Albert Tucker Paintings & Artwork for Sale | Albert Tucker Art Value Price Guide

May. 07, 2025
ALBERT TUCKER, HORNED FIGURE, 1966
Est: $180,000 - $240,000
ALBERT TUCKER (1914 - 1999) HORNED FIGURE, 1966 synthetic polymer paint on composition board 91.0 x 122.0 cm signed and dated lower left: Tucker / 1966 inscribed with title verso: HORNED FIGURE bears inscription on gallery label verso: HORNED FIGURE / ALBERT TUCKER PROVENANCE Australian Galleries, Melbourne (label attached verso) Private collection, Melbourne EXHIBITED Albert Tucker, Australian Galleries, Melbourne, 26 April – 13 May 1966, cat. 15 ESSAY Albert Tucker decided to explore distinctly Australian themes in his work while living in Italy (he had left Australia in 1947 and was to not return until 1960), where distance allowed a different perspective on the creative possibilities contained within inherited myths and traditions. Sharing a fascination with the story of Ned Kelly alongside his close friend Sidney Nolan, who had painted his first Kelly series in 1946 – 47, Tucker began his investigations of Australian iconography in the same place, creating versions of the Kelly story that pictured the bushranger as a dark, mysterious and isolated figure quite unlike the jaunty iron-clad hero of Nolan’s brightly coloured Ripolin paintings. As Tucker later recalled in an interview with Janet Hawley, he had once said to Nolan that ‘I was painting hell, and he was painting paradise… and I saw a very satisfied grin spread across Nolan’s face.’1 The subject of Kelly was a starting point for Tucker, resulting in a broader exploration of the hardship of life in the Australian bush and the relationship between man and the land. The craggy and scarified forms of Tucker’s images from this time – thick with paint and encrusted surfaces – were no doubt inspired in part by Nolan’s photographs of the 1962 Queensland drought, which he shared with Tucker when the pair reconnected in Rome where Tucker was based.2 However, the artist’s discovery in Paris of the work of Jean Dubuffet, and his meeting with Italian artist Alberto Burri while living in Rome, also played a considerable role in this important transition in his practice. Tucker soon adopted Burri’s use of polyvinyl acetate (which enabled Burri to build up the surfaces of his works), using its ‘flexible and leathery toughness’3 to great effect in his subsequent Antipodean Heads, and, as these works coalesced into bushrangers, explorers and other creatures, for the remainer of his career. As he recalled: ‘I’d been away long enough to be suffering acute bouts of nostalgia and I was getting all these memory images of Australia – and oddly enough not so much specific imagery, but in images of texture and colour and light and all that kind of thing that’s very Australian, very rough textures.’4 Following the influence of artists such as Picasso, Tucker had a lifelong interest in non-Western art and he began collecting sculptures and masks in Melbourne in the 1940s, later travelling to New Guinea to experience the Sepik River region firsthand and further expand his collection. Like the early French modernists, ‘primitive’ art served as a liberating force in Tucker’s practice, helping to free him from the inherited constraints of the Western tradition and open his practice to the power and possibilities of myth. The potent combination of Surrealism, the poetry of T.S. Eliot and contemporary discussion of Jung’s archetypes, served as a platform for discovery and experimentation in his work from as early as the 1940s and the creation of his now iconic series Images of Modern Evil, 1943 – 48. From the grinning faces of the women in a painting such as Victory girls, 1943 (National Gallery of Australia) and the triangular gaping mouth of the figure in Memory of Leonski, 1943 (National Gallery of Victoria), the mouth motif thus transformed into the shape of a crescent, serving as a kind of visual shorthand for the artist: ‘In a way, that crescent thing became a kind of key; it was a hieroglyphic thing. I reached the point in around 1943 that, if I painted and I did not have that crescent, then I could not work. I would have to tear it down, throw it away, nothing would