Fred (1927) Williams Paintings & Artwork for Sale | Fred (1927) Williams Art Value Price Guide

May. 01, 2025
FRED WILLIAMS (1927-1982) Werribee Gorge Landscape 1977-78 lithograph, ed. 47/50 62 x 45.5cm (image); 76 x 57cm (sheet) (unframed)
Est: $1,000 - $1,500
FRED WILLIAMS (1927-1982) Werribee Gorge Landscape 1977-78 lithograph, ed. 47/50 signed lower right: Fred Williams titled lower centre editioned lower left 62 x 45.5cm (image); 76 x 57cm (sheet) (unframed) PROVENANCE: Private collection, Melbourne Thence by descent
Leonard Joel
May. 01, 2025
ARTIST UNKNOWN, HOMAGE TO FRED WILLIAMS - LANDSCAPE 1982,
Est: $200 - $300
ARTIST UNKNOWN, HOMAGE TO FRED WILLIAMS - LANDSCAPE 1982, LITHOGRAPH ED.1/10, SIGNED, TITLED AND DATED BELOW, 31 X 24CM, FRAME SIZE: 62 X 42CM
Leonard Joel
Apr. 30, 2025
Fred Williams, Australian 1927-1982, Waterfall, Lithograph on paper, 62 x 47 cm. (24.4 x 18 1/2 in.)
Est: $800 - $1,200
Fred Williams Australian, 1927-1982 Waterfall Lithograph on paper titled "Waterfall", in pencil, lower left signed lower right, in pencil, Fred WIlliams edition 30/200, in pencil lower right Ref: This work relates directly to Waterfall polyptych, a four panel work, each oil on canvas measuring153 x 122cm. in the collection of the Art Gallery of NSW. During the 1970s Williams became interested in rivers and seascapes, and experimented with a strip format that grew out of his observation of the landscape in relation to the horizon. In 1979 he visited the Lal Lal Falls to the west of Melbourne near Ballarat, painting Waterfall polyptych 1979, which re-invents the monumental dark indigo form and spectacular scale of the waterfall to evoke his subject as a miraculous element in the rocky landscape. As in other paintings from Williams' waterfall series, key influences came from Cézanne's late paintings of the quarry at Bibémus and from Australian art history, particularly Eugene von Guérard's Waterfall, Strath Creek 1862. (source AGNSW) In 1977 Williams was the first Australian artist to hold a solo exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
For-Auction
Apr. 27, 2025
FRED WILLIAMS, Australian 1927-1982, Windmill girls 1955-6, 2nd state etching, A/P, sheet 13cm x 19cm (frame 29.5cm x 38cm)
Est: $2,000 - $3,000
FRED WILLIAMS Australian, 1927-1982 Windmill girls 1955-6 2nd state etching, A/P signed lower right provenance Lawsons Menzies Feb 2012, lot 24;
Lawsons
Apr. 24, 2025
F. Williams Seascape Etching & Aquatint
Est: $100 - $200
F. Williams (XX), Seascape Scene, Hand-Embellished Etching and Aquatint in Colors, signed and numbered edition "2/94" lower right, wood frame. Image: 10" H x 14.5" W; frame: 17" H x 21" W. Provenance: From a New York City Collection. Keywords: Prints, Multiples, Hand-painted, Gouache, Watercolor, Watercolour, Ocean landscape, Seaside, 20th Century Art
Auctions at Showplace
Apr. 17, 2025
FRED WILLIAMS, (1927-1982), Landscape with a Steep Road, 1959, aquatint, drypoint etching ed. proof, 19.5 x 15.5 cm. (7.6 x 6.1 in.), frame: 52 x 42 x 2 cm. (20.4 x 16.5 x 0.7 in.)
