miller [1965], op cit, pl 6 [dated 1950-58; col]
Art Gallery of New South Wales Quarterly, vol 6, no 3, April 1965 [b&w]
Lindsay, Aspects: Aspects of Australian Art [1976], op cit, pl 61 [col]
photograph, Miller Papers IV, op cit [not dated; b&w]
reviewed
Our Art Critic [Paul Haefliger or Wallace Thornton], ‘Exhibition of Paintings by Godfrey Miller’, exhibition review, The Sydney Morning Herald, Sydney, 7 August 1957, p 2
James Gleeson, ‘Art of Godfrey Miller’, exhibition review, The Sun, Sydney, 7 August 1957
Arnold Shore, ‘Earned honour for painter’, exhibition review, The Age, Melbourne, Wednesday 17 June 1959, p 2
referenced
Acquisitions 1964, Board of Trustees of the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, nd, pp 17, 18 [dated 1950-58]
Dundas [1975], op cit, p 5 [as Figure composition, not dated]
Lindsay, Aspects: Aspects of Australian Art [1976], op cit, cat no 61
comment
noted in Acquisitions 1964 that the work may have been begun in 1951-52 as working drawings have been found verso of student drawings from the National Art School, Sydney, some of which are dated 1951 and 1952; also that the painting ‘has been altered after each of the exhibitions in which it was seen during the artist’s lifetime and cannot be considered finished’
figure cr similar to one figure in Figure composition (Figure composition series) [plate 42] [62]; Miller’s own framing may be present; related works include Figure group [plate 63] [104], Triptych with figures [plate 75] [140], Composition with figures (Bathing group) [147] and Hawkesbury River landscape [148]

________________________

175.Red earth forest, nd (**ca 1952-60)
artwork details
oil, 61.9 x 101 cm
not signed, not dated
estate id: ap
collection
F E Mendel, Canada [1963-65]
provenance
loaned by the artist to Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, November 1963
acquired F E Mendel, Canada, from the artist through Dr Max Miller
exhibited
? Easter 1955, Macquarie Galleries, Sydney, 30 March - 18 April 1955, cat no 28 [not dated; this may have been the version that was destroyed while loaned for the Olympic Games Exhibition, Melbourne, 1956]
? Australian Galleries, Melbourne, 8 - 12 July 1963
reproduced
Henshaw, Godfrey Miller [1965], op cit, pl 3 [as 241/2 x 40 ins, dated 1957-61; b&w]
reviewed
if right painting:
James Cook, ‘Variety of effort in art shows’, exhibition review, Daily Telegraph, Sydney, 30 March 1955, p 21 [extremes of styles in show, eg, ‘Drysdale’s sensitive “Head of a Girl” compared with ‘Godfrey Miller’s static, disciplined abstract “Red Earth Forest”’]
Our Art Critic [Paul Haefliger], ‘Easter in Macquarie Galleries’, exhibition review, The Sydney Morning Herald, Sydney, 30 March 1955, p 2 [‘positively jubilant, exulting in only 20 colour dots to the square inch, where formerly there were 50. But if the colours dance, the architecture is more severe than ever’]
comment
corres: a version of this painting was loaned to the Australian Galleries, Melbourne, in June 1963 for exhibition in July; a later letter [November 1963] suggests that it was this work; given as sold in October 1963 to Mendel, its theme:
The motif of the work is the centre lands of Australia where there are in feature of landscape (dry river beds, valleys) heaped up banks of red earth: and also there is a tree population of tall straight tree trunks, of light colour. It is characterised by a bright often fierce sunlight
Miller visited Central Australia a number of times, first it seems around October 1940, then in 1954, and perhaps in 1955, 1960 and 1963, and other visits are possible; in November 1963 the picture was noted as on loan to the Art Gallery of New South Wales

________________________

176.Madonna (IV), nd (**ca 1952-64) [plate 93]
artwork details
oil and ink on canvas on board, 27 x 20.7 cm [sight, framed]
signed lr ‘G’ [illegible], dated lr ‘2.11’ [illegible]
other inscriptions - estate number and “D27”
estate id: JHnk
collection
University of Western Australia, Perth [dated 1957-59]
provenance
James O Fairfax, Sydney, 1965 [or earlier]
offered Christie, Manson & Woods (Australia) Limited, 1975
acquired [purchaser unkn] at auction
Lister Galleries, Perth, 1977
acquired University of Western Australia, Perth, from Lister Galleries
exhibited
Godfrey Miller Memorial Exhibition [John Henshaw], Darlinghurst Galleries, Sydney, 16 February - 27 March 1965, cat no 24 [as Madonna No 4, not dated]
Christie, Manson & Woods (Australia) Limited, October 1975, cat no 436 [as Madonna, No 4, 1959-63, ink and oil on canvas on board, 28.2 x 22.4 cm]
reproduced
Art and Australia, vol 3, no 3, December 1965, p 180 [as Madonna No 4, 1959-63, 14” x 10” [incorrect], collection James O. Fairfax, Sydney; b&w]
auction catalogue, Christie, Manson & Woods (Australia) Limited, Sydney, 1975 [unkn]
reviewed
John Ogburn, ‘Godfrey Miller, - ARTIST’, exhibition review, The Sun, Sydney, 16 February 1965, p 23
referenced
Craig, Australian Art Auction Records, 1975-78 [1978], op cit, p 203
comment
related to Madonna with orb [plate 85] [156] although a more mature treatment

________________________

177.The tomb, nd (**ca 1952-61) [plate 95]
artwork details
oil, 66 x 96.5 cm
signed lr ‘Godfrey Miller’, not dated
estate id: JH185
collection
unkn
provenance
Landau Family, Sydney, 1988
Loaned by the Landau Family to Macquarie University Library, 1988
offered Sotheby’s Australia Pty Ltd, Melbourne, 1989
acquired [purchaser unkn] 1989, at auction
exhibited
Fine Australian Paintings, Sotheby’s Australia Pty Ltd, Melbourne, 14 August 1989, cat no 391 [dated 1957-61]
reproduced
Henshaw, Godfrey Miller [1965], op cit, pl 27 [as 26 x 28 ins, dated 1957-61; b&w]
Fine Australian Paintings, auction catalogue, Sotheby’s Australia Pty Ltd, Sydney, 1989, cat no 391 [col]
comment
the terms ‘entombment’ and ‘darkness’ appeared in Miller’s letters at about the time of his falling out with the Anthroposophical Society in Sydney in the mid-1950s, his phrasing ‘Light to darkness. There is now Entombment and Darkness’ [Miller Papers II, op cit, vol 1, sequence no 1]; while there is no surety of The tomb having been painted at that time [other than as suggested by its maturity of style], the subject, colours and mood reflected can be appreciated as matching Miller’s angst then with the society; on that interpretation the painting lies outside the orthodox tradition in Western religious art; the picture’s colouring is rather similar to Trees in moonlight II [197]

________________________

178.Nude and the moon, nd (**ca 1954-64)
artwork details
oil, pen and black and brown ink, pencil on canvas, 63 x 103 cm
not signed, not dated
verso certificate of authenticity signed by Lewis Miller, John Henshaw and John Kaplan, inscribed ‘D33’, and label inscribed ‘W.M.Magair, Nude and the Moon No 63 Godfrey Miller’
estate id: noJH
collection
privately, Melbourne [1988]
provenance
Mr and Mrs Robert D Lavigne, 1965
? W M Magair
private collection, Melbourne
reproduced
Henshaw, Godfrey Miller [1965], op cit, pl 32 [as 26 x 41 ins, dated 1963-64; b&w]
comment
related works include Nude and the moon [plate 96] [179], Landscape (Nude and the moon series) [plate 97] [180], Untitled (Nude and the moon series) [181], Untitled (Nude and the moon series) [182] and Nude and the moon [185]

________________________

179.Nude and the moon, nd (**ca 1954-59) [plate 96]
artwork details
oil on cotton duck, 61.6 x 104.2 cm
signed lr ‘Godfrey Miller’, not dated
estate id: ap
collection
Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, acc no OA25.1959, gift of the Art Gallery Society of New South Wales [1959-2010; dated 1954-58]
provenance
loaned by the artist to the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, August 1957 - April 1958
completed 1959
acquired Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, from the artist
exhibited
Godfrey Miller, Macquarie Galleries, Sydney, 7 - 19 July 1957, cat no 1 [not dated]
Godfrey Miller Retrospective Exhibition [Alan McCulloch, intro], National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, 10 June - 17 July 1959, cat no 19 [not dated]
Godfrey Miller, Darlinghurst, Cell Block Theatre, East Sydney Technical School, ca December 1959 [no cat, details unkn]
Recent Australian Painting 1961, Whitechapel Art Gallery, London, June - July 1961, cat no 64 [dated 1957-59]
The Heroic Years of Australian Painting 1940-1965, travelling exhibition from Lower Town Hall, Melbourne, 2 - 20 April 1977, to Victorian regional galleries, 29 April 1977 - 4 August 1978, cat no 39 [not dated]
Two Hundred Years of Australian Painting: Nature, People and Art in the Southern Continent, toured to National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo, and National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto, 28 April - 6 September 1992, cat no 95
reproduced
Purchases and Acquisitions for 1959, Board of Trustees of the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, nd [not dated; b&w]
Bryan Robertson, Recent Australian Painting 1961, Whitechapel Art Gallery, London, 1961, pl XXII [b&w]
Thomas, Modern Australian Painting & Sculpture: a Survey of Australian Art from 1950 to 1960 [1960], op cit, p 20 [as in the possession of the artist, not dated; col]
James Gleeson, ‘Painting in Australia since 1945’, Art and Australia, vol 1, no 1, May 1963, p 12 [unkn]
Henshaw, Godfrey Miller [1965], op cit, pl 33 [as 241/4 x 41 ins, dated 1954-58; col]
Brook, ‘Cosmos revealed’ [1966], op cit, p 11 [b&w]
Gleeson, Masterpieces of Australian Painting [1969], op cit, p 125 [dated 1954-59; col]
Laurie Thomas, ed, 200 Years of Australian Painting, Sydney, Bay Books, [col]
Millar [1974], op cit [dated 1954-58; col]
Dundas [July 1975], op cit, p 8 [not dated; unkn]
Ernest Smith [1976-77], op cit [dated 1954-58; unkn]
The Heroic Years of Australian Painting 1940-1965 [Allan McCulloch, org], travelling exhibition catalogue, The Herald, in conjunction with the Victorian Government [Ministry of Arts], Melbourne, 1977, p 32 [col]
colour print, 50.5 x 88.4 cm [35 x 20 ins], Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 1980
McCulloch, Encyclopedia of Australian Art [1984], op cit, vol 2, pl 14 [dated 1954-58; col]
Martin Terry, Masterpieces of Australian Painting, Bay Books, Sydney, ca 1984, p 109 [col]
Judith Laurence, ‘The Nude and the moon’, Look, Art Gallery Society of New South Wales Newsletter, Sydney, September 1989, p 22 [dated 1954-58; col]
Laura Murray, Great Australian Paintings, Child & Associates, Sydney, 1989, p 53 [col]
Barry Pearce and Haruo Arikawa, Two Hundred Years of Australian Painting: Nature, People and Art in the Southern Continent, exhibition catalogue, Nihon Keizai Shimbun, Inc, Japan, 1992, p 152 [col]
reviewed
James Gleeson, ‘Art of Godfrey Miller’, exhibition review, The Sun, Sydney, 7 August 1957
Alan McCulloch, ‘Spirit of enterprise at Gallery’, exhibition review, The Herald, Melbourne, Wednesday 17 June 1959, p 20
referenced
James Gleeson, ‘Book brings coming of age’, book review, The Sun Herald, Sydney, 31 July 1966, p 92
Dundas [1975], op cit, pp 8, 10
Dutton [1986], op cit, p 180 [not dated, as offered to National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, in 1959]
comment
corres: talked of working on the painting in January 1956; the painting’s withdrawal from the Olympic Games exhibition in Melbourne in 1956 [and the substitution of Red earth forest [133] and its subsequent destruction] is noted on a number of occasions; thoughts of calling it “La nu et la lune” appear in mid-1957; in February 1959, noted that its name is problematic for the subject was not:
. . . so much nude. In fact that could come out of it. The character of the flower had I got onto it earlier (so it would mould other things) and kept it more placed might have given the name.
in another letter from February 1959, he noted that the work had had various states, both regressive and advanced; other “Figures” begun mentioned in August 1959, while a “Nude with the moon” was noted in July 1959 as submitted to the Trustees of the National Gallery of Victoria; letters relating to the work’s acquisition by the Art Gallery of New South Wales dated December 1959 to February 1960; permission to reproduce given to Laurie Thomas in June / July 1959
Leonard French’s opinion on seeing it in 1959 was that it was the ‘most complete work’ exhibited, that the arabesque of the figure was set in a ‘classic structure’ and that a ‘slow rhythm and a sense of Oriental balance [was] completely realised’; Dundas identifies this work as the final version of the paintings in this series; also, that its background incorporates ‘some of the eastern flank’ of the valley running up Rushcutter’s Bay which Miller overlooked from his house at 89 Sutherland Street, Paddington [into which he had moved by June 1954]; Miller’s own framing surrounds the image; related works include Nude and the moon [178], Landscape (Nude and the moon series) [plate 97] [180], Untitled (Nude and the moon series) [181], Untitled (Nude and the moon series) [182] and Nude and the moon [185]