happen. But the moment I got that crescent image in, the thing would fill itself in. It was like automatic writing. Once I had that key form, the rest of the thing would fill itself in rapidly and immediately with whatever data was in my head at the time from wandering around Melbourne.’5 While maintaining an echo of Tucker’s crescent form, Horned figure, 1966 seemingly takes its cue from the mythological horned figures that populate ancient sculpture and the memory of a double-headed axe that the artist had seen in the Etruscan Museum in Rome.6 With its feathery visage and cleaved mouth, statuesque body and claw-like torso, the creature of Horned figure is a menacing and primordial amalgam of recognisable parts. And, like its creator’s contested relationship to his homeland, it appears at once part of the landscape it finds itself in, and strangely isolated from it. As Tucker reflected in later life: ‘…But I do feel that whatever the struggles and conflicts and difficulties of my own life and I did work out the resolution of a lot of them through images and painting and I'd hope this [his paintings] plots a sort of an autobiographical diagram almost, a diagrammatical account of my life because I think it can be traced through all that now. And so... I feel that I have left a few footprints shall I say…’7 1. Hawley, J., ‘Making Pictorial Sense of Modern Evil’, Good Weekend, 18 February 1995, p. 40, cited in Burke, J., Australian Gothic: A Life of Albert Tucker, Random House Australia, Sydney, 2002, p. 163 2. ‘Albert Tucker’, Art Gallery of New South Wales at: https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/collection/artists/tucker-albert/ (accessed 23 March 2025) 3. ibid. 4. Harding, L., Hinterlands: Albert Tucker’s Landscapes 1960 – 75, Heide Museum of Modern Art, Bulleen, 2008, p. 31 5. ‘James Gleeson Interviews: Albert Tucker’ (transcript), 2 May 1979, National Gallery of Australia, at: https://nga.gov.au/media/dd/documents/tucker.pdf (accessed 23 May 2025) 6. ‘Albert Tucker, The Intruder, 1964’, Art Gallery of New South Wales, at: https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/collection/works/429.2016/#about (accessed 23 May 2025) 7. Heimans, F., Australian Biography: Albert Tucker, (video excerpt and transcript), 26 mins, 1993, National Film and Sound Archive, at: https://www.nfsa.gov.au/collection/curated/asset/99512-australian-biography-albert-tucker?utm_source=pocket_saves (accessed 23 May 2025) KELLY GELLATLY © The Albert & Barbara Tucker Foundation. Courtesy of Smith & Singer Fine Art
Deutscher and Hackett
Apr. 29, 2025
ALBERT TUCKER, (1914 - 1999), Brolga - 1966, oil on board, 45 x 60 (frame: 72 x 87) cm
Est: $22,000 - $24,000
ALBERT TUCKER (1914 - 1999) Brolga - 1966 oil on board signed and dated lower right
Lawsons
Apr. 08, 2025
ALBERT TUCKER 1914-1999 Girl Bathing (1971) synthetic polymer paint on composition board 38 x 50.6 cm
Est: $15,000 - $25,000
ALBERT TUCKER 1914-1999 Girl Bathing (1971) synthetic polymer paint on composition board signed ‘Tucker' lower right 38 x 50.6 cm PROVENANCE Albert Tucker, Melbourne Australian Galleries, Melbourne Private Collection, Melbourne, acquired from the above on 10 March 1971, ‘Figure Wading in River' Australian & European Pictures, Tim D. Goodman, Sydney, 12 August 1996, lot 148, ‘Mrs Fraser', illustrated Gould Galleries, Melbourne, acquired from the above Private Collection, Melbourne, acquired from the above Private Collection, Sydney, by descent from the above EXHIBITED The Angry Penguins: An Exhibition of Highly Important Works by Boyd, Nolan, Perceval, Tucker, Gould Galleries, Melbourne, 14 March – 20 April 1997, no. 23, ‘Figure Wading in River, 1970', illustrated
Smith & Singer
Apr. 08, 2025
ALBERT TUCKER 1914-1999 Intruder and Parrots 1970 synthetic polymer paint on composition board 55 x 70 cm
Est: $40,000 - $60,000
ALBERT TUCKER 1914-1999 Intruder and Parrots 1970 synthetic polymer paint on composition board signed and dated ‘Tucker 70' lower left 55 x 70 cm PROVENANCE Albert Tucker, Melbourne Private Collection Australian Paintings, Leonard Joel, Melbourne, 7 November 1974, lot 430, illustrated Private Collection Gould Galleries, Melbourne and Sydney (stock 13,409) Private Collection, Queensland, acquired from the above in 2004 EXHIBITED 100 Years of Great Australian Art, Gould Galleries, Melbourne, 2-28 March 2004; Gould Galleries, Sydney, 6 April – 9 May 2004, no. 26, illustrated