Est: $2,500 - $3,500
FRED WILLIAMS (1927-1982) Landscape with a Steep Road, 1959 aquatint, drypoint etching ed. proof editioned, signed and dated lower right: P/Fred Williams/59
Lawsons
Apr. 16, 2025
FRED WILLIAMS (1927-1982) Werribee Gorge Landscape 1977-1978 lithograph, ed. 46/50 62 x 45.5cm (image); 90 x 72cm (frame)
Est: $1,000 - $2,000
FRED WILLIAMS (1927-1982) Werribee Gorge Landscape 1977-1978 lithograph, ed. 46/50 signed lower right: Fred Williams titled lower centre editioned lower left 62 x 45.5cm (image); 90 x 72cm (frame) PROVENANCE: Private collection, Melbourne Thence by descent OTHER NOTES: Other examples of this print are held in the collections of the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra; National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne; Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth; and Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide. © Fred Williams/Copyright Agency, 2025
Leonard Joel
Apr. 15, 2025
Fred Williams, (1927-1982), Landscape Quartette, 1962, etching, aquatint, engraving and drypoint in sepia on Kent paper, 25 x 18 cm
Est: $3,000 - $5,000
Fred Williams (1927-1982) Landscape Quartette, 1962 etching, aquatint, engraving and drypoint in sepia on Kent paper edition: 64/65, numbered and signed below image, '64/65, Fred Williams'
Shapiro Auctioneers
Apr. 14, 2025
Frederick Ronald (Fred) Williams, Australia (1927-1982), Sapling Forest 1962, Etching/aquatint/engraved lines rough bite ed. p
Est: $3,000 - $5,000
Frederick Ronald (Fred) Williams Australia (1927-1982) Sapling Forest 1962 Etching/aquatint/engraved lines rough bite ed. p Signed & dated lower margin Together with: Mollison, James Cat. Fred Williams Etchings, pub. Rudy Komon Gallery, Sydney 1968, intro. John Brack, Cat. no. 184 Illus. pp 118, image published upside down
Theodore Bruce Auctioneers & Valuers
Apr. 09, 2025
FRED WILLIAMS (1927-1982), Sail Boat on Sand, West Wittering 1954
Est: $14,000 - $18,000
PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE COLLECTION, MELBOURNE FRED WILLIAMS (1927-1982) Sail Boat on Sand, West Wittering 1954 watercolour and gouache on paper on board 56.0 x 76.0 cm; 70.0 x 91.0 cm (framed) signed and dated lower right: Fred Williams. 1954.
Menzies
Apr. 08, 2025
FRED WILLIAMS 1927-1982 Cottlesbridge (1969) gouache on paper 56.5 x 76 cm (sheet)
Est: $40,000 - $60,000
FRED WILLIAMS 1927-1982 Cottlesbridge (1969) gouache on paper signed ‘Fred Williams' lower right 56.5 x 76 cm (sheet) PROVENANCE Fred Williams, Melbourne The Estate of Fred Williams, Melbourne Rex Irwin Art Dealer, Sydney (label verso) Private Collection, South Australia, acquired from the above Important Australian Art, Sotheby's Australia, Melbourne, 5 May 2009, lot 222, illustrated Private Collection, Melbourne, acquired from the above EXHIBITED Fred Williams (1927-1982), Marlborough Fine Art, London, 1 November – 2 December 1995, no. 24, illustrated Fred Williams, Rex Irwin Art Dealer, Sydney, 6-31 October 1998, no. 14
Smith & Singer
Apr. 08, 2025
FRED WILLIAMS 1927-1982 Lysterfield Landscape 4 (1968) oil on canvas 106.8 x 91.7 cm frame: original, Fred Williams, Melbourne
Est: $400,000 - $600,000
FRED WILLIAMS 1927-1982 Lysterfield Landscape 4 (1968) oil on canvas signed ‘Fred Williams.' lower left 106.8 x 91.7 cm frame: original, Fred Williams, Melbourne PROVENANCE Fred Williams, Melbourne Rudy Komon Art Gallery, Sydney (stock 2104) (label verso) Frederick Maclean (Mac) Hewitt, Sydney, acquired from the above in September 1968 Sue Hewitt, Sydney, by descent from the above in 1976 The Estate of the Late Sue Hewitt, Sydney
Smith & Singer
Apr. 08, 2025
FRED WILLIAMS 1927-1982 Tibooburra Landscape 1967 gouache on paper 51 x 71 cm (image); 56.5 x 76.5 cm (sheet)
Est: $50,000 - $70,000
