Born in Scotland in 1875, Max Meldrum arrived in Australia in 1889 with his family. He studied at the National Gallery School, Victoria, and in 1899 won a travelling scholarship which enabled him to spend the next thirteen years in Paris and on the Brittany coast where he developed his philosophy and his strongly traditional and conservative style of painting. Meldrum returned to Australia in 1912. He ran the Meldrum School of painting between 1916 and 1926. He was commissioned to complete a portrait of a Victoria Cross recipient following the First World War. He was a trustee of the National Gallery of Victoria from 1937 to 1945.
The earliest auction listing we have for Max Meldrum is in 1967 and in total 373 works by the artist have been offered for sale, of which 287 (77%) were sold. The highest price recorded for the artist is $73,636 for Ida in the Studio sold by Deutscher and Hackett in September 2022. This year 2 works have been offered for sale. Works by Max Meldrum are held by the National Gallery of Australia, National Gallery of Victoria and a further six major public national galleries (see list below).
Max Meldrum 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…
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.
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