Robert MacPherson Australia, 1937-2021
Past Sales
Sales by Medium
Where to buy or sell art works by Robert MacPherson
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About Robert MacPherson
Born in Brisbane in 1937, Robert MacPherson was an abstract painter and sculptor. He began painting in 1958, inspired by the American Abstract Expressionism, and began his artistic career by experimenting with colour field painting. He first exhibited his work in 1973 and over a 40 year career has exhibited regularly since then, including a major solo exhibition at the Queensland Art Gallery, Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane in 2015 and at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia in Sydney in 2001. His practice operated in the spaces between language and image, high and low art, the sacred and profane. He exhibited in most of the eastern state capital cities. McPherson's work is represented in the Australian National Gallery, most state galleries, and regional and institutional collections. Robert MacPherson died in Brisbane in 2021.
The earliest auction listing we have for Robert MacPherson is in 1996 and in total 92 works by the artist have been offered for sale, of which 54 (59%) were sold. The highest price recorded for the artist is $70,500 for Scale from the Tool sold by Christies in April 2001. No works have been offered for sale this year, and the last sale we have recorded for the artist was in 2023. Works by Robert MacPherson are held by the National Gallery of Australia, Heide Museum of Modern Art and a further nine major public national galleries (see list below).
Robert MacPherson is listed in the following standard biographical references:
- McCulloch, Alan McCulloch, Susan McCulloch, Emily McCulloch-Childs. The New McCulloch's Encyclopedia of Australian Art. 4th Edition, Aus Art Melbourne & The Miegunyah Press, 2006. Page 653
- Australian Prints + Printmaking, a database listing printmaking artists from Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific region based on the print collection of the National Gallery of Australia.
Artists' Resale Royalty
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…
Yes, eligible, subject to the artist satisfying the residency test. The artist is alive or has been deceased for less than 70 years. Contact the Copyright Agency for information on the residency test.
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