FRED WILLIAMS 1927-1982 Tibooburra Landscape 1967 gouache on paper signed and dated ‘Fred Williams 67' lower centre 51 x 71 cm (image); 56.5 x 76.5 cm (sheet) PROVENANCE Fred Williams, Melbourne The Estate of Fred Williams, Melbourne Rex Irwin Art Dealer, Sydney Private Collection, Sydney, acquired from the above Important Australian & International Art, Menzies, Sydney, 1 December 2021, lot 37, illustrated Private Collection, Melbourne, acquired from the above EXHIBITED Important Works on Paper & Sculpture, Rex Irwin Art Dealer, Sydney, 29 March – 23 April 2004, no. 63
Smith & Singer
Apr. 08, 2025
FRED WILLIAMS 1927-1982 You Yangs (1964) gouache on paper 56.5 x 75.5 cm
Est: $50,000 - $70,000
FRED WILLIAMS 1927-1982 You Yangs (1964) gouache on paper signed 'Fred Williams' lower right 56.5 x 75.5 cm PROVENANCE Fred Williams, Melbourne Powell Street Gallery, Melbourne (label verso) Private Collection, Melbourne Australian & International Fine Art & Sculpture, Menzies, Melbourne, 20 March 2014, lot 83, illustrated Private Collection, Sydney, acquired from the above Australian & International Fine Art & Sculpture, Menzies, Melbourne, 24 July 2014, lot 107, illustrated Private Collection, Sydney, acquired from the above Important Australian & New Zealand Art, Smith & Singer (trading as Sotheby's Australia), Sydney, 16 May 2018, lot 44, illustrated Private Collection, Australian Capital Territory, acquired from the above
Smith & Singer
Apr. 08, 2025
FRED WILLIAMS 1927-1982 Chichester Cathedral (1954) oil on board 25.5 x 38.5 cm
Est: $8,000 - $12,000
FRED WILLIAMS 1927-1982 Chichester Cathedral (1954) oil on board signed ‘Fred Williams.' lower centre 25.5 x 38.5 cm PROVENANCE Fred Williams, England Audrey Carr, Melbourne Private Collection Warren Bonython and Bunty Bonython, Adelaide, acquired from the above The Collection of Warren & Bunty Bonython, Mossgreen Auctions, Adelaide, 4 May 2014, lot 237, illustrated Savill Galleries, Sydney, acquired from the above (label verso) Private Collection, Sydney
Smith & Singer
Apr. 08, 2025
FRED WILLIAMS 1927-1982 Morning, Kosciusko (1975) gouache on paper 57.5 x 75.5 cm
Est: $50,000 - $70,000
FRED WILLIAMS 1927-1982 Morning, Kosciusko (1975) gouache on paper signed ‘Fred Williams' lower right 57.5 x 75.5 cm PROVENANCE Fred Williams, Melbourne The Estate of Fred Williams, Melbourne (GW 469) Philip Bacon Galleries, Brisbane Art Galleries Schubert, Surfers Paradise (label verso), acquired from the above in 2003 Private Collection, Sydney, acquired from the above
Smith & Singer
Apr. 02, 2025
FRED WILLIAMS, (1927 - 1982), Nude, etching on Whatman paper, edition of 3 (plus proofs), 22.5 x 19 cm (frame: 43 x 48 cm)
Est: $1,800 - $2,400
FRED WILLIAMS (1927 - 1982) Nude etching on Whatman paper, edition of 3 (plus proofs) etching, uneditioned and unsigned (with a watercolour drawing by Hal Hattam verso)
Lawsons
Apr. 02, 2025
FRED WILLIAMS, (1927 - 1982), Acacias, 1976, lithograph, ed. A/P (Artist's Proof) of 15, 62 x 46 cm (frame: 93 x 74 cm)
Est: $4,000 - $6,000
FRED WILLIAMS (1927 - 1982) Acacias, 1976 lithograph, ed. A/P (Artist's Proof) of 15 editioned titled and signed in margin: AP. Acacias, Fred Williams,
Lawsons
Mar. 18, 2025
FRED WILLIAMS (1927-1982) Forest of Gum Trees plaster cast from etching plate 37 x 29.5cm
Est: $9,000 - $12,000