________________________

180.Landscape (Nude and the moon series), nd (**ca 1954-64) [plate 97]
artwork details
pencil, pen and blue ink with black washes, touches of white and yellow, 67.5 x 100 cm
not signed, not dated
verso certificate of authenticity from Darlinghurst Galleries, Sydney, inscribed ‘JH11 Nude and the moon series (1963-64)’
estate id: JH11
collection
Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth, acc no 974/D6 [1974-88; not dated]
provenance
? offered Christie, Manson & Woods (Australia) Limited, Sydney, 1973
? acquired [purchaser unkn] at auction
Mr Darcy Ryan and Ventnor Gallery, West Perth
acquired Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth, from Mr Darcy Ryan and Ventnor Gallery
exhibited
? Australian Historical & Contemporary Paintings, Drawings & Sculpture, also European Paintings & Sculpture, Christie, Manson & Woods (Australia) Limited, Sydney, 3 October 1973, cat no 479 [as Nude and moon series, ink and oil on canvas, 265/8 x 391/2 ins (67 x 100.3 cm), certificate of authenticity verso; could have been Nude and the moon [195]]
referenced
? Christie’s Australian Art Sales Index, 1969-1974 [nd], op cit, p 81
? Craig, Australian Art Auction Records 1973-75 [1975], op cit
comment
related works include Nude and the moon [178], Nude and the moon [plate 96] [179], Untitled (Nude and the moon series) [181], Untitled (Nude and the moon series) [182] and Nude and the moon [185]

________________________

181.Untitled (Nude and the moon series), nd (**ca 1954-59)
artwork details
oil, 61.8 x 106.1 cm
signed lr ‘Godfrey Miller’, not dated
estate id: JHnk
collection / provenance
Mrs Richard C Crebbin, Sydney [1965]
exhibited
? Godfrey Miller Memorial Exhibition [John Henshaw], Darlinghurst Galleries, Sydney, 16 February - 27 March 1965, cat no 30 [as Nude, not dated; perhaps since measurements close, but more likely because of difference in titles to have been Nude and the moon [185]]
reproduced
Henshaw, Godfrey Miller [1965], op cit, pl 15 [as 241/2 x 42 ins, dated 1961-64; b&w]
comment
related works include Nude and the moon [178], Nude and the moon [plate 96] [179], Landscape (Nude and the moon series) [plate 97] [180], Untitled (Nude and the moon series) [182] and Nude and the moon [185]

________________________

182.Untitled (Nude and the moon series), nd (**ca 1954-59)
artwork details
oil on canvas, 62.5 x 106.1 cm
signed lr ‘Godfrey Miller’, not dated
verso certificate of authenticity
estate id: JHnk
collection
unkn
provenance
offered Joseph Brown Gallery, Melbourne, 1976
exhibited
? Godfrey Miller Memorial Exhibition [John Henshaw], Darlinghurst Galleries, Sydney, 16 February - 27 March 1965, cat no 15 [as Nude moon series, not dated; probably since measurements as given in Henshaw, Godfrey Miller [1965], op cit, but perhaps Nude and the moon [185]]
Winter Exhibition 1976: Recent Acquisitions, Joseph Brown Gallery, Melbourne, 1976, cat no 72
reproduced
Henshaw, Godfrey Miller [1965], op cit, pl 17 [as 243/4 x 42 ins, dated 1961-64; b&w]
Winter Exhibition 1976: Recent Acquisitions, exhibition catalogue, Joseph Brown Gallery, Melbourne, 1976, cat no 72 [b&w]
comment
related works include Nude and the moon [178], Nude and the moon [plate 96] [179], Landscape (Nude and the moon series) [plate 97] [180], Untitled (Nude and the moon series) [181] and Nude and the moon [185]

________________________

183.Trees and rain (Landscape in rain), nd (**ca 1954-59)
artwork details
oil on canvas, 44 x 61.6 cm
signed lr ‘Godfrey Miller’, not dated
estate id: JHnk
collection
J G L Collection, Melbourne [1984]
provenance
Mr and Mrs Robert D Lavigne, 1965
J G L Collection, Melbourne
exhibited
? William Dobell Exhibition and Four Pictures by Godfrey Miller (1893-1964), Bendigo Art Gallery, Bendigo, Vic, November 1964, cat no 38 [as Landscape in rain, no other detail; probable since exhibited in the 1965 Godfrey Miller Memorial Exhibition, cat no 9]
Godfrey Miller Memorial Exhibition [John Henshaw], Darlinghurst Galleries, Sydney, 16 February - 27 March 1965, cat no 9 [as Landscape in rain, not dated]
The Great Decades of Australian Art: Selected Masterpieces from the J.G.L. Collection, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, 1984 [dated 1961-63]
reproduced
Henshaw, Godfrey Miller [1965], op cit, pl 71 [as Landscape in rain, 171/8 x 241/8 ins, dated 1958-60; b&w]
McCaughey, The Great Decades of Australian Art: Selected Masterpieces from the J.G.L. collection [1984], op cit, p 52 [col]

________________________

184.Still life with musical instrument, nd (**ca 1954-59) [plate 98]
artwork details
pen and ink and oil on canvas, 65.5 x 83 cm
signed lr in black ink ‘Godfrey Miller’, not dated
verso inscribed ‘Still life with musical instrument G M’
estate id: ap
collection / provenance
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, acc no 1263-5, acquired from the artist through the Felton Bequest [1963-2010; not dated]
exhibited
Godfrey Miller Retrospective Exhibition [Alan McCulloch, intro], National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, 10 June - 17 July 1959, cat no 1 [not dated]
Easter Collection, Macquarie Galleries, Sydney, 6 - 25 April 1960, uncat [no details; noted as ‘for exhibition only before going to Melbourne’ - for viewing by National Gallery of Victoria Trustees]
? Barry Stern Christmas Exhibition, Barry Stern Gallery, Sydney, December 1962, no details
Australian Galleries, Melbourne, 8 - 12 July 1963 [as Still life with musical instrument 3, not dated]
Felton Bequest 1963, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, 23 October - 1 December 1963, no cat no
Landfall: the Captain James Cook Bi-centenary Exhibition of Australian Art, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, 7 April - 30 June 1970, cat entry ca 1960a [as Still life with musical instrument, ca 1960, oil on canvas on board, 65.1 x 82.3]
The Brian Finemore Memorial Exhibition, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, 5 May - 10 July 1977, cat no unkn
reproduced
Brian Finemore, ‘The Australian Collection: some recent accessions of contemporary paintings’, Annual Bulletin, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, vol VI, 1964, p 24, pl 19 [not dated; b&w]
Ursula Hoff and Margaret Plant, National Gallery of Victoria: Painting Drawing Sculpture, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, 1968, p 178 [as oil on canvas, dated between 1950-60; col]
Ann Galbally, Landfall: the Captain James Cook Bi-centenary Exhibition of Australian Art, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, 1970, cat entry ca 1960a [col]
Hughes [1970], op cit, pl 84 [dated 1962; b&w]
Brian Finemore, Freedom from Prejudice, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, 1977, p 96, pl 65 [not dated; b&w]
Mary McQueen, ‘Godfrey Miller: Still life with musical instrument’, Art and Australia, vol 25, no 1, 1987, p 83 [as on canvas on board, dated 1963; col]
reviewed
Arnold Shore, ‘Earned honour for painter’, exhibition review, The Age, Melbourne, 17 June 1959, p 2
if right painting:
Our Art Critic [Wallace Thornton], ‘Rewarding Easter Art Exhibition’, exhibition review, The Sydney Morning Herald, Sydney, 6 April 1960, p 2
W.T. [Wallace Thornton], ‘Barry Stern Galleries’, exhibition review, The Sydney Morning Herald, Sydney, 12 December 1962, p 9
James Gleeson, ‘Godfrey Miller - perfectionist’, exhibition review, The Sun Herald, Sydney, 23 December 1962, p 35
referenced
Hughes [1970], op cit, p 211
Finemore, Freedom from Prejudice [1977], op cit, pp 96, 97
Dutton [1986], op cit, p 180 [not dated]
McQueen [1987], op cit, pp 82, 83
comment
corres: negotiation concerning its sale to the National Gallery of Victoria date between July 1959 and April 1963 [Miller agreed to sell, and then withheld his offer on two occasions]; in February 1960 its colour was described as ‘largely blue black and green’ [along with “Andante” and “Still Life”, in contrast to “Summer” which was described as yellow, red, pink]; in December 1962 the inspiration for the work was given as Indian [philosophy], and later described as:
An illustration [of] how the things such as nations can live in the Whole and have their full life, and not destroy the Whole. Only that is not European. I have to have direct aid from great India to accomplish it.
instructions on its framing were sent to the Gallery ca April 1963; a request from Miller for its loan for “exhibition” overseas was refused in August 1963 on the grounds that it was not yet presented to the Gallery by the Felton Bequest [at the time, John Brackenreg and Daryl Lindsay were selecting Australian paintings to go to the National Art Gallery, Wellington, New Zealand, for possible purchase by them - Miller was asked to contribute]; In April 1964 Miller proposed the work for inclusion in a retrospective exhibition planned for mid-1964 at the Dominion Gallery, Sydney [not held]; NGV records indicate its acquisition by the Felton Bequest in July 1963; Miller loaned Still life with musical instrument 3, understood to be one and the same, to the Australian Galleries, Melbourne, in June 1963 for exhibition early in July; thematically related to Still life with lute [157], Still life with lute [plate 90] [169] and Still life with lute [194], with the latter the closest in composition and colour

