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Arthur Boyd 1920 - 1999

Style

Figurative / Landscape

Career Status

Blue Chip

Biography

Born in 1920 Arthur Boyd, the eldest son of Merric and Doris Boyd. A potter and sculptor, Aurthor became one of Australia's most celebrated painters. As a teenager, Arthur built a studio for himself on the family property in Murrumbeena. He worked and raised a family there with his wife, Yvonne.

In 1959, after the death of his parents, Arthur and his family moved to London. His growing fame as a painter was confirmed in 1962 with a major retrospective at London's Whitechapel Gallery.

Arthur never returned to live in Melbourne after the sale of the family home. Instead he bought 1000 hectares near Nowra on the south coast of NSW. He would gift this property, Bundanon, to the Australian public five years before his death in 1999.

Internationally famous, Arthur Boyd's stature was confirmed when he was declared a national living treasure and awarded Australian of the Year in 1994.

Auction Record

$1,057,500 Bridegroom Waiting for His Bride to Grow Up
Oil on tempera on board, signed 'Arthur Boyd' lower right; titled 'Bridegroom waiting for his Bride to Grow Up' on exhibition label affixed to the reverse, 137.2 x 182.9 cm, Est: $600,000-900,000 Christies Melbourne 27/11/2001, Lot No. 28

Awards

1950 Dunlop prizes, Melbourne
1958 Kuringgai, NSW prize
1963 Henry Caselli Richares prizes, Brisbane
1971 Brittanica Australia award
1979 Office of the Order of Australia conferred 'for service to art
1992 Companion of the Order of Australia

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