William B. Dexter Britain, Australia, 1818-60
Past Sales
Sales by Medium
Where to buy or sell art works by William Dexter
Auction Houses
About William Dexter
William Dexter served his apprenticeship at the Derby China Factory and was a painter of flowers, birds and figures. He lived in Paris and exhibited at the Royal Academy in 185. Dexter arrived in Sydney in 1852 on board the ship 'Bank of England'. He taught at Lyndhurst College, Glebe then went to the Bendigo Goldfields where he designed the diggers flag. In 1854 Dexter and his wife Caroline launched a Gallery of the Arts and School of Design. He exhibited at the first Australian Exhibition in Paris in 1855. Sadly, this failed and the pair separated in 1857 and Dexter returned to Sydney.
The earliest auction listing we have for William Dexter is in 1967 and in total 52 works by the artist have been offered for sale, of which 25 (48%) were sold. The highest price recorded for the artist is $14,427 for 'Birds Est' sold by Cordy's in February 2016. No works have been offered for sale this year, and the last sale we have recorded for the artist was in 2020. Works by William Dexter are held by the National Gallery of Australia, National Gallery of Victoria and Art Gallery of South Australia.
William Dexter 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 378
- Kerr, Joan. Dictionary of Australian Artists, Painters, Sketchers, Photographers and Engravers to 1870. Oxford University Press, Australia, 1993. Page 209
- Campbell, Jean. Australian Watercolour Painters: 1780 to the Present Day. Craftsman House, Sydney, 1989. Page 304
- Dictionary of Australian Artists Online, an online resource for biographical data about Australian artists, designers, craftspeople and curators.
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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