FRED WILLIAMS (1927-1982) Forest of Gum Trees plaster cast from etching plate artist's signature incised verso: Fred. R. Williams 37 x 29.5cm PROVENANCE: Gift of the Artist Private collection, Melbourne OTHER NOTES: RELATED WORK Fred Williams, Forest of Gum Trees, 1965-1966, etching, flat biting, black ink on Arches paper, 6/35, 34.9 x 27.6cm (platemark); 46.6 x 37.7cm (sheet), in the collection of The Art Gallery of New South Wales Fred Williams is celebrated for his transformative approach to the Australian landscape, particularly through his innovative use of printmaking techniques. While best known for his painterly interpretations of the Australian bush, Williams also explored unconventional methods, including the use of etched plates to create plaster casts. Williams' etching practice was deeply experimental. By incising into copper plates with fine, rhythmic marks, he developed a visual language that captured the rugged textures and spatial complexities of the Australian terrain. Beyond traditional printmaking, he repurposed these etched plates as matrices for plaster reliefs, transferring the incised imagery into three-dimensional form. This process reversed the typical intaglio method, emphasising the tactile quality of his etched lines as raised impressions in plaster. This method is exemplified in 'Landscape with Green Cloud and Owl' (in the collection of the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra) and in this work, 'Forest of Gum Trees.' In this piece, Williams pressed an inked etching plate for the print 'Forest of Gum Trees' onto a plaster surface, transferring the image and resulting in a unique plaster cast. Williams' experimentation with plaster casts from etching plates allowed him to explore the interplay between two-dimensional and three-dimensional forms, adding depth and texture to his representations of the Australian landscape and blurring the boundaries between printmaking, painting, and relief sculpture. © Fred Williams/Copyright Agency, 2025
Leonard Joel
Mar. 10, 2025
Fred Williams, (1927-1982), Murray River Panels, 1975, lithograph on paper, 56.5 x 76 cm unframed
Est: $300 - $500
Fred Williams (1927-1982) Murray River Panels, 1975 lithograph on paper, edition: 144/250, numbered, signed and dated below image '144/250, Fred Williams, '75'
Shapiro Auctioneers
Mar. 10, 2025
Fred Williams, (1927-1982), Murray River Panels, 1975, lithograph on paper, 56.5 x 76 cm unframed
Est: $300 - $500
Fred Williams (1927-1982) Murray River Panels, 1975 lithograph on paper edition: 187/250, numbered, signed and dated below image '187/250, Fred Williams, '75'
Shapiro Auctioneers
Mar. 10, 2025
Fred Williams, (1927-1982), Rocks In The Forest, Mittagong, 1958, etching on paper, 17 x 17 cm
Est: $1,500 - $2,500
Fred Williams (1927-1982) Rocks In The Forest, Mittagong, 1958 etching on paper edition: 8/15, numbered and signed below image '8/15, Fred Williams'
Shapiro Auctioneers
Mar. 10, 2025
Fred Williams, (1927-1982), Dancing Figures, 1954-55, etching, aquatint, drypoint and mezzotint, 22 x 22 cm
Est: $3,000 - $5,000
Fred Williams (1927-1982) Dancing Figures, 1954-55 etching, aquatint, drypoint and mezzotint edition: 15/25, numbered and signed below image '15 - 25, Fred Williams'
Shapiro Auctioneers
Mar. 06, 2025
FRED WILLIAMS, (1927 - 1982), Lysterfield Triptych 1967 and Red Trees 1962 (2 works), decorative prints, 13 x 37.5 cm. (5.1 x 14.7 in.), frame: 40 x 54 x 2 cm. (15 3/4 x 21.2 x 0.7 in.) and 33 x 25.5 cm frame: 57 x 47 x
Est: $200 - $300
FRED WILLIAMS (1927 - 1982) Lysterfield Triptych 1967 and Red Trees 1962 (2 works) decorative prints
Lawsons
Feb. 25, 2025
Fred Williams (Australian, 1927-1982), Loxton Landscape, Gouache
Est: $20,000 - $30,000