Smith & Singer
Mar. 09, 2025
ALBERT LEE TUCKER - FIGURE - SYNTHETIC POLYMER PAINT AND SAND ON BOARD
Est: $2,500 - $4,000
ALBERT LEE TUCKER (1914-1999) FIGURE Signed and dated 78 lower right Synthetic polymer paint and sand on board 24 x 23cm Estimate $2,500/4,000 AUD
GFL Fine Art
Feb. 25, 2025
ALBERT TUCKER, (1914 - 1999), Parrot & Bush II - 1965, oil on board, 59 x 74 (frame: 81.5 x 96.5) cm
Est: $22,000 - $28,000
ALBERT TUCKER (1914 - 1999) Parrot & Bush II - 1965 oil on board signed and dated lower left; titled verso
Lawsons
Feb. 12, 2025
ALBERT TUCKER, (1914 - 1999), Parrot in Gum, c1980s, oil on canvas board, 35 x 45 cm (frame: 54 x 64 x 4 cm)
Est: $15,000 - $20,000
ALBERT TUCKER (1914 - 1999) Parrot in Gum, c1980s oil on canvas board signed Lower Left
Lawsons
Nov. 27, 2024
ALBERT TUCKER 1914-1999 Parrots in the Trees synthetic polymer paint on composition board 25 x 35 cm
Est: $8,000 - $12,000
ALBERT TUCKER 1914-1999 Parrots in the Trees synthetic polymer paint on composition board signed ‘Tucker' lower left 25 x 35 cm PROVENANCE Albert Tucker, Melbourne Private Collection, Melbourne
Smith & Singer
Nov. 27, 2024
ALBERT TUCKER 1914-1999 Explorer Resting 1967 synthetic polymer paint on canvas 122.8 x 152.7 cm frame: original, John Kosnar, Melbourn
Est: $250,000 - $350,000
ALBERT TUCKER 1914-1999 Explorer Resting 1967 synthetic polymer paint on canvas signed ‘Tucker 67' lower left; signed, dated and inscribed ‘ 3 "EXPLORER RESTING" / 1967 / ALBERT TUCKER / 4' verso 122.8 x 152.7 cm frame: original, John Kosnar, Melbourne PROVENANCE Albert Tucker, Melbourne Barbara Tucker, Melbourne, acquired from the above Private Collection, Melbourne, by descent from the above EXHIBITED Obra pictórica de Albert Tucker, Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes, Mexico, February 1969, no. 3, ‘Explorador descansando' Albert Tucker, Poindexter Gallery, New York, 15 March – 3 April 1969 Albert Tucker, Bonython Art Gallery, Sydney, 28 October – 19 November 1969, no. 32 Albert Tucker: Paintings, Cultural Centre, Manila; National Museum of Modern Art, Seoul; Museum of Modern Art, Pei San; Cultural Museum, Otsu City; Shibuya, Tokyo; Hanshui, Osaka; Museum of Taiwan, 1971, no. 4, illustrated Albert Tucker, Skinner Galleries, Perth, January 1972, no. 4
Smith & Singer
Nov. 27, 2024
ALBERT TUCKER 1914-1999 Parrot on the Tree Branch synthetic polymer paint on composition board 28 x 38 cm
Est: $8,000 - $12,000
ALBERT TUCKER 1914-1999 Parrot on the Tree Branch synthetic polymer paint on composition board 28 x 38 cm PROVENANCE Albert Tucker, Melbourne Private Collection, Melbourne
Smith & Singer
Nov. 27, 2024
ALBERT TUCKER 1914-1999 Image of Modern Evil 1972 pastel on paper 70 x 50.5 cm
Est: $30,000 - $50,000
ALBERT TUCKER 1914-1999 Image of Modern Evil 1972 pastel on paper signed and dated ‘Tucker 72' lower right 70 x 50.5 cm PROVENANCE Albert Tucker, Melbourne Dennis Gowing, Melbourne J.G.L. Investments Pty Ltd, Melbourne, acquired from the above on 27 May 1980 Important Australian Art from The J.G.L. Collection, Smith & Singer (trading as Sotheby's Australia), Sydney, 16 May 2018, lot 110, illustrated Private Collection, Sydney, acquired from the above EXHIBITED The Great Decades of Australian Art: Selected Masterpieces from the J.G.L. Collection, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, 21 November 1984 – 28 January 1985, ‘The Twin Image', illustrated LITERATURE Patrick McCaughey, The Great Decades of Australian Art: Selected Masterpieces from the J.G.L. Collection, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, 1984, p. 83 (illustrated), ‘The Twin Image'
Smith & Singer
Nov. 27, 2024
ALBERT TUCKER 1914-1999 Flight of Rosellas (1975) synthetic polymer paint on composition board 56 x 71.4 cm
Est: $30,000 - $40,000
ALBERT TUCKER 1914-1999 Flight of Rosellas (1975) synthetic polymer paint on composition board signed ‘Tucker' lower right 56 x 71.4 cm PROVENANCE Albert Tucker, Melbourne Australian Paintings, Christie's Australia, Melbourne, 28 April 1976, lot 535, ‘Parrots in the Forest', illustrated Private Collection, Melbourne Andrew Ivanyi Galleries, Melbourne Private Collection, Melbourne, acquired from the above on 10 August 1988
