Dick (Goobalatheldin) Roughsey Australia (Aboriginal), 1924-85
Past Sales
Sales by Medium
Where to buy or sell art works by Dick Roughsey
Auction Houses
About Dick Roughsey
Born on the island of Langu-Narnji near Mornington Island around 1920, Roughsey, who signed his paintings by his tribal name Goobalathaldin, was an Aboriginal raised in the traditional ways of his people. A primitive artist, he painted scenes of north Queensland and illustrated several children's books of Aboriginal legends. In 1972 he was appointed Special Aboriginal Consultant to the Council of the Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies and later chairman of the Aboriginal Arts Board.
We have records of art auction sales by Dick (Goobalatheldin) Roughsey from 1974 and in total 265 works by the artist have been offered for sale, of which 204 (77%) were sold. The highest price recorded for the artist is $16,800 for Goorialla - The Rainbow Serpent-set of Sixteen Works 1975 sold by Lawson~Menzies (now trading as Menzies) in May 2006. This year 2 works have been offered for sale. Works by Dick (Goobalatheldin) Roughsey are held by the Queensland Art Gallery, National Gallery of Victoria and a further three major public national galleries (see list below).
Dick Roughsey 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 145
- 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.
- Dick Roughsey is classified as one of the top Australian Indigenous artists by leading Aboriginal fine art gallery, Cooee Gallery, Sydney.
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.
The Australian Art Sales Digest is a database of over 610,000 works by more than 12,000 artists who are listed as having either lived or worked in Australia or New Zealand, and an additional 36,000 foreign and other artists, offered for sale by auction in Australia and New Zealand from the early 1970s to the present day.
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