Property of Margaret McCardell Description: Fred Williams (Australian, 1927-1982), Loxton Landscape, Gouache on Paper, signed lower left, the paper with embossed mark lower right 'Papier D'Arches'. Frame size: 31 1/4 in. x 39 3/4 in. Provenance: according to the consignor this was purchased in the mid 1970's from Faye and Arthur Simpson who were art dealers in Melbourne. Frederick Ronald Williams begane his artistic training at the National Gallery Art School in Melbourne, where he learned the traditional studio methods of drawing. He then traveled to England for several years of further study in London, where he visited various collections of modern and contemporary art in the city's museums and galleries. Williams returned to Australia in 1957 and adopted the landscape of his native country as the central subject of his art. He was influenced by the landscape painting of the French modernists Cézanne and Matisse, but eventually developed his own style by simplifying his subject into abstract forms. His large-scale works of the 1970s and 80s were influenced by the 'color-field' style of painting that emerged from Abstract Expressionism. Like the major practitioners of this style, who included Mark Rothko and Barnett Newman, Williams tended to work in large formats, with broad masses of color and subtle differentiations of texture. In 1977. Williams was the first Australian artist to hold a solo exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Working within the dominant Australian landscape genre, he developed the heritage of late 19th-century Australian Impressionism and modernised it. (metmuseum.org) Measurements: Height: by sight 21 1/4 in. x Width: 29 5/8 in. Condition: Good condition, not viewed out of frame, some surface dirt and light foxing, pin holes to corners and center of bottom edge. Notice to bidders: The absence of a condition report does not imply that the lot is in perfect condition or completely free from wear and tear, imperfections, or the conditions of aging. PHOTOS MAY ALSO ACT AS A CONDITION REPORT. Please review all photos closely prior to bidding. Complete condition reports are available by request, no later than 24 hours prior to the live auction. All lots are offered and sold 'AS IS’, and Everard Auctions will not provide refunds based on condition. Timepiece movements, lighting and electrics have not been tested, and art has not been examined out of the frame unless otherwise stated. We do not guarantee the condition of frames. By placing a bid, either in person, by phone, absentee or via the Internet, you signify that you agree to be bound by the conditions of sale. Everard Auctions does not provide any shipping or packing services. We recommend that all potential buyers obtain pack/ship estimates prior to bidding. Please contact us for a list of recommended shippers.
Everard Auctions and Appraisals
Feb. 25, 2025
FREDERICK (FRED) WILLIAMS, (1927 - 1982), The Block, Deschamps Hill, Lilydale - 1948, oil on canvas, 58.5 x 72 (frame:73.5 x 87.5 cm; original frame)
Est: $40,000 - $50,000
FREDERICK (FRED) WILLIAMS (1927 - 1982) The Block, Deschamps Hill, Lilydale - 1948 oil on canvas signed and dated upper left
Lawsons
Feb. 11, 2025
FRED WILLIAMS (1927-1982), Five Views of the Murray 1975
Est: $400 - $600
FRED WILLIAMS (1927-1982) Five Views of the Murray 1975 lithograph signed, dated and editioned on margin: Fred Williams 75 / 109/250 46 x 66cm 45.5 x 65.5cm PROVENANCE Leonard Joel, Australian British, New Zealand & European Historical and Contemporary Paintings etc., Melbourne, 16 April 1991, Lot G31
Gibson's
Feb. 09, 2025
Fred Williams, 1927-1982, Hummock in the Landscape, Lithograph AP 1978, 24x28cm
Est: $6,000 - $8,000
Fred Williams 1927-1982 Hummock in the Landscape Lithograph AP 1978 Courtesy of the Williams Family
Artvisory
Jan. 09, 2025
FRED WILLIAMS, (1927 - 1982), John Brack 1978 and Standing Nude 1945 (2 works), decorative prints, 38 x 28 cm (frame: 55 x 44 x 3 cm), 41 x 25 cm (frame: 54 x 38 x 3 cm)
Est: $60 - $80
FRED WILLIAMS (1927 - 1982) John Brack 1978 and Standing Nude 1945 (2 works) decorative prints each signed in print
Lawsons
Dec. 19, 2024
FRED WILLIAMS, (1927-1982), Dry Creek Bed, Werribee Gorge 1976-78, lithograph, ed. 39/50, 71 x 51 cm. (27.9 x 20.0 in.), frame: 90 x 70 x 3 cm. (35.4 x 27.5 x 1.1 in.)
