Leonard William French Australia, Britain, Europe, 1928-2017
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About Leonard French
Born in Victoria in 1928, initially trained as a signwriter, but in a career change to art, French undertook extensive independent studies in the United Kingdom and Europe, and later in the Far East. Very early in his career he showed a leaning towards large-scale design in various media. He is greatly interested in religious philosophies, and his art is concerned with the communication of ideas arising from his studies of these philosophies. In 1963 he was commissioned to design the stained glass ceiling for the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne. One of the world's largest glass ceilings at 61 x 15 metres, it took him five years to assemble to 10,000 pieces and was unveiled at the gallery's opening in 1968. During his career he held over 40 solo exhibitions and he won multiple awards over the years, including the Blake Prize (twice) and the Sulman Prize in 1960, for a painting called The Burial. In 1968, he received an OBE for his service to painting.
Leonard French is one of the most prolific of the artists listed in our database, with the number of works offered for sale by auction since 1969 of 666, of which 460 (69%) were sold. The highest price recorded for the artist is $156,000 for After the Ark sold by Sotheby's in November 2007. This year 3 works have been offered for sale. Works by Leonard French are held by the National Gallery of Australia, Queensland Art Gallery and a further five major public national galleries (see list below).
Leonard French 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 442
- Germaine, Max. Artists and Galleries of Australia, Volumes 1 & 2, Third Edition. Craftsman Press, Sydney, 1990. Page 232
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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