William Charles Piguenit Australia, 1836-1914
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About William Charles Piguenit
Regarded as the first Australian born artist, William Charles Piguenit was born in Hobart in 1836. His father had been sentenced to transportation for "receiving" and had arrived in Hobart in 1830. William Piguenit had received some lessons at school and he became a draughtsman in the Survey Office. In 1872 he became a full-time artist, and moved to Sydney in 1880 where he held a one-man exhibition and participated in exhibitions at the New South Wales Academy of Arts. He visited England an Europe in 1898, and exhibited in London and at the Old Salon, Paris. William Piguenit was awarded the Wynne Prize in 1901 for Thunderstorm on the Darling.
The earliest auction listing we have for William Piguenit is in 1967 and in total 365 works by the artist have been offered for sale, of which 247 (68%) were sold. The highest price recorded for the artist is $198,000 for Sydney from the North Shore sold by Christies in July 1990. This year 2 works have been offered for sale. Works by William Piguenit are held by the National Gallery of Australia, Art Gallery of NSW and a further five major public national galleries (see list below).
William Charles Piguenit 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 780
- Kerr, Joan. Dictionary of Australian Artists, Painters, Sketchers, Photographers and Engravers to 1870. Oxford University Press, Australia, 1993. Page 628
- Campbell, Jean. Australian Watercolour Painters: 1780 to the Present Day. Craftsman House, Sydney, 1989. Page 354
- Dictionary of Australian Artists Online, an online resource for biographical data about Australian artists, designers, craftspeople and curators.
- The Find New Zealand Artists web site: a database of artist names that directs researchers to the rich resources found in New Zealand's libraries, art society exhibition histories and published sources.
- 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…
No, ineligible. The artist has been deceased for more than 70 years.
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