William (King Billy) Barak Australia (Aboriginal), c1824-1903
Past Sales
Sales by Medium
Where to buy or sell art works by Bill Barak
Auction Houses
About Bill Barak
Born in Victoria in 1824, William Barak was an Aboriginal artist who painted in ochre and charcoal. A spokesman for the Aboriginal community, several of his works were published in the late 1890s.
The total number of works by William (King Billy) Barak offered for sale by auction since 1974 is 20, of which 16 (80%) were sold. The highest price recorded for the artist is $532,636 for Corroboree (Women in possum skin cloaks) sold by Sotheby's in May 2022. No works have been offered for sale this year, and the last sale we have recorded for the artist was in 2022. Works by William (King Billy) Barak are held by the National Gallery of Victoria, National Gallery of Australia and a further two major public national galleries (see list below).
Bill Barak 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 35
- 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.
- Bill Barak 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…
No, ineligible. The artist has been deceased for more than 70 years.
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