Justin Maurice O'Brien Australia, 1917-96
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About Justin O'Brien
Born in Hurstville, New South Wales in 1917, he began private art lessons under Edward M. Smith, a teacher at the East Sydney Technical College and a painter of religious themes, with whom he remained for four years. O'Brien was taken prisoner in Greece while serving with the Australian Army in World War II. While in prison camp he became very interested in Byzantine iconography and, on his release and return to Australia in 1944, did much to promote a richly colouristic and neo-Byzantine type of decorative art. This style became very popular in Sydney during the late 1940s and early 1950s. He was a member of many artists group including the Contemporary Art Society, the Sydney Group of Artists and the Merioola group. His position as art master at the Cranbrook School in Sydney from 1946-67 provided him with many models for his paintings and led him to encourage many students to become artists. He is best known for the religious imagery in his work, as result of his early study.
Justin O'Brien is one of the most prolific of the artists listed in our database, with the number of works offered for sale by auction since 1969 of 582, of which 392 (67%) were sold. The highest price recorded for the artist is $417,273 for Madonna sold by Menzies in June 2022. This year 2 works have been offered for sale. Works by Justin O'Brien are held by the Art Gallery of NSW, Geelong Gallery and a further six major public national galleries (see list below).
Justin O'Brien 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 738
- Germaine, Max. Artists and Galleries of Australia, Volumes 1 & 2, Third Edition. Craftsman Press, Sydney, 1990. Page 513
- Campbell, Jean. Australian Watercolour Painters: 1780 to the Present Day. Craftsman House, Sydney, 1989. Page 349
- 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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