________________________

185.Nude and the moon, nd (**ca 1956-59)
artwork details
pen and ink and oil on canvas, 61.6 x 106.1 cm
not signed, not dated
estate id: JHnk
collection
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, acc no A14-1971 [1971-2010; dated 1962-64]
provenance
Mrs Douglas Carnegie, 1965-66
offered Christie, Manson & Woods (Australia) Limited, Sydney, 1971
acquired [purchaser unkn] 1971 at auction
acquired National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, through funds donated by Mr Roderick Carnegie
exhibited
Godfrey Miller Memorial Exhibition [John Henshaw], Darlinghurst Galleries, Sydney, 16 February - 27 March 1965, cat no 15 [as Nude moon series, not dated; measurements close - an alternative for this cat no is Untitled (Nude and the moon series) [182]] or cat no 30 [as Nude, not dated; measurements close but unlikely because of difference in titles - an alternative for this cat no is Untitled (Nude and the moon series) [181]]
Paintings from the collection of Mr and Mrs Douglas Carnegie, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, 27 October - 30 November 1966, cat no 54 [dated 1962-64]
Australian Paintings, Christie, Manson & Woods (Australia) Limited, Sydney, 5, 6 October 1971 [no 6], cat no 282 [as Nude and the moon, 1962-64, 233/4 x 42 ins (60.9 x 107.7 cm), exhib Sydney, Darlinghurst Galleries, 1965, lit Art and Australia, vol 4, no 1, June 1966, p 40]
reproduced
Henshaw, Godfrey Miller [1965], op cit, pl 16 [as 241/8 x 413/4 ins, dated 1962-64; b&w]
‘Exhibition commentary’, Art and Australia, vol 3, no 1, June 1965, p 60 [b&w]
Michael Shannon, ‘The art collectors 4: Margaret Carnegie’, Art and Australia, vol 4, no 1, June 1966, pp 33-44, ill p 40 [col]
Millar [1974], op cit [not dated; b&w]
referenced
auction results, Art and Australia, vol 9, no 3, December 1971
Millar [1974], op cit, pp 36-39
Christie’s Australian Art Sales Index, 1969-1974 [nd], op cit, p 81
comment
related works include Nude and the moon [178], Nude and the moon [plate 96] [179], Landscape (Nude and the moon series) [plate 97] [180], Untitled (Nude and the moon series) [181] and Untitled (Nude and the moon series) [182]

________________________

186.Crucifixion, nd (**ca 1956-59)
artwork details
oil, 36 x 51.8 cm
signed lr ‘Godfrey Miller’, inscribed ur ‘JH’ [illegible], not dated
estate id: JH149
collection / provenance
John Henshaw, Sydney [1965]
exhibited
Godfrey Miller Memorial Exhibition [John Henshaw], Darlinghurst Galleries, Sydney, 16 February - 27 March 1965, cat no 28 [not dated]
Godfrey Miller [John Henshaw], Leveson Street Gallery, Melbourne, 12 - 23 September 1965, cat no 49 [not dated]
reproduced
Henshaw, Godfrey Miller [1965], op cit, pl 28 [as 141/4 x 201/2 ins, dated 1961-64; b&w]
McCulloch, Encyclopedia of Australian Art [1968], op cit, p 644 [b&w]
reviewed
John Ogburn, ‘Godfrey Miller, - ARTIST’, exhibition review, The Sun, Sydney, 16 February 1965, p 23
working drawings
Henshaw, Godfrey Miller [1965], op cit, above pl 28
comment
corres: subject the same as Still life with green curtain (Still life) [123], ie, ‘one-world concept’ or ‘East and West together’; two versions mentioned to Alan McCulloch, Shoreham, in March 1959; compositionally and stylistically related to Crucifixion [plate 99] [187], but less finished

________________________

187.Crucifixion, nd (**ca 1956-59) [plate 99]
artwork details
oil and pen and ink on canvas, 45.5 x 61 cm
verso signed and dated [see * note below]
estate id: JHnk
collection
The Robert Holmes à Court Collection, Perth [1987-92; dated 1963]
provenance
offered Sotheby’s, Melbourne, 1987
acquired Robert Holmes à Court Collection, Perth, at auction
exhibited
Fine Australian Paintings, Books and Ceramics, Sotheby’s Australia Pty Ltd, Melbourne, 26 July 1987, cat no 461 [dated 1963, noted as signed and dated verso; * not obvious as backing paper covers the back of the painting]
European and Australian Paintings from the Robert Holmes à Court Collection, S H Ervin Gallery, Sydney, 28 April - 4 June 1988, cat no 38 [dated 1963]
reproduced
Fine Australian Paintings, Books and Ceramics, exhibition catalogue, Sotheby’s Australia Pty Ltd, Sydney, 1987, cat no 461 [col]
referenced
Carol Marando, ‘When Monet meets Tjampitjinpa’, exhibition review, The Eastern Herald, The Sydney Morning Herald, 5 May 1988, Supplement
working drawings
Henshaw, Godfrey Miller [1965], op cit, above pl 28
comment
corres: subject the same as Still life with green curtain (Still life) [123], ie, ‘one-world concept’ or ‘East and West together’; two versions mentioned to Alan McCulloch, Shoreham, in March 1959; compositionally and stylistically related to Crucifixion [186], but more finished

________________________

188.Still life, fruit and flower (Day and night), nd (1957-61)
artwork details
oil, pen and ink and pencil on canvas, 40.8 x 62.5 cm
signed lr in pen and ink ‘Godfrey Miller’, not dated
estate id: noJH
collection
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, acc no 77.334 [dated 1957-61]
provenance
James O Fairfax, Sydney, 1965-72
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra
exhibited
Godfrey Miller Memorial Exhibition, Darlinghurst Galleries, Sydney, 16 February - 27 March 1965, cat no 3 [not dated]
Australian Paintings and Tapestries of the Past 20 Years, New South Wales House, 56 The Strand, London, opened 24 May 1972, cat no 24 [dated 1957-61, collection James O Fairfax, Esq, Sydney]
reproduced
Henshaw, Godfrey Miller Memorial Exhibition [1965], op cit [b&w]
Henshaw, Godfrey Miller [1965], op cit, pl 14 [as 16 x 241/2 ins, dated 1957-61; col]
Laurie Thomas, Australian Paintings and Tapestries of the Past 20 Years, exhibition catalogue, New South Wales House, London, 1972, pl 22 [col]
reviewed
W.T. [Wallace Thornton], ‘Splendid Memorial to Godfrey Miller’, exhibition review, The Sydney Morning Herald, Sydney, 17 February 1965, p 13
referenced
Daniel Thomas, ‘The art collectors 3: James O. Fairfax’, Art and Australia, vol 3, no 4, March 1966, March 1966, p 256
comment
theme and composition relates to Still life with green curtains (and objects) [plate 70] [122] and Still life with green curtain (Still life) [123], with this work is the more mature of the three

________________________

189.Summer 1, nd (1957-60) [plate 100]
artwork details
oil on cotton duck, 64.2 x 83.5 cm
signed lr ‘Godfrey Miller’, not dated
estate id: ap
collection / provenance
Mr and Mrs George Rodan, Sydney, acquired from the artist [1960-88]
exhibited
? Godfrey Miller, Macquarie Galleries, Sydney, 7 - 19 July 1957, cat no 3 [as Summer, not dated, no details; perhaps Summer 2, but unlikely]
? Godfrey Miller Retrospective Exhibition [Alan McCulloch, intro], National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, 10 June - 17 July 1959, cat no 5 [as Summer, not dated, noted [incorrectly] as ‘Nat.Gallery of South Australia’; perhaps Summer 2, but unlikely]
? Easter Collection, Macquarie Galleries, Sydney, 6 - 25 April 1960, uncat [not dated, no details, noted as ‘for exhibition only before going to Melbourne’ - for the perusal of National Gallery of Victoria Trustees; perhaps Summer 2, but unlikely]
Recent Australian Painting 1961 [Bryan Robertson], Whitechapel Art Gallery, London, June - July 1961, cat no 65 [dated 1957-60]
The Private Collector, Darlinghurst Galleries, Sydney, date unkn, cat no 29 [as Summer, 1957-60, oil on canvas]
reproduced
Henshaw, Godfrey Miller [1965], op cit, pl 39 [as 25 x 32 ins, dated 1957-60; b&w]
reviewed
if right painting:
Our Art Critic [Paul Haefliger or Wallace Thornton], ‘Exhibition of Paintings by Godfrey Miller’, exhibition review, The Sydney Morning Herald, Sydney, 7 August 1957, p 2
James Cook Art Review, exhibition review, Daily Telegraph, Sydney, 7 August 1957, p 11
James Gleeson, ‘Art of Godfrey Miller’, exhibition review, The Sun, Sydney, 7 August 1957
Our Art Critic [Wallace Thornton], ‘Rewarding Easter Art Exhibition’, exhibition review, The Sydney Morning Herald, Sydney, 6 April 1960, p 2
comment
corres: the work was offered by Miller to the National Gallery of Victoria early in 1960, but the sale was not concluded; in February 1960, its colour was described as yellow, red, pink [in contrast to “Musical Instrument”, “Andante” and “Still Life”, which were described as “largely blue black and green”]; handled by the Macquarie Galleries by May 1960, with options of sale to the Art Gallery of South Australia and a private buyer; negotiations with buyer concluded in October 1960; later, in April 1964, Miller proposed the work for inclusion in a retrospective exhibition planned for mid-1964 at the Dominion Gallery, Sydney [not held]; the picture retains its original frame added by Miller, which is a natural wood frame of about 2.5 cm width which is bevelled downwards towards the canvas and lightly scummed with white [rather like the Scandinavian colouring of some pine furniture]; Rodan who was an acquaintance over some years promised Miller on acquiring the picture not to change the frame; related in composition and colour to Summer 2 [193]

