Gustave Michael Pillig Australia, 1877-1956
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Where to buy or sell art works by Gustav Pillig
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About Gustav Pillig
Born in Germany in 1877, trained at the Technical School, Stockholm in 1900, the Royal Academy, Berlin from 1900 to 1903 and Royal Academy in Dusseldorf from 1904 to 1907). He became an established sculptor in Germany, producing figural bronzes and receiving commissions for several public sculptures. He initially settled in Melbourne, but between 1919 and 1923, worked as a sculptor in Sydney. Pillig exhibited sculpture, paintings and etchings in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane including with the NSW Society of Artists. He was commissioned to produce relief decorations for the Regent and Plaza Theatres in Melbourne and produced art deco earthenware figures. In 1932, he exhibited a monumental work Symphony of Life, which was a 20 feet long terracotta with bronze patina of 300 figures on a bridge. As a printmaker he produced a number of intaglio prints using the etching technique.
The earliest auction listing we have for Gustave Pillig is in 1974 and in total 111 works by the artist have been offered for sale, of which 75 (68%) were sold. The highest price recorded for the artist is $4,560 for Mixed Bunch sold by E. J. Ainger Pty.Ltd. in November 2020. No works have been offered for sale this year, and the last sale we have recorded for the artist was in 2023. Works by Gustave Pillig are held by the National Gallery of Australia.
Gustav Pillig 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 781
- Australian Prints + Printmaking, a database listing printmaking artists from Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific region based on the print collection of the National Gallery of Australia.
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.
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