Smith & Singer
Nov. 20, 2024
ALBERT TUCKER (1914-1999), Ibis in Swamp 1964
Est: $20,000 - $30,000
PROPERTY FROM THE COLLECTION OF SIR RODERICK & LADY GILLIAN DEANE, NEW ZEALAND ALBERT TUCKER (1914-1999) Ibis in Swamp 1964 synthetic polymer paint on board 61.0 x 81.0 cm; 74.5 x 95.0 cm (framed) signed and dated lower left: Tucker 64 bears inscription verso: AG490
Menzies
Nov. 20, 2024
ALBERT TUCKER (1914-1999), Luna Park 1987
Est: $180,000 - $240,000
PROPERTY FORMERLY IN THE COLLECTION OF BARBARA TUCKER, MELBOURNE ALBERT TUCKER (1914-1999) Luna Park 1987 synthetic polymer paint on canvas 97.5 x 126.5 cm; 102.0 x 132.5 cm (framed) signed and dated lower right: Tucker 87 signed and inscribed verso: For Barbara Tucker/ - Albert Tucker/ For Barbara/ Albert Tucker inscribed on stretcher verso: LUNA PARK 80036/ 96.5/ 127/ cm
Menzies
Oct. 27, 2024
ALBERT TUCKER (1914-1999), Ibis Flying 1965
Est: $12,000 - $16,000
ALBERT TUCKER (1914-1999) Ibis Flying 1965 synthetic polymer paint on composition board signed and dated lower right: Tucker / 65 inscribed verso: Ibis Flying 30 x 40cm PROVENANCE Australian Galleries, Melbourne Private Collection, Melbourne Acquired from the above, Corporate Collection Sotheby's, Sydney, Important Australian Art, 23 November 2016, Lot 68 Private Collection, Sydney Menzies, Melbourne, Australian & International Fine Art & Sculpture, 30 June 2021, Lot 108 Private Collection, Melbourne © Albert & Barbara Tucker Foundation. Courtesy of Smith & Singer Fine Art
Gibson's
Oct. 22, 2024
ALBERT TUCKER (1914-1999) (Flying Parrots) oil on composition board 60 x 75cm
Est: $22,000 - $26,000
ALBERT TUCKER (1914-1999) (Flying Parrots) oil on composition board signed lower right: Tucker 60 x 75cm PROVENANCE: The Collection of Reginald Maurice Berkley, Victoria Thence by descent OTHER NOTES: © Albert & Barbara Tucker Foundation. Courtesy of Smith & Singer Fine Art
Leonard Joel
Oct. 22, 2024
ALBERT TUCKER (1914-1999) (Parrot Flying Amidst Trees) watercolour and gouache on paper laid on board 25 x 33cm
Est: $4,000 - $6,000
ALBERT TUCKER (1914-1999) (Parrot Flying Amidst Trees) watercolour and gouache on paper laid on board signed lower left: Tucker 25 x 33cm PROVENANCE: Private collection, Melbourne Thence by descent OTHER NOTES: © Albert & Barbara Tucker Foundation. Courtesy of Smith & Singer Fine Art
Leonard Joel
Sep. 04, 2024
ALBERT TUCKER, (1914 - 1999), Ibis in Swamp, 1964, decorative print afer original, 41 x 55 cm. (16.1 x 21.6 in.), frame: 57 x 71 x 2 cm. (22.4 x 27.9 x 0.7 in.)
Est: $100 - $200
ALBERT TUCKER (1914 - 1999) Ibis in Swamp, 1964 decorative print afer original signed in print lower left
Lawsons
Aug. 29, 2024
Albert Tucker by James Mollison and Nicholas Bonham
Est: $30 - $50
Albert Tucker by James Mollison and Nicholas Bonham
Lawsons
Aug. 28, 2024
ALBERT TUCKER (1914-1999), Gippsland Explorers 1963
Est: $2,000 - $3,000
PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE COLLECTION, SYDNEY ALBERT TUCKER (1914-1999) Gippsland Explorers 1963 colour lithograph 52.0 x 76.5 cm (image); 58.0 x 80.0 cm (sheet); 75.0 x 97.0 cm (framed) edition: 34/50 signed lower right: Albert Tucker numbered and titled lower left: "Gippsland Explorers" NO 34/50 printed by Janet Dawson and Gallery A Print Workshop, Melbourne (blindstamp lower left) published by the National Gallery Society of Victoria, Melbourne
Menzies
Aug. 27, 2024
Albert Tucker, (1914-1999), Explorer and Rosella, 1964, oil on board, 24 x 34.5 cm
Est: $15,000 - $25,000
Albert Tucker (1914-1999) Explorer and Rosella, 1964 oil on board signed and dated lower left: 'Tucker, ‘64'
Shapiro Auctioneers
Aug. 25, 2024
TUCKER Albert (1914-1999), Parrot in Gum, c.1980s., Oil on Canvas Board, 35x45cm
Est: $7,000 - $12,000
TUCKER, Albert (1914-1999) Parrot in Gum, c.1980s. Signed lower left. © Albert & Barbara Tucker Foundation. Courtesy of Smith & Singer Fine Art, 2024 Oil on Canvas Board 35x45cm PROVENANCE: Likely The Art World Pty Ltd, Brisbane (cat #BA1); deceased estate, Townsville, Qld; thence by descent.