________________________

190.Landscape andante, nd (1959-63)
artwork details
oil, 66.3 x 99.7 cm
signed lr ‘Godfrey Miller’, not dated
estate id: JHnk
collection / provenance
James O Fairfax, Sydney [1965]
exhibited
Godfrey Miller Retrospective Exhibition [Alan McCulloch, intro], National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, 10 June - 17 July 1959, cat no 2 [not dated]
Godfrey Miller Memorial Exhibition [John Henshaw], Darlinghurst Galleries, Sydney, 16 February - 27 March 1965, cat no 4 [not dated]
reproduced
Henshaw, Godfrey Miller [1965], op cit, pl 19 [as 261/4 x 24 ins, dated 1959-63; col]
Thomas, ‘The art collectors 3: James O. Fairfax’ [1966], op cit, p 258 [in dining room setting, Retford Hall; col]
referenced
Dundas [July 1975], op cit, p 8 [not dated]
comment
corres: offered to the National Gallery of Victoria in early 1960; in February 1960, its colour was described as ‘largely blue black and green’ [along with “Musical Instrument”, and “Still Life”, in contrast to “Summer”, which was described as yellow, red, pink]; a considerable quantity of yellow is also present

________________________

191.Landscape, river and rain, nd (**ca 1959-64) [plate 101]
artwork details
oil on canvas, 63 x 101 cm
not signed, not dated
verso inscribed in chalk ul ‘C16’, in black fibre pen ul ‘D17’, label ur ‘Geelong Art Gallery’
estate id: noJH
collection
Geelong Art Gallery, Geelong, acc no 1978.9 [not dated]
provenance
Miss G S Grimwade, Melbourne, 1965
acquired Geelong Art Gallery, Geelong, gift of Miss G S Grimwade
exhibited
Godfrey Miller Memorial Exhibition [John Henshaw], Darlinghurst Galleries, Sydney, 16 February - 27 March 1965, cat no 16 [not dated]
The Face of Australia: the Land & the People; the Past & the Present, toured to City of Ballaarat Fine Art Gallery, Ballarat, Vic, July - August 1988, then separated into four parts, various combinations, to Orange Regional Gallery, Orange, NSW, Queen Victoria Museum & Art Gallery, Launceston, Tas, Perc Tucker Regional Gallery, Townsville, Qld, and The Aruluen Arts Centre, Alice Springs, NT, September - October 1988, New England Regional Art Museum, Armidale, NSW. October - November 1988, Bunbury Regional Art Gallery, Bunbury, WA, November - December 1988, Newcastle Region Art Gallery, Newcastle, NSW, November 1988 - February 1989, and Warrnambool Art Gallery, Warrnambool, Vic, and Albury Regional Art Gallery, Albury, NSW, December 1988 - January 1989, cat no 175 [dated ca 1960]
reproduced
Henshaw, Godfrey Miller [1965], op cit, pl 13 [dated 1959-62; col]
Look, Art Gallery Society of New South Wales Newsletter, Sydney, August 1988, p 16 [dated ca 1960; col]
David Hansen, The Face of Australia: the Land & the People; the Past & the Present, exhibition catalogue, toured Australia 1988 - 89, The Australian Bicentennial Authority, Sydney, 1988, p 74 [col]
referenced
ibid, p 71
comment
Forest (Blue series) [141], Sketch: forest [143] and Untitled (Forest series) [144] are earlier canvases in the series

________________________

192.Golgotha, nd (1960-64) [plate 102]
artwork details
oil and pen and ink on canvas, 67.3 x 100 cm
signed lr ‘Godfrey Miller’, not dated
estate id: JHnk
collection
privately held [1988]
provenance
Mr and Mrs G H Mitchell, 1965
private collection
exhibited
Godfrey Miller Memorial Exhibition [John Henshaw], Darlinghurst Galleries, Sydney, 16 February - 27 March 1965, cat no 12 [not dated]
Creating Australia: 200 Years of Art, 1788-1988, Bicentennial exhibition, toured to Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane, 17 May - 17 July 1988, Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth, 13 August - 25 September 1988, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 21 October - 27 November 1988, Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, Hobart, 21 December 1988 - 5 February 1989, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, 1 March - 30 April 1989, and Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, 23 May - 16 July 1989 [dated 1960-64]
reproduced
Henshaw, Godfrey Miller [1965], op cit, pl 26 [as 261/2 x 393/8 ins, dated 1960-64; col]
Daniel Thomas, ed, Creating Australia: 200 years of Art, 1788-1988, bicentennial exhibition catalogue, International Cultural Corporation of Australia Limited, Sydney, and Art Gallery of South Australia Board, Adelaide, 1988, p 197 [col]

________________________

193.Summer 2, nd (**ca 1960-63)
artwork details
oil, 66 x 84 cm
signed lr ‘Godfrey Miller’, not dated
estate id: JHnk
collection
unkn
exhibited
? Godfrey Miller, Macquarie Galleries, Sydney, 7 - 19 July 1957, cat no 3 [as Summer, no details, not dated; more likely to have been Summer 1]
? Godfrey Miller Retrospective Exhibition [Alan McCulloch, intro], National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, 10 June - 17 July 1959, cat no 5 [as Summer, not dated, noted [incorrectly] as ‘Nat.Gallery of South Australia’; more likely to have been Summer 1]
? Easter Collection, Macquarie Galleries, Sydney, 6 - 25 April 1960, uncat [not dated, no details, noted as ‘for exhibition only before going to Melbourne’ - for the perusal of National Gallery of Victoria Trustees; Summer 1 more likely]
Australian Galleries, Melbourne, 8 - 12 July 1963 [Summer 1 already owned by Mr Rodan]
Godfrey Miller Memorial Exhibition [John Henshaw], Darlinghurst Galleries, Sydney, 16 February - 27 March 1965, cat no 2 [not dated]
reproduced
Henshaw, Godfrey Miller [1965], op cit, pl 38 [dated 1960-64; col]
Keavney [1966], op cit, p 10 [noted as ‘Miller’s last work’; col]
The World Book Encyclopedia, vol 23 A-L Australasia, Field Enterprises Education Corporation, Chicago, 1966 to 1981 printings, p 80 [not dated; col]
reviewed
if right painting:
Our Art Critic [Paul Haefliger or Wallace Thornton], ‘Exhibition of Paintings by Godfrey Miller’, exhibition review, The Sydney Morning Herald, Sydney, 7 August 1957, p 2
James Cook Art Review, exhibition review, Daily Telegraph, Sydney, 7 August 1957, p 11
James Gleeson, ‘Art of Godfrey Miller’, exhibition review, The Sun, Sydney, 7 August 1957
Our Art Critic [Wallace Thornton], ‘Rewarding Easter Art Exhibition’, exhibition review, The Sydney Morning Herald, Sydney, 6 April 1960, p 2
John Ogburn, ‘Godfrey Miller, - ARTIST’, exhibition review, The Sun, Sydney, 16 February 1965, p 23
referenced
Henshaw, Godfrey Miller Memorial Exhibition [1965], op cit
comment
corres: loaned to the Australian Galleries, Melbourne in June 1963 for exhibition in July 1963
related in composition and colour to Summer 1 [plate 100] [189]

________________________

194.Still life with lute, nd (**ca 1960-64)
artwork details
oil and ink on canvas, 66.5 x 84.2 cm
signed lr ‘Godfrey Miller’, not dated
estate id: JH19
collection / provenance
Newcastle Region Art Gallery, Newcastle, acc no 1965.7, acquired from the Godfrey Miller Memorial Exhibition [dated 1960-63]
exhibited
? William Dobell Exhibition and Four Pictures by Godfrey Miller (1893-1964), Bendigo Art Gallery, Bendigo, Victoria, November 1964, cat no 37 [as Still life with lute no 2, no other detail; another, but less probable alternative perhaps, because not exhibited in the 1965 Godfrey Miller Memorial Exhibition, cat no 21, is Still life with lute [157]]
Godfrey Miller Memorial Exhibition [John Henshaw], Darlinghurst Galleries, Sydney, 16 February - 27 March 1965, cat no 21 [not dated]
reproduced
‘750 guinea art purchase: is it worth it’, news item, The Sun, Newcastle, 17 June 1965 [b&w]
Henshaw, Godfrey Miller [1965], op cit, pl 40 [as 263/4 x 331/4 ins, dated 1961-63; b&w]
Dundas [July 1975], op cit, p 7 [not dated; unkn]
referenced
ibid, p 6
comment
Miller framed the picture - small patches of paint extend over the narrow brown frame and carry the motif into this area, while the rim and outer edge of this frame may be coloured white [detail hard to read from slide although there is certainly a white edge]; thematically relates to Still life with lute [157], Still life with lute [plate 90] [169] and Still life with musical instrument [plate 98] [184], with latter the closest in colour and style

________________________

195.Nude and the moon, nd (1961-64)
artwork details
oil, pen and ink on canvas, 66.6 x 100.8 cm
not signed, not dated
estate id: noJH
collection
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, acc no 77-333 [dated 1961-64]
provenance
James O Fairfax, Sydney, 1965
? offered Christie, Manson & Woods (Australia) Limited, Sydney, 1973
? acquired [purchaser unkn] at auction
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra
exhibited
Godfrey Miller Memorial Exhibition [John Henshaw], Darlinghurst Galleries, Sydney, 16 February - 27 March 1965, cat no 1 [as Nude & Moon, not dated; likely since measurements very similar]
? Australian Historical & Contemporary Paintings, Drawings & Sculpture, also European Paintings & Sculpture, Christie, Manson & Woods (Australia) Limited, Sydney, 3 October 1973, cat no 479 [as Nude and moon series, ink and oil on canvas, 265/8 x 391/2 ins (67 x 100.3 cm), certificate of authenticity verso; more likely perhaps to have been Landscape (Nude and the moon series) [180]]
reproduced
‘Shy genius kept paintings hidden: eccentric’s art hoard for showing’, news item, The Sun Herald, Sydney, Sunday 14 February 1965, p 19 [as Nude and Moon; b&w]
Henshaw, Godfrey Miller [1965], op cit, pl 10 [dated 1961-64; b&w]
Thomas, ‘The art collectors 3: James O. Fairfax’ [1966], op cit, p 256 [b&w]
referenced
? Christie’s Australian Art Sales Index, 1969-1974 [nd], op cit, p 81
? Craig, Australian Art Auction Records 1973-75 [1975], op cit

