Cecil John (John) Brack Australia, 1920-99
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About John Brack
Born in Victoria in 1920, Brack studied at the Melbourne National Gallery Art School under Sir William Dargie and later became head of the school in the 1960s. Perhaps best known for his portraits of sportsmen and well-known personalities, he has also painted such subjects as 'Collins Street at Five O'Clock' and a series on surgical instruments. Brack's first exhibition in 1953 was quickly followed by some numerous commercial and public gallery exhibitions, which continued after his death. His work is represented in several state and provincial collections.
John Brack is one of the most prolific of the artists listed in our database, with the number of works offered for sale by auction since 1967 of 953, of which 703 (74%) were sold. The highest price recorded for the artist is $3,360,000 for The Old Time sold by Sotheby's in May 2007. In addition to this sale, a further 18 works by this artist have been sold for over $1 million. This year 7 works have been offered for sale. Works by John Brack are held by the National Gallery of Australia, National Gallery of Victoria and a further eight major public national galleries (see list below).
John Brack 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 277
- Germaine, Max. Artists and Galleries of Australia, Volumes 1 & 2, Third Edition. Craftsman Press, Sydney, 1990. Page 75
- Campbell, Jean. Australian Watercolour Painters: 1780 to the Present Day. Craftsman House, Sydney, 1989. Page 290
- 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.
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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