Davidson Auctions
Aug. 21, 2024
§ ALBERT TUCKER 1914-1999 Explorer 1964 synthetic polymer paint on composition board 81.4 x 61 cm frame: original, John Kosnar, Melbour
Est: $350,000 - $550,000
§ ALBERT TUCKER 1914-1999 Explorer 1964 synthetic polymer paint on composition board signed and dated 'Tucker 64' lower left 81.4 x 61 cm frame: original, John Kosnar, Melbourne PROVENANCE Albert Tucker, Melbourne Australian Galleries, Melbourne (AG 684) (label verso) Jonathon Crawford, Melbourne, acquired from the above on 17 June 1965 Paintings, Leonard Joel, Melbourne, 7 November 1984, lot 170, ‘Antipodean Head', illustrated Barry Stern Galleries, Sydney, acquired from the above David Newby, Sydney, acquired from the above on 1 December 1984 The David Newby Collection of Australian Art, Smith & Singer (trading as Sotheby's Australia), Sydney, 3 May 2017, lot 13, illustrated Private Collection, Sydney, 3 May 2017, lot 13, illustrated Private Collection, Sydney, acquired from the above EXHIBITED Albert Tucker: The Mythologies & Images, Lauraine Diggins Fine Art, Melbourne, 26 June – 13 July 1990; Savill Galleries, Sydney, 1-18 August 1990, no. 52, illustrated
Smith & Singer
Aug. 15, 2024
ALBERT TUCKER, (1914 - 1999), Parrot and Bush, oil on composition board, 55 x 70 cm. (21.6 x 27.5 in.), frame: 75 x 91 x 5 cm. (29.5 x 35.8 x 1.9 in.)
Est: $25,000 - $35,000
ALBERT TUCKER (1914 - 1999) Parrot and Bush oil on composition board signed lower right
Lawsons
Jul. 24, 2024
ALBERT LEE TUCKER - FIGURE - SYNTHETIC POLYMER PAINT AND SAND ON BOARD
Est: $4,000 - $6,000
ALBERT LEE TUCKER (1914-1999) FIGURE Signed and dated 78 lower right Synthetic polymer paint and sand on board 21 x 23cm Estimate $4,000/6,000 AUD
GFL Fine Art
Jul. 24, 2024
ALBERT TUCKER 1914-1999 Faun and Parrot 1965 synthetic polymer paint on composition board 122.5 x 152 cm frame: original, John Kosnar,
Est: $250,000 - $350,000
ALBERT TUCKER 1914-1999 Faun and Parrot 1965 synthetic polymer paint on composition board signed and dated 'Tucker 65' lower right; inscribed '3 FAUN AND PARROT' verso 122.5 x 152 cm frame: original, John Kosnar, Melbourne PROVENANCE Albert Tucker, Melbourne Bonython Art Gallery, Adelaide Elliot Aldridge, Adelaide, acquired from the above in 1966 Australian Painting, Christie's Australia, Melbourne, 11 March 1971, lot 86 Private Collection, Melbourne, acquired from the above Ron Walker, Melbourne The Estate of the Late Ron Walker AC CBE, Melbourne EXHIBITED Albert Tucker, Bonython Art Gallery, Adelaide, 13-31 March 1966, no. 3 Elliot Aldridge: Collection of Post War Paintings, South Australian School of Art, Adelaide, March 1970, illustrated LITERATURE Christopher Uhl, Albert Tucker, Lansdowne Press, Melbourne, 1969, cat. no. 18.31, p. 106 Gordon Samstag, Elliot Aldridge: Collection of Post War Paintings, South Australian School of Art, Adelaide, 1970, p. 48 (illustrated)
Smith & Singer
Jul. 24, 2024
ALBERT TUCKER 1914-1999 Bush and Cockatoos 1967 synthetic polymer paint on composition board 32 x 43.5 cm frame: original, John Kosnar,
Est: $10,000 - $15,000
ALBERT TUCKER 1914-1999 Bush and Cockatoos 1967 synthetic polymer paint on composition board signed and dated 'Tucker 67' lower right 32 x 43.5 cm frame: original, John Kosnar, Melbourne PROVENANCE Albert Tucker, Melbourne Australian Galleries, Melbourne Fibremakers Pty Ltd, Melbourne, acquired from the above in 1969 ICI Australia Ltd, Melbourne Australian Paintings, Leonard Joel, Melbourne, 6 November 1980, lot 997 Ron Walker, Melbourne The Estate of the Late Ron Walker AC CBE, Melbourne
Smith & Singer
Jul. 24, 2024
ALBERT TUCKER 1914-1999 Bush and Cockatoos 1967 synthetic polymer paint on composition board 32 x 43.5 cm frame: original, John Kosnar,
Est: $10,000 - $15,000
ALBERT TUCKER 1914-1999 Bush and Cockatoos 1967 synthetic polymer paint on composition board signed and dated 'Tucker 67' lower left 32 x 43.5 cm frame: original, John Kosnar, Melbourne PROVENANCE Albert Tucker, Melbourne Australian Galleries, Melbourne Fibremakers Pty Ltd, Melbourne, acquired from the above in 1969 ICI Australia Ltd, Melbourne Australian Paintings, Leonard Joel, Melbourne, 6 November 1980, lot 997 Ron Walker, Melbourne The Estate of the Late Ron Walker AC CBE, Melbourne
Smith & Singer
Jul. 07, 2024
Albert Tucker Signed
Est: $100 - $150
Albert Tucker: A Retrospective by James Mollison and Jan Minchin. National Gallery of Victoria. Signed by Albert Tucker on the half title page. Paperback in very good condition.