________________________

196.Nude and moon, nd (1961-64) [plate 103]
artwork details
oil on cotton duck, 63.5 x 100.3 cm
not signed, not dated
estate id: JHnk
collection
Te Papa Tongarewa Museum of New Zealand, Wellington, acc no 1965-0005-1 [dated 1961-64]
provenance
Artlovers Gallery, Sydney
acquired Te Papa Tongarewa Museum of New Zealand, Wellington, from Artlovers Gallery
exhibited
? Godfrey Miller Memorial Exhibition [John Henshaw], Darlinghurst Galleries, Sydney, 16 February - 27 March 1965, cat no 14 [as Nude Moon series, not dated; likely since measurements very similar]
reproduced
Henshaw, Godfrey Miller [1965], op cit, pl 9 [as 243/4 x 391/2 ins, dated 1960-63; b&w]
Picture of the Month, National Art Gallery, Wellington, New Zealand, July 1965 [not dated; b&w]
flier, National Art Gallery, Wellington, New Zealand [dated 1961-64; col]
comment
the painting is as framed by Miller: ‘[A] narrow wooden frame (12 mm wide) on to which the image is continued past the edge of the canvas . . . This frame, which is actually just four strips of wood, is firmly nailed into the stretcher bars using quite large nails’, with this enclosed in a ‘conventional frame that is of a date consistent with that of the painting’ [quotations from Lesley Cobb, Conservation Technician, National Art Gallery, Wellington]; the picture was given conservation treatment in 1989

________________________

197.Trees in moonlight II, nd (**ca 1961-64)
artwork details
oil on canvas mounted on hardboard, 72 x 105 cm
not signed, not dated
verso certificate of authenticity signed by the beneficiaries of the Estate of Godfrey C Miller, dated 19 October 1972
estate id: JHnk
collection
Wesfarmers Collection, Perth [1989]
provenance
Artist’s Estate, 1972
offered Joseph Brown Gallery, Melbourne, 1977
? Darlinghurst Galleries, Sydney
offered Leonard Joel, Melbourne, 1985
Wesfarmers Collection, Perth
exhibited
Autumn Exhibition 1977: Recent Acquisitions, Joseph Brown Gallery, Melbourne, 7 - 22 March 1977, cat no 77 [not dated]
Leonard Joel, Melbourne, 25 July 1985, lot no 860
The Song of the Lamb: the Wesfarmers collection of Australian Art, Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth, 19 August - 2 October 1989, no cat no
reproduced
Autumn Exhibition 1977: Recent Acquisitions, exhibition catalogue, Joseph Brown Gallery, Melbourne, 1977, pl 77 [b&w]
auction catalogue, Leonard Joel, Melbourne, 1985, p 85
The Song of the Lamb: the Wesfarmers collection of Australian Art [Janda Gooding, intro], exhibition catalogue, Wesfarmers Limited, Perth, 1989, p 88 [col]
referenced
? ‘Recent gallery prices’, Art and Australia, vol 8, no 2, September 1970, p 118
comment
colour is very soft and dappled, rather similarly to The tomb [177]

________________________

198.Trees and mountain (Hill and trees), nd (**ca 1961-64)
artwork details
oil, ink and pencil on canvas, 62 x 77 cm
signed lr ‘Godfrey Miller’, not dated
recto inscribed lr ‘G/A/R’ vertically
verso inscribed ‘D30’ on canvas support
estate id: noJH
collection
privately, Melbourne [1988]
provenance
Mr and Mrs Aleck Sacks, Melbourne, 1965-73
offered Christie, Manson & Woods [Australia] Limited, Melbourne, 1973
acquired [purchaser unkn] 1973 at auction
? offered Australian Art Auctions, Sydney, 1983
? acquired [purchaser unkn] at auction
private collection, Melbourne
exhibited
? Godfrey Miller Memorial Exhibition [John Henshaw], Darlinghurst Galleries, Sydney, 16 February - 27 March 1965, cat no 31 [as Hill &Trees, not dated; likely since measurements similar to as given in Henshaw, Godfrey Miller [1965], op cit]
Australian Historical and Contemporary Paintings, Drawings and Sculpture, also European Sculpture, Christie, Manson & Woods [Australia] Limited, Melbourne, 1 March 1973, cat no 209 [as Hill and trees, 61 x 76.2 cm, the property of Mrs. Rosa Sacks and family, not dated]
? Australian Art Auctions, Sydney, November 1983, cat no unkn [as Hill and trees, oil, measurements unkn]
reproduced
Henshaw, Godfrey Miller [1965], op cit, pl 55 [as Hill and trees, 24 x 30 ins, 1963; b&w]
Australian Historical and Contemporary Paintings, Drawings and Sculpture, also European Sculpture, auction catalogue, Christie, Manson & Woods [Australia] Limited, Sydney, 1973, cat no 209 [b&w]
referenced
auction results, Art and Australia, vol 10, no 4, April 1973, p 323
Christie’s Australian Art Sales Index, 1969-1974 [nd], op cit, p 81
Craig, Australian Art Auction Records 1973-75 [1975], op cit
? Craig, Australian Art Auction Records, 1982-1984 [1987], op cit, p 220 [Australian Art Auctions’ ref above]

________________________

199.Untitled (Forest series), nd
artwork details
oil on canvas, 60 x 82 cm
not signed, not dated
verso ‘JH3’ in pencil on canvas support; no certificate of authenticity
estate id: JH3
collection
William Nuttall, Melbourne [1988; dated ca 1963-64]
provenance
offered Australian Art Auctions, Sydney, 1982
acquired [purchaser unkn] at auction
offered Niagara Galleries, Melbourne, date unkn
acquired private collection, Melbourne, date unkn
acquired William Nuttall, Melbourne
exhibited
Australian Art Auctions, Sydney, March 1982, cat no unkn [as Forest scene, oil, 60 x 82 cm]

referenced

Craig, Australian Art Auction Records, 1982-1984 [1987], op cit, p 220 [Australian Art Auctions’ result above]
comment
no matrix, black on prepared canvas, touches of grey, ultramarine blue and dull emerald

________________________

200.Untitled (Red earth forest series), nd
artwork details
ink and bodycolour on canvas, 65 x 91 cm
not signed, not dated
recto two illegible letters in lr corner
verso certificate of authenticity from Darlinghurst Galleries, Sydney, dated 8 July 1965
estate id: noJH
collection
unkn
provenance
offered Sotheby’s Australia Pty Ltd, Melbourne, 1993
exhibited
Fine Australian Paintings including European Paintings, Drawings, Prints and Sculpture, Sotheby’s Australia Pty Ltd, Melbourne, 19 April 1993, cat no 377 [as Red earth forest series, 1962-64, 65 x 91 cm]
reproduced
Henshaw, Godfrey Miller [1965], op cit, pl 56 [as Red earth forest series, oil, 26 x 36 ins [65.7 x 91 cm], 1962-64; b&w]
Fine Australian Paintings including European Paintings, Drawings, Prints and Sculpture, auction catalogue, Sotheby’s Australia Pty Ltd, Sydney, 1993, cat no 377 [b&w]
comment
completely b&w

________________________

201.Untitled (Forest series), nd
artwork details
pen and ink, pencil and oil on canvas, 68 x 102 cm
not signed, not dated
recto inscribed ul about 5 cm down ‘NRL’, upside down
verso inscribed ‘JH4’ in pencil on lr corner of stretcher, and centre on all 4 sides of frame; certificate of authenticity signed by J G Henshaw, not dated, and inscribed as ‘cat no 95 Sept. 1981’
estate id: JH4
collection
unkn
provenance
offered William S Ellenden Pty Ltd, Sydney, 1981
offered Charles Nodrum Gallery, Melbourne, 1990
exhibited
A Most Important Art Auction of Paintings and Drawings by Godfrey Miller [Sold by Order of the Beneficiaries of the Artist’s Estate], Artarmon Galleries and William S Ellenden Pty Ltd, Sydney, 15 September 1981, cat no 95 [dated ca 1961]
Modern Australian Paintings 1990, Charles Nodrum Gallery, Melbourne, 8 - 29 August 1990, cat no 28 [dated ca 1961]
reproduced
Modern Australian Paintings 1990, exhibition catalogue, Charles Nodrum Gallery, Melbourne, 1990, cat no 28 [b&w]

________________________

202.Untitled (Forest series), nd
artwork details
oil on canvas, 64 x 90 cm
not signed, not dated
verso inscribed ‘JH143’
estate id: JH143
collection
unkn
provenance
? offered William S Ellenden Pty Ltd, Sydney, 1981
offered David Jones’ Art Gallery, Sydney, 1991
exhibited
? A Most Important Art Auction of Paintings and Drawings by Godfrey Miller [Sold by Order of the Beneficiaries of the Artist’s Estate], Artarmon Galleries and William S Ellenden Pty Ltd, Sydney, 15 September 1981, cat no 96 [as Forest series, ca 1964; measurements the same as Fine and Decorative Art Exhibition following]
Fine and Decorative Art Exhibition, David Jones’ Art Gallery, Sydney, 8 March - 27 April 1991, cat no 54 [as Forest series, ca 1964]

________________________

203.Still life, nd
artwork details
oil, or ink and wash, on canvas, 66.3 x 83.8 cm
not signed, not dated
recto inscribed lr in ink ‘SAMDJ’ (?)
verso certificate of authenticity from Darlinghurst Galleries, Sydney, signed by Lewis Miller, John Henshaw and John Kaplan, dated October 1967, inscribed as ‘Still life series’ and ‘JH24’; other labels / inscriptions - on upper frame arm in ink ‘2541 Tasmanian Art Gallery purchased April 1974//(M)807B’ and ‘JH24’ - twice in black felt pen, tag label with price
estate id: JH24
collection
Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, Hobart, acc no 2541 [1974-88; as ink and wash, not dated]
provenance
offered Christie, Manson & Woods (Australia) Limited, Melbourne, 1974
acquired Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, Hobart, at auction
exhibited
Christie, Manson & Woods (Australia) Limited, Melbourne, 14 March 1974, cat no 283 [as 65.7 x 83.8 cm, not dated]
referenced
? ‘Recent gallery prices’, Art and Australia, vol 5, no 3, December 1967, p 477 [as Still life series, oil drawing, 26 x 33 ins (65.6 x 83.3 cm), $500, Darlinghurst Galleries; measurements and medium description are close]
Christie’s Australian Art Sales Index, 1969-1974 [nd], op cit, p 81.
Craig, Australian Art Auction Records 1973-75 [1975], op cit [as oil, 66 x 84 cm, not dated]

________________________

204.Untitled (Trees and mountain series), nd
artwork details
oil on canvas, 50 x 61.4 cm
not signed, not dated
estate id: JHnk
collection / provenance
Allen D Christensen, Western Australia. on loan to Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth, acc no 979/L36
exhibited
Paintings from the collection of Allen D. Christensen, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, 7 - 22 December 1976, cat no 33 [dated 1962-64]

________________________

205.Untitled (Trees and mountain series), nd
artwork details
gouache, watercolour, pen and ink on canvas, 66.8 x 84.5 cm
not signed, not dated
estate id: noJH
collection / provenance
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, acc no 70.92 [dated 1963-64]

