Owen R. Lee New Zealand, 1918-2003
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Where to buy or sell art works by Owen R. Lee
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About Owen R. Lee
Owen Lee was born in Christchurch where he attended the Canterbury University School of Art from 1933-39 studying under Cecil Kelly and Art Gallery of New South Wales Archibald Nicoll. He first started painting with his older brother William H. Lee who encouraged, taught and supported him through University. Owen Lee spent a large part of his life in the North Island, living nine years in Cambridge and 18 years in Auckland, where he was head of art at Takapuna Grammar School. From there he moved to the South Island which provided the source for many of his atmospheric landscapes, and where he joined the Dunedin Art School. He was elected fellow of the Royal Sociert of Arts in London in 1962.
The earliest auction listing we have for Owen Lee is in 1976 and in total 347 works by the artist have been offered for sale, of which 298 (86%) were sold. The highest price recorded for the artist is $16,178 for Trampers on the Port Hills sold by Dunbar Sloane in June 2006. This year 3 works have been offered for sale. Works by Owen Lee are held by the Christchurch Art Gallery and Museum Of New Zealand.
Owen R. Lee is listed in the following standard biographical references:
- McGahey, Kate. The Concise Dictionary of New Zealand Artists Painters Printmakers Sculptors, Gilt Edge Publishing, Wellington, New Zealand, 2000. Page 146
- 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.
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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