Born in Scotland in 1815, James Shaw studied with his artist father, and arrived in Adelaide in 1850 after spedning 10 years working as a planter in Jamaica. After a short stint working in the postal service, he became a full time artist, earnign his living from painting Colonial homes and gardens. He was a foundation member of the South Australian Society of Artists. He died in 1881. A travelling exhibition of his work The Art of Gardening in Colonial Australia toured several state galleries in 1979. Other exhibitions were held at the Art Gallery of Australia in 1981 and the National Gallery of Australia in 1988.
The earliest auction listing we have for James Shaw is in 1974 and in total 22 works by the artist have been offered for sale, of which 13 (59%) were sold. The highest price recorded for the artist is $42,000 for The First Steeplechase in South Australia, 25 September 1846 sold by Bonhams in June 2010. No works have been offered for sale this year, and the last sale we have recorded for the artist was in 2022. Works by James Shaw are held by the Art Gallery of South Australia and National Gallery of Victoria.
James Shaw 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.