________________________

206.Landscape (oil drawing), nd (1963-64)
artwork details
oil and ruled lines on canvas, 67.5 x 84.8 cm
not signed, not dated
recto inscribed in artist’s hand in margin beyond borderline in ink ur ‘ROM’, in pencil lr ‘I(?)MM’, in pencil uc ‘313’ and ur ‘1930’, in pen lr ‘4’
verso in fibre pen in another hand ‘JH25’
estate id: JH25
collection / provenance
Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, acc no OA9.1966 acquired by the Trustees from the Godfrey Miller Drawings exhibition [recorded incorrectly as 1930]
exhibited
Godfrey Miller Drawings [John Henshaw], Darlinghurst Galleries, Sydney, July 1966, uncat
referenced
Acquisitions 1966, Board of Trustees of the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, nd, p 13

________________________

207.Landscape, nd
artwork details
oil, pencil, pen and blue ink on primed linen canvas, 68.2 x 110 cm
not signed; not dated
verso inscribed on stretcher ur ‘JH12’
estate id: JH12
collection / provenance
Shepparton Art Gallery, Shepparton, Vic, presented by the Estate of Godfrey Miller [1971-88]

________________________

208.Untitled (Forest series), nd
artwork details
oil on canvas, 60 x 92 cm
verso certificate of authenticity signed by J Henshaw
estate id: JHnk
collection
unkn
provenance
offered Christie, Manson & Woods [Australia] Limited, Melbourne, 1986
exhibited
Australian Paintings, Prints and Books, Christie, Manson & Woods [Australia] Limited, Melbourne, 14 April 1986, cat no 268 [as Forest series, dated 1963-64]
reproduced
Australian Paintings, Prints and Books, auction catalogue, Christie, Manson & Woods [Australia] Limited, Melbourne, 1986, cat no 268 [b&w]

________________________

209.Untitled (Hawkesbury River pattern), nd
artwork details
oil on canvas, 66 x 91 cm
not signed, not dated
verso certificate of authenticity from Darlinghurst Galleries, Sydney, signed by Lewis Miller, John Henshaw and John Kaplan, dated 5 March 1975, inscribed ‘JH112’, ‘Unfinished oil drawing 1963’ and ‘520’; other inscriptions on stretcher ur in blue crayon ‘M317D’, in pencil ‘JH112’
estate id: JH112
collection
Monash University, Clayton, gift of Dr Joseph Brown [1976-88]
provenance
offered Joseph Brown Gallery, Melbourne, 1975
offered Christie, Manson & Woods [Australia] Limited, 1976
acquired [purchaser unkn] 1976 at auction
Dr Joseph Brown, Melbourne, 1976
Monash University, Clayton
exhibited
Winter Exhibition 1975: Recent Acquisitions, Joseph Brown Gallery, Melbourne, 28 July - 12 August 1975, cat no 64 [as Hawkesbury River pattern, 1963]
Christie, Manson & Woods [Australia] Limited, 1976, cat no 520 [not dated]
reproduced
Winter Exhibition 1975: Recent Acquisitions, exhibition catalogue, Joseph Brown Gallery, Melbourne, 1975, pl 64 [b&w]
referenced
Craig, Australian Art Auction Records, 1975-78 [1978], op cit, p 203

________________________

210.Study (Landscape series), nd
artwork details
oil thinned with turps, or watercolour, and ink on primed canvas, 62.3 x 101.3 cm
not signed, not dated
verso certificate of authenticity from Darlinghurst Galleries, Sydney, inscribed ‘JH6’
estate id: JH6
collection
Darnell Collection, University of Queensland, Brisbane, acc no 185 [1968-88; dated 1961-62]
provenance
Darlinghurst Galleries, Sydney
acquired Darnell Collection, University of Queensland, from Darlinghurst Galleries

return to top

__________________________________________________

Part B. Works on paper

__________________________________________________

Early period

211.Untitled (Landscape, Warrandyte), nd (**ca 1920) [plate 1]
artwork details
pen and brown ink and brown wash over pencil on paper on card, 22.9 x 25.6 cm [irregular]
not signed, not dated
recto inscribed ll with Estate stamp in brown ink ‘GM/JH’
verso certificate of authenticity from Darlinghurst Galleries, Sydney
estate id: noJH
collection
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, acc no 74.22
provenance
Sweeney Reed, Melbourne
acquired National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, from Sweeney Reed

________________________

212.Woodland clearing with a cow, nd (**ca 1922-29) [plate 2]
artwork details
pen and ink and wash over pencil on watercolour paper, 20.6 x 19.5 cm [irregular]
not signed, not dated
estate id: noJH
collection / provenance
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, acc no 1485-5, presented by the National Gallery Society

________________________

213.Corn ricks, nd (**ca 1922-29) [plate 3]
artwork details
pen and ink and wash on watercolour paper, 13.9 x 22.5 cm [irregular]
not signed, not dated
estate id: noJH
collection / provenance
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, acc no 1995.718, presented by the National Gallery Society

________________________

214.Warrandyte homestead, nd (**ca 1922-29)
artwork details
wash, 20.3 x 25.4 cm
signed ll, not dated
estate id: JHnk
collection
unkn
provenance
offered P L Pickles, Sydney, August 1978
acquired [purchaser unkn] 1978 at auction
offered Geoff K Gray, Sydney, 1979
acquired [purchaser unkn] 1979 at auction
exhibited
P L Pickles, Sydney, August 1978, cat no 54 [as wash, signed ll, 1928, 20 x 25 cm]
Geoff K Gray, Sydney, 15 April 1979 [as wash, 20 x 25 cm, 1928]
reproduced
Henshaw, Godfrey Miller [1965], op cit, pl 79 [as 8 x 10 ins, dated 1928; b&w]
Keavney [1966], op cit, p 68 [dated 1928; b&w]
auction catalogue, Sydney, P L Pickles, 1978, cat no 54 [unkn]
referenced
Craig, Australian Art Auction Records, 1979-1981[1982], op cit, p 212 [Gray auction result above]

________________________

215.Untitled (Landscape), nd (**ca 1922-29)
artwork details
watercolour on paper, 19.5 x 20 cm [sight]
signed lr ‘G.C.M.’, not dated
verso Estate stamp ‘GM/JH W2’ on backing cardboard, inscribed also in pencil ‘Leveson - W/C - Difu’
estate id: W2
collection
Estate of Charles Bush [1992]
provenance
acquired Charles Bush [1965-92]
Estate of Charles Bush

________________________

216.Landscape, Victoria, nd (**ca 1922-29)
artwork details
watercolour, 17.7 x 25.3 cm
not signed, not dated
estate id: JHnk
collection / provenance
Andrew Miller, Auckland, New Zealand [1965]
reproduced
Henshaw, Godfrey Miller [1965], op cit, pl 80 [as 7 x 10 ins, dated 1923; b&w]

________________________

217.Sydney Harbour view (Harbour scene), nd (**ca 1922-29)
artwork details
watercolour, 15.5 x 27.5 [sight]
not signed, not dated
verso Estate stamp ‘GM/JH’
estate id: noJH
collection
Ledger Collection, Benalla, Vic [1982-92], on loan to the Benalla Art Gallery
provenance
John Henshaw, Sydney
Ledger Collection, Benalla, Vic
exhibited
Godfrey Miller 1893-1964: Survey Exhibition of Drawings, 27 Niagara Lane Galleries, Melbourne, 1 - 26 August 1982, cat no 65 [as Harbour scene, ca 1922, $1200]
reproduced
Henshaw, Godfrey Miller 1893-1964: Survey Exhibition of Drawings [1982], op cit, opp frontispiece [b&w]
Lawrence H. Ledger Collection: Australian Paintings, Colonial-Contemporary, Benalla Art Gallery, Benalla, Vic, 1987, no 217 [as Sydney Harbour view, not dated, prov John Henshaw; b&w]
comment
similar style to Auckland Harbour [218]

________________________

218.Auckland Harbour, nd (**ca 1922-29)
artwork details
watercolour on watercolour paper, 19 x 27.6 cm
signed lr ‘G Miller’, not dated
estate id: noJH
collection
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, acc no 77.714.84
provenance
Artarmon Galleries, Sydney
acquired National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, from Artarmon Galleries
comment
similar style to Sydney Harbour view (Harbour scene) [217]

________________________

219.Landscape of Warrandyte, nd (**ca 1922-29) [plate 9]
artwork details
watercolour on paper, 17.7 x 27.4 cm [sight]
signed lr ‘GC Miller’, inscribed underneath ‘W20’ in pencil, not dated
estate id: W20
collection
unkn
provenance
offered William S Ellenden Pty Ltd, Sydney, 1981
Artarmon Galleries, Sydney
Cameron Sparks, Sydney, 1979-87
acquired by unkn collector
exhibited
A Most Important Art Auction of Paintings and Drawings by Godfrey Miller [Sold by Order of the Beneficiaries of the Artist’s Estate], Artarmon Galleries and William S Ellenden Pty Ltd, Sydney, 15 September 1981

return to top

__________________________________________________

Early transitional period

220.The bridge, nd (**ca 1934-38) [plate 25]
artwork details
oil pastel on paper, 24.2 x 35 cm
not signed, not dated
estate id: noJH
collection
privately, Melbourne [1988]
provenance
offered P L Pickles, Sydney, 1982
acquired [purchaser unkn] at auction
private collection, Melbourne
exhibited
P L Pickles, Sydney, June 1982, cat no unkn [as Looking at the bridge, crayon, 24 x 35 cm]
referenced
Craig, Australian Art Auction Records, 1982-1984 [1987], op cit, p 220

________________________

221.Still life with jug, nd (**ca 1934-36)
artwork details
crayon, pastel and pencil on paper, 38.5 x 29 cm [irregular]
not signed, not dated
estate id: noJH
collection
Estate of David Strachan, Canberra [1970-87]
provenance
David Strachan, 1965-70
Estate of David Strachan, Canberra
exhibited
Private Collection: the Post Impressionist Mood in Australian Painting [Nola Anderson], Nolan Gallery, ACT, 27 January - 4 March 1984, cat no 15 [dated 1940s]
comment
compositional grid related to Still life [plate 21] [29], Rooftops, New South Wales [plate 24] [37], Early figure study [plate 27] [39], Design [plate 28] [38], Bottles [40], Seated figure [41] and the pastel Still life [222]

________________________

222.Still life, nd (**ca 1934-36)
artwork details
pastel and pencil on thin card mounted on board, 33.6 x 24.3 cm [image]
signed in ink lr ‘GCM’, not dated
verso certificate of authenticity from Darlinghurst Galleries, Sydney, signed by Lewis Miller, John Henshaw and John Kaplan, dated 4 March 1969, inscribed ‘c.1940 based on London drawings’
estate id: noJH
collection
Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth, acc no 1977/D45 [dated ca 1940]
provenance
John Brackenreg, Artarmon Galleries, Sydney
acquired Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth, from the Estate of Godfrey Miller through John Brackenreg
comment
compositional grid related to Still life [plate 21] [29], Abstract still life [plate 26] [36], Rooftops, New South Wales [plate 24] [37], Design [plate 28] [38], Early figure study [plate 27] [39], Bottles [40], Seated figure [41] and the pastel Still life with jug [221], while the glass form reappears in Still life with gourds, fruit and wine glasses [plate 37] [51]

