Born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1825, John McKirdy Nelson arrived in Tasmania in 1841. After a period as a teacher in Tasmania he moved to Victoria where he became a founding member of the Victorian Academy of Arts. Working with pencil, oil and watercolour he depicted rural scenes and landscapes Tasmania and Victoria, all of which are dated in the 1870s and 1880s.
The earliest auction listing we have for J. McKirdy (John) Nelson is in 1967 and in total 22 works by the artist have been offered for sale, of which 13 (59%) were sold. The highest price recorded for the artist is $7,500 for Autumn Evening, Hanging Rock, Woodend sold by Leonard Joel in November 1989. No works have been offered for sale this year, and the last sale we have recorded for the artist was in 2008.
J. McKirdy (John) Nelson is listed in the following standard biographical references:
Could the second and subsequent works by this artist sold after June 9, 2010 for over $1,000 be liable for the Artists' Resale Royalty? More info…
No, ineligible. The artist has been deceased for more than 70 years.
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