Sydney Rare Book Auctions
May. 28, 2024
ALBERT TUCKER, (1914 - 1999), Brolga - 1966, oil on board, 45 x 60 cm (frame: 72 x 87 cm)
Est: $20,000 - $30,000
ALBERT TUCKER (1914 - 1999) Brolga - 1966 oil on board signed and dated lower right
Lawsons
May. 28, 2024
ALBERT TUCKER, (1914 - 1999), Parrot In The Bush 1965, oil on board, 75.5 x 101.5 (frame: 90 x 116) cm
Est: $30,000 - $40,000
ALBERT TUCKER (1914 - 1999) Parrot In The Bush 1965 oil on board signed and dated lower right; titled on label verso
Lawsons
Apr. 21, 2024
ALBERT TUCKER (1914-1999), Bush 1963
Est: $10,000 - $15,000
oil on board signed and dated lower right: Tucker 63 inscribed on label verso: Albert Tucker / Bush 60 x 80cm PROVENANCE Australian Galleries, Melbourne (label verso) Private Collection, Melbourne © Albert & Barbara Tucker Foundation. Courtesy of Smith & Singer Fine Art
Gibson's
Mar. 27, 2024
ALBERT TUCKER (1914-1999), Rocks at Rye 1983
Est: $7,000 - $10,000
PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE COLLECTION, MELBOURNE ALBERT TUCKER (1914-1999) Rocks at Rye 1983 watercolour and gouache on card 23.0 x 28.5 cm; 41.0 x 47.0 cm (framed) signed lower right: Tucker inscribed verso: ROCKS AT RYE/ ROCK POOL - RYE
Menzies
Mar. 19, 2024
ALBERT TUCKER (1914-1999) Parrots c.1980 synthetic polymer paint on board 45.5 x 59.5cm
Est: $18,000 - $25,000
ALBERT TUCKER (1914-1999) Parrots c.1980 synthetic polymer paint on board signed lower right: Tucker 45.5 x 59.5cm PROVENANCE: Albert Tucker, Melbourne Infinite Art Gallery, Melbourne, acquired from the above Private collection, Melbourne, acquired from the above in 1988
Leonard Joel
Nov. 29, 2023
ALBERT TUCKER (1914-1999), Parrots and Bush c1967
Est: $30,000 - $40,000
ALBERT TUCKER (1914-1999) Parrots and Bush c1967 oil on board 55.0 x 70.0 cm; 69.5 x 85.5 cm (framed) signed lower right: Tucker
Menzies
Nov. 29, 2023
ALBERT TUCKER (1914-1999), Ibis in Flight c1973
Est: $15,000 - $20,000
ALBERT TUCKER (1914-1999) Ibis in Flight c1973 oil and enamel on board 55.5 x 70.5 cm; 82.0 x 96.0 cm (framed) signed lower right: Tucker bears inscription on frame verso: ALBERT TUCKER "IBIS IN FLIGHT"
Menzies
Nov. 29, 2023
ALBERT TUCKER (1914-1999), Bird Flying through Forest c1975
Est: $18,000 - $24,000
ALBERT TUCKER (1914-1999) Bird Flying through Forest c1975 oil and enamel on board 61.0 x 76.0 cm; 72.0 x 92.0 cm (framed) signed lower left: Tucker
Menzies
Nov. 29, 2023
ALBERT TUCKER (1914-1999), Convict and Girl 1969
Est: $30,000 - $40,000
ALBERT TUCKER (1914-1999) Convict and Girl 1969 synthetic polymer paint on board 56.5 x 71.0 cm; 70.5 x 85.5 cm (framed) dated and inscribed verso: CONVICT AND GIRL/ 1969
Menzies
Nov. 28, 2023
Albert Tucker (1914-1999) Ibis in the Swamp
Est: $15,000 - $25,000
Albert Tucker (1914-1999) Ibis in the Swamp signed lower right: 'Tucker' oil on board 56.0 x 66.0cm (22 1/16 x 26in).
Bonhams
Nov. 25, 2023
TUCKER Albert (1914-1999), Ibis Over Waterhole, c.1973., Oil on Board, 55x70cm
Est: $12,000 - $18,000
TUCKER, Albert (1914-1999) Ibis Over Waterhole, c.1973. Unsigned. Image © The Albert & Barbara Tucker Foundation. Courtesy of Smith & Singer Fine Art. Oil on Board 55x70cm PROVENANCE: Southern Cross Galleries, Melbourne; private collection, Canberra, then UK (acquired from the above gallery in 1973); thence by descent, private collection, Sydney.