________________________

223.Tree study, nd (**ca 1935-40)
artwork details
watercolour, 36.2 x 24.1 cm
not signed, not dated
verso certificate of authenticity signed by the beneficiaries of the Estate of Godfrey C Miller
estate id: JHnk
collection
unkn
provenance
offered Joseph Brown Gallery, Melbourne, 1978
exhibited
Spring Exhibition 1978, Joseph Brown Gallery, Melbourne, 29 September - 9 October 1978, cat no 89 [dated 1951-53]
reproduced
Henshaw, Godfrey Miller [1965], op cit, pl 63 [as 141/4 x 91/2 ins, dated 1953; b&w]
Spring Exhibition 1978, exhibition catalogue, Melbourne, Joseph Brown Gallery, 1978, pl 89 [b&w]

return to top

__________________________________________________

Late transitional period

224.Trees and mountains, nd (**ca 1936-42)
artwork details
watercolour and pencil, 23.7 x 30.1 cm [sight]
signed ur in pencil ‘GM’, not dated
verso certificate of authenticity from Darlinghurst Galleries, Sydney
estate id: JHnk
collection
Wollongong City Art Gallery, Wollongong, NSW, gift of Dr and Mrs P Elliot [1979-88]
provenance
Gallery A, Sydney
? offered Leonard Joel, Melbourne, 1977
offered James R. Lawson Pty Limited, Sydney, 1977
? acquired at auction
Dr and Mrs P Elliot, 1979
Wollongong City Art Gallery, Wollongong
exhibited
? Leonard Joel, Melbourne, September 1977, cat no unkn [as watercolour, 24 x 30 cm; measurements close]
A Most Important Catalogue of Australian Traditional, Contemporary and European Paintings, James R Lawson Pty Limited, Sydney, 20 September 1977, cat no 224 [as 24 x 30 cm, signed ur, dated 1951]
referenced
? Craig, Australian Art Auction Records, 1975-78 [1978], op cit, p 203
comment
in colour and style related to Figtree, Botanic Gardens (Botanical Gardens, Sydney / Figtree series) [64] and the two Untitled (Forest series) watercolours held privately in Sydney [225, 226]; colour further relates to Pattern [31], Still life [34], Design [plate 28] [38], Space movement [66] and Space movement I [67]

________________________

225.Untitled (Forest series), nd (**ca 1936-42)
artwork details
watercolour on paper, 23.4 x 29.7 cm
not signed, not dated
inscribed lr with Estate stamp ‘GM/JH’
estate id: noJH
collection
privately, Sydney [ca 1965-88]
provenance
Artarmon Galleries, Sydney
acquired private collection, Sydney, from Artarmon Galleries
comment
forms a pair with the watercolour Untitled (Forest series) [226]; also perhaps related in style and colour to Figtree, Botanic Gardens (Botanical Gardens, Sydney / Figtree series) [64] and Trees and mountains [224]; colour further relates to Pattern [31], Still life [34], Design [plate 28] [38], Space movement [66] and Space movement I [67]

________________________

226.Untitled (Forest series), nd (**ca 1936-42)
artwork details
watercolour on paper, 23.4 x 29.7 cm
not signed, not dated
inscribed lr with Estate stamp ‘GM/JH’
estate id: noJH
collection
privately, Sydney [ca 1965-88]
provenance
Artarmon Galleries, Sydney
acquired private collection, Sydney, from Artarmon Galleries
comment
forms a pair with the watercolour Untitled (Forest series) [225]; also related in style and colour to Figtree, Botanic Gardens (Botanical Gardens, Sydney / Figtree series) [64] and Trees and mountains [224]; colour further relates to Pattern [31], Still life [34], Design [plate 28] [38], Space movement [66] and Space movement I [67]

________________________

227.Trees and forest, nd (**ca 1938-42) [plate 54]
artwork details
watercolour and pencil on paper, 23.5 x 29 cm [sight]
not signed, not dated
recto inscribed ul in pencil ‘37DV’, ur with Estate stamp ‘GM/JH’
estate id: noJH
collection
Cameron Sparks, Sydney [1980-88]
provenance
Artarmon Galleries, Sydney
acquired Cameron Sparks, Sydney, from Artarmon Galleries
comment
stylistically related to the watercolour study for Study (Trees in a forest) [228]

________________________

228.Study (Trees in a forest), nd (**ca 1938-42)
artwork details
watercolour, 33.3 x 20.8 cm
not signed, not dated
estate id: JHnk
collection
unkn
provenance
? offered Mason Gray Strange NSW Ltd, Sydney, 1970
John Henshaw, Sydney
offered Joseph Brown Gallery, Melbourne, 1977
exhibited
? Mason Gray Strange NSW Ltd, Sydney, 19 August 1970, cat no 145 [as Trees, watercolour, 14 x 91/2 ins (35.4 x 24 cm; measurements close]
Winter Exhibition 1977: Recent Acquisitions, Joseph Brown Gallery, Melbourne, 4 - 14 July 1977, cat no 83 [as Study for “Trees in a forest”, not dated, prov John Henshaw]
reproduced
Winter Exhibition 1977: Recent Acquisitions, exhibition catalogue, Joseph Brown Gallery, Melbourne, 1977, pl 83 [b&w]
comment
stylistically related to the watercolour study Trees and forest [plate 54] [227]

________________________

229.Study (Red earth forest), nd (**ca 1938-42)
artwork details
watercolour, 22.4 x 30.1 cm
not signed, not dated
verso certificate of authenticity from Darlinghurst Galleries, Sydney signed by Lewis Miller, John Henshaw and John Kaplan, dated 19 October 1972, inscribed ‘Early watercolour study in Red Earth Forest series’ and as ‘Reg.No 16164’
estate id: noJH
collection
Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth, acc no 1973/W8, presented by Mr E Bruce Kell
provenance
Mr E Bruce Kell, Strathfield, NSW, 1973
Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth

________________________

230.Landscape, nd (**ca 1938-42) [plate 48]
artwork details
watercolour on paper mounted on cardboard, 22.8 x 33.3 cm
not signed, not dated
recto inscribed ur with rubber stamp ‘GM/JH’, ur in pencil ‘W11’
estate id: W11
collection
Newcastle Region Art Gallery, Newcastle, NSW, acc no 1969.18
provenance
Artarmon Galleries, Sydney
acquired Newcastle Region Art Gallery, Newcastle, NSW, from Artarmon Galleries
exhibited
Godfrey Miller Drawings from the Godfrey Miller Estate Collection [John Henshaw], Newcastle City Art Gallery, Newcastle, 27 February - 23 March 1969, cat no 38 [dated 1939-45]
Watercolours in the Newcastle Region Art Gallery, travelling exhibition, SH Irvin Museum and Art Gallery, Sydney, Newcastle Region Art Gallery, Newcastle, and Albury Regional Art Gallery, Albury, 12 March - 6 August 1987, cat no 46 [not dated]
reproduced
Andrew Sayers, Watercolours in the Newcastle Region Art Gallery, exhibition catalogue, Newcastle Region Art Gallery, Newcastle, 1987, pl 46 [b&w]

return to top

__________________________________________________

Mature period

231.Study (Red earth forest / Forest series), nd (**ca 1940-45)
artwork details
watercolour and pencil on paper, 30 x 23 cm
signed lr ‘GM’, not dated
estate id: noJH
collection
privately, Melbourne [1988]
provenance
? offered William S Ellenden Pty Ltd, Sydney, 1981
offered 27 Niagara Lane Galleries, Melbourne, 1982
? offered Niagara Galleries, Melbourne, 1985
acquired private collection, Melbourne, from Niagara Galleries
exhibited
? A Most Important Art Auction of Paintings and Drawings by Godfrey Miller [Sold by Order of the Beneficiaries of the Artist’s Estate], Artarmon Galleries and William S Ellenden Pty Ltd, Sydney, 15 September 1981, cat no 52 [as Forest series, not dated; measurements same as in Henshaw, Godfrey Miller 1893-1964: Survey Exhibition of Drawings following]
Godfrey Miller 1893-1964: Survey Exhibition of Drawings, 27 Niagara Lane Galleries, Melbourne, 1 - 26 August 1982, cat no 66 [as Study for red earth forest, ca 1945, $3000]
? Godfrey Miller, Niagara Galleries, Melbourne, 20 June - 9 July 1985, cat no 24 [as Red earth forest series, ca 1940-45; measurements similar, although inverted as ‘23.5 x 29.5 cm’]
reproduced
Henshaw, Godfrey Miller 1893-1964: Survey Exhibition of Drawings [1982], op cit, front cover [col]
comment
stylistically related to Abstract theme [232]

________________________

232.Abstract theme, nd (**ca 1940-45)
artwork details
watercolour and pencil on paper, 24.5 x 30.7 cm
not signed, not dated
recto inscribed ll with Estate stamp ‘GM/JH’ and in pencil ‘W6’
estate id: W6
collection / provenance
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, acc no 74.21.2 (as Abstract landscape)
reproduced
Jean Campbell, Australian Watercolour Painters 1780-1980, Rigby, Adelaide, 1983, p 187 [col]
comment
stylistically related to Study (Red earth forest / Forest series) [231]

________________________

233.Untitled (Trees series), nd (**ca 1944-50)
artwork details
watercolour, 27 x 38 cm
not signed, not dated
verso certificate of authenticity inscribed ‘JH390’
estate id: JH390
collection
unkn
provenance
Museum of Contemporary Art, Brisbane, 1991
offered Sotheby’s Australia Pty Ltd, 1991
exhibited
100 Works from the Museum of Contemporary Art, Brisbane, Sotheby’s Australia Pty Ltd, Melbourne, 16 June 1991, cat no 26 [not dated]
comment
very similar in design to Untitled (Trees and mountain series) [234]; same paper size ratio also

________________________

234.Untitled (Trees and mountain series), nd (**ca 1944-50)
artwork details
watercolour, 37 x 53 cm
not signed, not dated
estate id: JHnk
collection
unkn
provenance
Artarmon Galleries, Sydney, 1978
reproduced
advertisement, Art and Australia, vol 16, no 2, Summer, December 1978, backcover [Artarmon Galleries, Sydney; col]
comment
very similar in design to Untitled (Trees series) [233]; same paper size ratio also

________________________

235.Landscape composition, nd (**ca 1950) [plate 91]
artwork details
watercolour wash drawing on paper, 15.9 x 21.3 cm [irregular]
not signed, not dated
recto inscribed ll ‘W7’ and with Estate stamp ‘GM/JH’
estate id: W7
collection
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, acc no 1495-5
provenance
Estate of Godfrey C Miller
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
comment
a clumsiness present suggests the picture to be a painting exercise and as thus perhaps painted while attending Anthroposophical Society classes in Switzerland; otherwise, could be the Blue Mountains