Est: $1,500 - $2,500
FRED WILLIAMS (1927-1982) Dry Creek Bed, Werribee Gorge 1976-78 lithograph, ed. 39/50 signed lower right: Fred Williams numbered lower left: 39/50 titled lower centre: Dry Creek Bed W. G
Lawsons
Dec. 12, 2024
FRED WILLIAMS, (1927 - 1982), Dancing Figures 1954 and Landscape with steep Road 1959 (2 works), decorative print, 29 x 22 cm. (11.4 x 8.6 in.), frame: 47 x 39 x 4 cm. (18 1/2 x 15.3 x 1.5 in.) and 27 x 22 cm, frame 49 x
Est: $60 - $80
FRED WILLIAMS (1927 - 1982) Dancing Figures 1954 and Landscape with steep Road 1959 (2 works) decorative print
Lawsons
Dec. 12, 2024
FRED WILLIAMS, (1927 - 1982), Lysterfield Triptych 1967 and Red Trees 1962 (2 works), decorative prints, 13 x 37.5 cm. (5.1 x 14.7 in.), frame: 40 x 54 x 2 cm. (15 3/4 x 21.2 x 0.7 in.) and 33 x 25.5 cm frame: 57 x 47 x
Est: $80 - $120
FRED WILLIAMS (1927 - 1982) Lysterfield Triptych 1967 and Red Trees 1962 (2 works) decorative prints
Lawsons
Dec. 03, 2024
FREDERICK WILLIAMS, (1927 - 1982), After The Bush Fire Sherbrooke - c1960, gouache on paper, 36.5 x 48 (frame: 60 x 71) cm
Est: $22,000 - $26,000
FREDERICK WILLIAMS (1927 - 1982) After The Bush Fire Sherbrooke - c1960 gouache on paper signed lower left
Lawsons
Dec. 03, 2024
Fred Williams (1927-1982) North East River, Flinders Island, 1977
Est: $50,000 - $70,000
Fred Williams (1927-1982) North East River, Flinders Island, 1977 signed lower left: 'Fred Williams' gouache on paper 57.0 x 74.5cm (22 7/16 x 29 5/16in).
Bonhams
Dec. 03, 2024
Fred Williams (1927-1982) Boats on the Shore of the Bay
Est: $3,000 - $5,000
Fred Williams (1927-1982) Boats on the Shore of the Bay signed lower left: 'Fred Williams' gouache and ink on paper 17.5 x 21.0cm (6 7/8 x 8 1/4in).
Bonhams
Dec. 01, 2024
FRED WILLIAMS, (1927-1982), Dry Creek Bed, Werribee Gorge 1976-78, lithograph, ed. 39/50, 71 x 51 cm. (27.9 x 20.0 in.), frame: 90 x 70 x 3 cm. (35.4 x 27.5 x 1.1 in.)
