Tony Rafty Australia, 1915-2015
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About Tony Rafty
Tony Rafty (Anthony Raftopoulos) was born in Sydney in 1915. A painter, cartoonist and caricaturist, he is mostly self taught, although he did study for 2 years at East Sydney technical College. He joined the staff of the Sun-Herald newspapers in 1940 as political and sports cartoonist. He enlisted in the AIF in 1941 and was later war artist in New Guinea. After World War II he went to New Guinea as artist correspondent for Associated Newspapers. He was the first Australian to draw an Australian comic book in 1948, and after freelancing from 1957 to 1962. He rejoined the Sun Herald group in 1962 as a cartoonist, illustrator and sporting cartoonist and was president of the Black and White Artists' Club in 1975, and also held presidencies of the Sydney Journalists' Club and the War Correspondents' Association. He was awarded an Order of Australia (OAM) 1990 and made a life member of the Black and White Artists' Club 1991. He provided the illustration for a number of books in the 1970s and designed the
The earliest auction listing we have for Tony Rafty is in 1996 and in total 34 works by the artist have been offered for sale, of which 18 (53%) were sold. No works have been offered for sale this year, and the last sale we have recorded for the artist was in 2021. Works by Tony Rafty are held by the Art Gallery of Western Australia and National Gallery of Australia.
Tony Rafty is listed in the following standard biographical references:
- Germaine, Max. Artists and Galleries of Australia, Volumes 1 & 2, Third Edition. Craftsman Press, Sydney, 1990. Page 565
- Campbell, Jean. Australian Watercolour Painters: 1780 to the Present Day. Craftsman House, Sydney, 1989. Page 357
- Dictionary of Australian Artists Online, an online resource for biographical data about Australian artists, designers, craftspeople and curators.
- 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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