Bernard Hesling Britain, Australia, 1905-87
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About Bernard Hesling
Born in Yorkshire, England in 1905, Hesling arrived in Australia in 1928. Originally a house painter and marbler, Hesling first started painting after meeting Leger, Vlaminck, Laurencin and other French painters in Paris. He modelled his work after Rousseau before moving on to abstracts and cartoons. He migrated to Sydney in 1928 and exhibited his abstract paintings the following year. Cartoons and writing by him appeared in the 'Sydney Morning Herald' as well as many overseas newspapers. Hesling painted numerous murals from 1950 to 1955 in NSW, Victoria, SA and North Queensland and pioneered the use of vitreous enamels in Australia. Hesling wrote art criticism for the Sydney 'Observer' and was an author of 5 books. Hesling was awarded an OAM in June 1985 for his service to the arts.
Bernard Hesling is one of the most prolific of the artists listed in our database, with the number of works offered for sale by auction since 1973 of 688, of which 553 (80%) were sold. The highest price recorded for the artist is $6,710 for The King and the Queen 1968 sold by Gibson's Auctioneers & Valuers in October 2022. This year 12 works have been offered for sale. Works by Bernard Hesling are held by the National Gallery of Australia and Art Gallery of Western Australia.
Bernard Hesling 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 514
- Dictionary of Australian Artists Online, an online resource for biographical data about Australian artists, designers, craftspeople and curators.
- 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.
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.
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