Oswald Brett Australia, 1921-2017
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Where to buy or sell art works by Oswald Brett
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About Oswald Brett
Oswald Longfield Brett was born in Cheltenham, NSW in 1921. At 14 he tried to join Alan Villiers on the Joseph Conrad, but his parents stopped him and he entered the East Sydney Technical College, studying art instead. He was so entranced with the work of noted marine artist, John Allcot, he eventually sought him out and spent all his spare time with him, watching him paint and accompanying him onboard ships. He joined the Cunard Line in World War II and was involved with both the Queen Elizabeth and the Aquitania in their troop runs from New York to Great Britain. He settled in and lived the remainder of his life in New York. After five years employed as an artist in a Madison Avenue publishing house, decided to freelance. His work as a painter has been influenced and assisted by the American illustrator and marine painter, Anton Otto Fischer. To celebrate the bicentenary of the independence of the USA, he held an exhibition of his work in Sydney. He frequently visited his homeland, painting and sketching the harbour foreshores.
We have records of art auction sales by Oswald Brett from 1990 and in total 25 works by the artist have been offered for sale, of which 19 (76%) were sold. The highest price recorded for the artist is $2,880 for Morning Mist, SS Lady Isobel and the Pilot Steamer Captain Cook III, Sydney Heads in 1939 sold by Shapiro Auctioneers in March 2021. No works have been offered for sale this year, and the last sale we have recorded for the artist was in 2023.
Oswald Brett is listed in the following standard biographical references:
- Germaine, Max. Artists and Galleries of Australia, Volumes 1 & 2, Third Edition. Craftsman Press, Sydney, 1990. Page 80
- 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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