________________________

236.Trees and mountain, nd (**ca 1950-60)
artwork details
watercolour and pencil on paper, 20.6 x 21.4 cm [sight]
not signed, not dated
inscribed ll with Estate stamp ‘GM/JH/W18’
estate id: W18
collection
privately, Melbourne [by 1988]
provenance
? offered Christie, Manson & Woods (Australia) Limited, Sydney, 1972
? acquired Besen
? offered Geoff K Gray, Sydney, 1984
? acquired [purchaser unkn] at auction
offered Niagara Galleries, Melbourne, date unkn
acquired private collection, Melbourne, from Niagara Galleries
exhibited
? Australian Historical and Contemporary Drawings & Paintings with some European Paintings & Sculpture, Christie, Manson & Woods (Australia) Limited, Sydney, 3, 4 October 1972, cat no 146 [measurements similar]
? Geoff K Gray, Sydney, June 1984, cat no unkn [as Trees, pencil and wash, 21 x 23 cm; measurements close]
referenced
? auction results, Art and Australia, vol 10, no 3, January 1973, p 231
? Christie’s Australian Art Sales Index, 1969-1974 [nd], op cit, p 80
? Craig, Australian Art Auction Records, 1982-1984 [1987], op cit, p 220 [Gray’s auction result above]
comment
stylistically similar to the watercolour Abstract landscape [237]

________________________

237.Abstract landscape, nd (**ca 1950-60)
artwork details
watercolour and pencil on cream paper, 21.5 x 27.4 cm, plate 20 x 21.2 cm
not signed, not dated
recto inscribed lr outside composition with Estate stamp ‘GM/JH’ and in pencil ‘W14’
verso certificate of authenticity from Darlinghurst Galleries, Sydney
estate id: W14
collection
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, acc no 74.21.1
provenance
Sweeney Reed, 1974
acquired National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, from Sweeney Reed
comment
stylistically similar to the watercolour Trees and mountain [236]

return to top

__________________________________________________

Part C. Sculptures

__________________________________________________

238.Female torso, nd (**ca 1930)
artwork details
unkn
estate id: JHnk
collections
unkn
reproduced
photograph, Miller Papers I, op cit, pic acc 3109
working drawings
National Art Gallery, Canberra, acc no 79.1645.B

________________________

239.Torso, nd (ca 1938-40)
artwork details
bronze; h 18.5 cm
not inscribed, not dated
edition of 6 bronzes caste in 1969 at the Stephen Walker Foundry; further edition of 6 caste in 1990
estate ids: 1969 castings noJH, 1990 castings numbered 7 to 12
collections
bronze castes
no ? of 6 [wooden base]
private collection, Sydney [1988]
no 4 of 6
private collection, Melbourne [1982-88]
no 7 of 12
private collection, Sydney [1990]
others
unkn
provenances
clay original
unkn
bronze castes
no ? of 6 [wooden base]
private collection, Sydney, gift of John Brackenreg, Artarmon Galleries, Sydney
no 4 of 6
offered 27 Niagara Lane Galleries, Melbourne, 1982
acquired private collection, Melbourne, from 27 Niagara Lane Galleries
no ? of 6
private collection, Sydney
no ?
offered David Jones’ Art Gallery, Sydney, 1989
no 7 of 12
offered David Jones’ Art Gallery, Sydney, 1990
acquired private collection, Sydney, from David Jones’ Art Gallery
no 8 of 12
offered David Jones’ Art Gallery, Sydney, 1990
offered David Jones’ Art Gallery, Sydney, 1991
others
unkn
exhibited
bronze castes
Godfrey Miller 1893-1964: Survey Exhibition of Drawings, 27 Niagara Lane Galleries, Melbourne, 1 - 26 August 1982, cat no 69 [as no 4 of 6, dated ca 1938-40, $4000]
Fine and Decorative Art Exhibition, David Jones’ Art Gallery, Sydney, 12 March - 21 April 1990, cat no 6 [as Abstract torso, 1938-40, 18.5 x 6 cm, no 7 of 12, ‘6 cast in 1967 and unnumbered’]
Godfrey Miller Sculpture with the 40 Drawings [John Henshaw], David Jones’ Art Gallery, Sydney, 18 August - 13 September 1990, cat no 3 [as Abstract torso, ca 1938-40, 18.5 cm, no 8 of 12]
Fine and Decorative Art Exhibition, David Jones’ Art Gallery, Sydney, 8 March - 27 April 1991, cat no 8 [as Abstract torso, 1938-40, no 8 of 12]
reproduced
Henshaw, Godfrey Miller 1893-1964: Survey Exhibition of Drawings [1982], op cit, cat no 69 [b&w]

________________________

240.Female torso, nd (1950-54)
artwork details
bronze, h 16.5 cm
not inscribed, not dated
edition of 12
estate ids: castings numbered 1 to 12 [BN]
collections
unkn
provenances
clay original
unkn
bronze castes
no 1 of 12
offered David Jones’ Art Gallery, Sydney, 1990
no 2 of 12
offered David Jones’ Art Gallery, Sydney, 1991
others
unkn
exhibited
bronze castes
Godfrey Miller Sculpture with the 40 Drawings, David Jones’ Art Gallery, Sydney, 18 August - 13 September 1990, cat no 2 [as no 1 of 12, dated 1950-54]
Fine and Decorative Art Exhibition, David Jones’ Art Gallery, Sydney, 8 March - 27 April 1991, cat no 9 [as no 2 of 12, dated 1950-54]
reproduced
John Henshaw, Godfrey Miller Sculpture with the 40 Drawings, exhibition catalogue, David Jones’ Art Gallery, Sydney, 1990, front cover [b&w]

________________________

241.Figure, nd (1960-62)
artwork details
cast metal, AP [?], h 24 cm
to be cast as an edition of 12
estate ids: caste numbers not yet allocated
provenance
offered David Jones’ Art Gallery, Sydney, 1990
offered David Jones’ Art Gallery, Sydney, 1991
exhibited
Godfrey Miller Sculpture with the 40 Drawings [John Henshaw], David Jones’ Art Gallery, Sydney, 18 August - 13 September 1990, cat no 4 [dated 1960-62]
Fine and Decorative Art Exhibition, David Jones’ Art Gallery, Sydney, 8 March - 27 April 1991, cat no 7 [dated 1960-62]

________________________

242.Torso, nd (**ca 1939-61) [plate 125]
artwork details
plaster, fired terracotta and bronze versions, terracotta h 33.5 cm, authorised caste h 32 cm, posthumous castes, 30.2 x 12.9 x 11.5 cm
not inscribed, not dated
authorised casting
made by Miller with the assistance of John Kaplan’s wife, 1961
edition of 9 bronze castes
made posthumously in 1967 or 1968 at the Stephen Walker Foundry by Roger Burgess, a student under Lyndon Dadswell at the National Art School, Sydney, initial supervision by Stephen Walker
estate ids: no numbers allocated when caste
collections
Newcastle Region Art Gallery, Newcastle, acc no 1968.15 [as 33.5 x 14 x 12.7 cm; measures as h 31 cm, excluding base]
private collection, Melbourne [1988]
private collection, Sydney [1988]
the Robert Holmes à Court Collection, Perth [1987-88; as no 7 of 9, 30.2 x 2.9 x 11.5 cm]
others unkn
provenances
clay original
lost in post-humous casting
plaster caste
not known
fired terracotta
offered David Jones’ Art Gallery, Sydney, 1990
offered David Jones’ Art Gallery, Sydney, 1991
bronze castes
authorised casting
John Kaplan, Sydney
offered Joseph Brown Gallery, Melbourne, 1974
collection not known
others
no ? of 9
Artarmon Galleries, Sydney
acquired Newcastle Region Art Gallery, Newcastle, from Artarmon Galleries
no ? of 9
offered Christie, Manson & Woods (Australia) Limited, Melbourne, 1975
no ? of 9
private collection, Sydney
no 7 of 9
offered 27 Niagara Lane Galleries, Melbourne, 1982
offered Christie, Manson & Woods (Australia) Limited, Melbourne, 1987
acquired The Robert Holmes à Court Collection, Perth [h 30.2 cm], at auction
others
unkn
exhibited
plaster caste
? Godfrey Miller Memorial Exhibition [John Henshaw], Darlinghurst Galleries, Sydney, 16 February - 27 March 1965, uncat [noted on the catalogue seen as ‘semi cubist figure sculpture posthumously cast in plaster from Miller’s clay model’]
fired terracotta
Godfrey Miller Sculpture with the 40 Drawings [John Henshaw], David Jones’ Art Gallery, Sydney, 18 August - 13 September 1990, cat no 1 [as Sculpture, 33.5 cm, 1964]
Fine and Decorative Art Exhibition, David Jones’ Art Gallery, Sydney, 8 March - 27 April 1991, cat no 6 [as Sculpture, 33.5 cm, 1964]
bronze castes
authorised casting
Spring Exhibition 1974: Recent Acquisitions, Joseph Brown Gallery, Melbourne, 7 - 23 October 1974, cat no 61 [dated 1961, h 32 cm]
others
David Jones’ Art Gallery, Sydney, 1968
Godfrey Miller Drawings from the Godfrey Miller Estate collection [John Henshaw], Newcastle City Art Gallery, Newcastle, 27 February - 23 March 1969, cat no 39 [as Torso, (1962-64), bronze, 32 x 14 x 12.7 cm, edition of 9 casts, not numbered]
Christie, Manson & Woods (Australia) Limited, Melbourne, March 1975, cat no 455 [as from original clay sculpture of 1963-64, h 31 cm]
Godfrey Miller 1893-1964: Survey Exhibition of Drawings [John Henshaw], 27 Niagara Lane Galleries, Melbourne, 1 - 26 August 1982, cat no 70 [as no 7 of 9, dated ca 1963-64, h 32 cm, nfs]
Australian Paintings, Prints and Books, Christie, Manson & Woods (Australia) Limited, Melbourne, 12 April 1987, cat no 402 [as Torso, bronze, h 29 cm, ‘Conceived in 1963-64, cast Stephen Walker Foundary 1967, no 7 of 9’]
reproduced
fired terracotta
Henshaw, Godfrey Miller [1965], op cit, pl 61 [as h 121/2 ins, dated 1961; b&w]
advertisement, Art and Australia, vol 28, no 4, p 48 [as 52.5 cm, dated 1963-64; David Jones’ Art Gallery; col]
bronze castes:
authorised casting
Spring Exhibition 1974: Recent Acquisitions, exhibition catalogue, Joseph Brown Gallery, Melbourne, 1974, cat no 61 [b&w]
others
Henshaw, Godfrey Miller 1893-1964: Survey Exhibition of Drawings [1982], op cit, cat no 70 [b&w]
Australian Paintings, Prints and Books, auction catalogue, Christie, Manson & Woods (Australia), Limited, Melbourne, 1987, cat no 402 [b&w]
referenced
auction results, Art and Australia, vol 12, no 4, April - June 1975, p 332
? Craig, Australian Art Auction Records 1973-75 [1975], op cit
return to top