Davidson Auctions
Nov. 22, 2023
ALBERT TUCKER, EXPLORER, EVENING, 1965
Est: $180,000 - $250,000
ALBERT TUCKER (1914 - 1999) EXPLORER, EVENING, 1965 synthetic polymer paint on composition board 91.0 x 122.0 cm signed and dated lower right: Tucker '65 dated and inscribed verso: INTRUDER "EXPLORER, EVENING" / 1965 PROVENANCE Estate of Albert Tucker, Melbourne Thence by descent Barbara Tucker, Melbourne Bonhams and Goodman, Melbourne The Estate of the Late Alan Cardy, Sydney, acquired from the above 7 December 2007 LITERATURE Uhl, C., Albert Tucker, Lansdowne Press, Melbourne, 1969, cat. 18.39, pl. 14 I, pp. 44, 45 (illus., as 'Intruder'),106 RELATED WORK Explorer Evening, 1966, synthetic polymer paint on composition board, 122.0 x 152.5 cm ESSAY Albert Tucker left Australia bound for London in late 1947, recalling that, ‘for me it was like undoing a coiled spring. You could go and see and experience things you had only known by report.’1 He spent the next thirteen years living and working in Europe and America, absorbing everything he could of the art, history and rich cultures of cities like Paris, Rome and New York. Tucker found that distance from Australia gave him a different perspective on the country of his birth, and during these years, as well as experimenting with various techniques, he introduced new themes to his work which responded to the distinctive history and landscape of Australia. ‘I’d been away long enough to be suffering acute bouts of nostalgia and I was getting all these memory images of Australia – and oddly enough not so much specific imagery, but in images of texture and colour and light and all that kind of thing that’s very Australian, very rough textures.’2 The subject of the figure in the landscape first appeared in Tucker’s oeuvre in the Ned Kelly series of the mid-1950s. He began painting his now iconic antipodean heads – whose distinctive form was based on the shape of an archaic Etruscan double-headed axe – towards the end of the decade. The face of this 1965 explorer, with its sharp, angular features, extends this pictorial trajectory, although with the addition of a crumpled, well-worn hat and piercing blue eye it becomes more naturalistic; a stylised depiction of a familiar Australian outback type. Painted in the same colours as the surrounding landscape, the explorer merges with his environment, the deeply incised expression lines on his face like crevices in the dry earth. The searing heat is reflected in vivid shades of orange which shimmer across the canvas. While Tucker powerfully conveys a sense of struggle against the harsh landscape, his stoic figure also symbolises resilience and survival, characteristics which are arguably just as necessary for contemporary artists as they were for colonial explorers. By the time Tucker returned to Australia in 1960, examples of his art had been acquired for both the Museum of Modern Art and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York. Indeed, one of the two paintings in MoMA’s collection by that time, is a depiction of the ill-fated explorers Burke and Wills, who both perished in their 1860 – 61 attempt to travel from Melbourne to the Gulf of Carpentaria.3 Winning the Australian Women’s Weekly art competition that same year – and famously receiving the news that he had been awarded the 1000 pound prize at a time when he had only a few dollars left in his pocket – Tucker’s return coincided with a major survey exhibition organised by John Reed for the Museum of Modern Art of Australia, which brought due acknowledgment of his work at home and marked the beginning of broad recognition of his contribution to the history of twentieth-century Australian art. 1. Mollison, J., and Bonham, N., Albert Tucker, Macmillan, South Melbourne, 1982, p. 42 2. Harding, L., Hinterlands: Albert Tucker’s Landscape, Heide Museum of Modern Art, Bulleen, 2008, p. 31 3. Explorers, Burke and Wills, 1960, oil and sand on canvas, 122.1 x 156.1 cm, Philip Johnson Fund, Museum of Modern Art, New York (124.1960) KIRSTY GRANT © The Albert & Barbara Tucker Foundation. Courtesy of Smith & Singer Fine Art
Deutscher and Hackett
Nov. 21, 2023
§ ALBERT TUCKER 1914-1999 Explorer (1958) synthetic polymer paint on composition board 203.4 x 81.5 cm
Est: $180,000 - $280,000
