Born in Aberdeen Scotland, John Rae arrived in Australia in 1838. Rae worked in the public service, and during his working life period he had many leadership positions within the public service, retiring from the last position in 1893. Despite the demands of his busy professional life, Rae took a prominent part in Sydney's cultural activities including the Sydney Debating Society and the Sydney Mechanics School of Arts. He owned works by prominent artists of the period including G.E. Peacock, Lucy Havens, Conrad Martens and William Nicholas. An amateur photographer, he painted some panoramas of Sydney with the assistance of a pinhole camera.
Our database lists 14 works offered for sale at auction by this artist, of which 4 were sold.
John Rae is listed in the following standard biographical references:
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.
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.
Access to the database is available on either a monthly or annual subscription. During the subscription period you have unlimited access to the site. If you would like to subscribe, please proceed to our Subscription Form.