§ ALBERT TUCKER 1914-1999 Explorer (1958) synthetic polymer paint on composition board signed 'ALBERT TUCKER' verso 203.4 x 81.5 cm PROVENANCE Albert Tucker, Melbourne Barbara Tucker, Melbourne, acquired from the above Albert & Barbara Tucker Foundation, Melbourne, acquired from the above EXHIBITED On long-term loan to the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, 2005-2008
Smith & Singer
Nov. 21, 2023
§ ALBERT TUCKER 1914-1999 Ibis in Flight 1966 synthetic polymer paint on composition board 91.1 x 122 cm frame: original, John Kosnar,
Est: $60,000 - $80,000
§ ALBERT TUCKER 1914-1999 Ibis in Flight 1966 synthetic polymer paint on composition board signed and dated 'Tucker 66' lower left; signed, dated and inscribed '"IBIS IN FLIGHT" / ALBERT TUCKER / 1966' verso 91.1 x 122 cm frame: original, John Kosnar, Melbourne PROVENANCE Albert Tucker, Melbourne Barbara Tucker, Melbourne, acquired from the above Albert & Barbara Tucker Foundation, Melbourne, acquired from the above EXHIBITED Obra Pictoria de Albert Tucker, Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes, Mexico, February 1969, no. 11, 'Ibis en vuelo' LITERATURE Barry Pearce, Australian Artists, Australian Birds, Angus & Robertson, Sydney, 1989, p. 129 (illustrated)
Smith & Singer
Nov. 21, 2023
ALBERT TUCKER 1914-1999 Absalom 1953 oil on board 55.2 x 70.2 cm
Est: $75,000 - $95,000
ALBERT TUCKER 1914-1999 Absalom 1953 oil on board signed, dated and inscribed 'Tucker Noli. '53' lower right 55.2 x 70.2 cm PROVENANCE Albert Tucker, Melbourne Barbara Tucker, Melbourne, by descent from the above Important Australian Art, Smith & Singer (trading as Sotheby's Australia), Sydney, 23 November 2016, lot 49, illustrated Private Collection, Melbourne, acquired from the above EXHIBITED Albert Tucker, Galleria ai Quattro Venti, Rome, 2 April - 2 May 1953 Albert Tucker: Paintings 1945-1960, Tolarno Galleries, Melbourne, 1982, no. 18, illustrated Albert Tucker: The Mythologies & Images, Lauraine Diggins Fine Art, Melbourne, 26 June - 13 July 1990, Savill Galleries, Sydney, 1-18 August 1990, no. 37, 'Absolom', illustrated Albert Tucker: Marking the Past, Heide Museum of Modern Art, Melbourne, 28 November - 14 March 2021 LITERATURE Christopher Uhl, Albert Tucker, Lansdowne Press, Melbourne, 1969, cat. no. 8.5, pp. 53 (illustrated), 54, 98
Smith & Singer
Oct. 29, 2023
ALBERT TUCKER (1914-1999), Bush 1963
Est: $15,000 - $25,000
ALBERT TUCKER (1914-1999) Bush 1963 oil on board signed and dated lower right: Tucker 63 inscribed on label verso: Albert Tucker / Bush 60 x 80cm PROVENANCE Australian Galleries, Melbourne (label verso) Private Collection, Melbourne © Albert & Barbara Tucker Foundation. Courtesy of Smith & Singer Fine Art
Gibson's
Oct. 24, 2023
ALBERT TUCKER (1914-1999) Parrot and Bush II 1965 oil on board 59 x 74cm
Est: $20,000 - $25,000
ALBERT TUCKER (1914-1999) Parrot and Bush II 1965 oil on board signed and dated lower left: Tucker 65 titled verso 59 x 74cm PROVENANCE: Art Galleries Schubert, Queensland (label verso) Anthea Polson Art, Queensland (label verso) Private collection, Melbourne OTHER NOTES: © Albert & Barbara Tucker Foundation. Courtesy of Smith & Singer Fine Art
Leonard Joel
Oct. 24, 2023
§ ALBERT TUCKER (1914-1999) Thames IV c.1957 mixed media on hardboard 33.5 x 62cm
Est: $9,000 - $12,000
§ ALBERT TUCKER (1914-1999) Thames IV c.1957 mixed media on hardboard artist's name and title inscribed verso 33.5 x 62cm PROVENANCE: Phillips Son and Neale Auctions, London 1970 Private collection, New South Wales Menzies, Sydney, 21 March 2013, lot 13 Private collection, Melbourne OTHER NOTES: RELATED WORK: Thames I 1957, polyvinyl acetate, cardboard, hessian and sand on hardboard, 66.4 x 128.8cm, The Collection of the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney © Albert & Barbara Tucker Foundation. Courtesy of Smith & Singer Fine Art
Leonard Joel
Oct. 10, 2023
ALBERT TUCKER, IBIS OVER WATERHOLE, C.1973
Est: $18,000 - $24,000
ALBERT TUCKER (1914 - 1999) IBIS OVER WATERHOLE, c.1973 oil on board 56.0 x 71.0 cm 69.0 x 84.0 cm (frame) PROVENANCE Southern Cross Galleries, Melbourne Private collection, Canberra, then the United Kingdom, acquired from the above in 1973 Thence by descent Private collection, Sydney © The Albert & Barbara Tucker Foundation. Courtesy of Smith and Singer Australia This work is located in our Sydney Gallery
Deutscher and Hackett