Est: $1,500 - $2,500
FRED WILLIAMS (1927-1982) Dry Creek Bed, Werribee Gorge 1976-78 lithograph, ed. 39/50 signed lower right: Fred Williams numbered lower left: 39/50 titled lower centre: Dry Creek Bed W. G
Lawsons
Nov. 28, 2024
FRED WILLIAMS, (1927 - 1982), Landscape with steep road 1957 and Landscape with a goose, 1974 (2 works), decorative prints, 37 x 26 cm. (14.5 x 10.2 in.), frame: 48 x 38 x 3 cm. (18.9 x 14.9 x 1.1 in.) each
Est: $50 - $70
FRED WILLIAMS ( 1927 - 1982 ) Landscape with steep road 1957 and Landscape with a goose, 1974 (2 works) decorative prints each signed in plate
Lawsons
Nov. 27, 2024
FRED WILLIAMS, (1927 - 1982), Lysterfield Triptych 1967 and Red Trees 1962 (2 works), decorative prints, 13 x 37.5 cm. (5.1 x 14.7 in.), frame: 40 x 54 x 2 cm. (15 3/4 x 21.2 x 0.7 in.) and 33 x 25.5 cm frame: 57 x 47 x
Est: $150 - $250
FRED WILLIAMS (1927 - 1982) Lysterfield Triptych 1967 and Red Trees 1962 (2 works) decorative prints
Lawsons
Nov. 27, 2024
FRED WILLIAMS 1927-1982 Rocky Hillside, You Yangs (1974) oil on canvas 91.5 x 81.5 cm
Est: $350,000 - $550,000
FRED WILLIAMS 1927-1982 Rocky Hillside, You Yangs (1974) oil on canvas signed 'Fred Williams' lower right 91.5 x 81.5 cm PROVENANCE Fred Williams, Melbourne The Estate Fred Williams, Melbourne (LW 146) Rex Iwin Art Dealer, Sydney Private Collection, acquired from the above in 1999 Australian Galleries, Melbourne (AG26201) (label verso) Private Collection, Canberra, acquired from the above Gould Galleries, Melbourne and Sydney (stock 12544), acquired from the above in 2000 Private Collection, Melbourne, acquired from the above in September 2001 Important Australian & International Art, Smith & Singer (trading as Sotheby's Australia), Sydney, 11 May 2016, lot 129, illustrated Private Collection, Sydney, acquired from the above EXHIBITED Modern Australian Art: A Collectors' Exhibition, Gould Galleries, Sydney, 15 February – 18 March 2001, no. 13, illustrated Fred Williams, Gould Galleries, Melbourne, 7-30 September 2001, no. 1, illustrated LITERATURE Look, Art Gallery Society of New South Wales, Sydney, June 2001, p. 21 (illustrated)
Smith & Singer
Nov. 27, 2024
FRED WILLIAMS 1927-1982 Hillside Landscape with Green Tractor (1978) oil on canvas 50.5 x 91.5 cm
Est: $150,000 - $250,000
FRED WILLIAMS 1927-1982 Hillside Landscape with Green Tractor (1978) oil on canvas 50.5 x 91.5 cm PROVENANCE Fred Williams, Melbourne The Estate of Fred Williams, Melbourne (LW712) (label verso) Lyttleton Gallery, Melbourne Private Collection, acuired from the above in 1994 Adam Galleries, Melbourne Private Collection, Melbourne Five Fifty Art Advisory, Melbourne Private Collection, Victoria EXHIBITED The Millennium Collection, Adam Galleries, Melbourne, 17 November – 8 December 1999, no. 96, illustrated
Smith & Singer
Nov. 26, 2024
FRED WILLIAMS, UPWEY LANDSCAPE, C.1965
Est: $30,000 - $40,000
FRED WILLIAMS (1927 - 1982) UPWEY LANDSCAPE, c.1965 gouache on paper 52.5 x 38.0 cm signed lower centre: Fred Williams PROVENANCE Joseph Brown Gallery, Melbourne Private collection, Melbourne Deutscher~Menzies, Melbourne, 21 August 2001, lot 62 (as ‘Hillside Upwey’) Private collection, Melbourne Deutscher and Hackett, Melbourne, 20 April 2011, lot 56 (as ‘Hillside Upwey’) Private collection, Sydney EXHIBITED Joseph Brown Gallery, Melbourne, 1 – 14 September 1982, cat. 105 (illus. in exhibition catalogue, n.p.) RELATED WORK Upwey Landscape, 1964 – 65, gouache on paper, 55.0 x 38.0 cm, formerly in the collection of Gene and Brian Sherman, Sydney We are grateful to Lyn Williams for her assistance with this catalogue entry. ESSAY One of the most important Australian artists of the twentieth century, Fred Williams transformed the tradition of landscape painting in this country. His unique vision of the natural environment – from areas of scrubby bush on the edges of suburbia, to the vast inland country – captured its essence and created archetypal images that have become part of our collective visual memory. Produced during the mid-1960s at a time when Williams, confident and mature, emerged as a key figure in contemporary Australian art, the Upwey Series sits alongside the preceding You Yangs works as ‘classic’ Williams. Articulating their significance both within Williams’ oeuvre and the broader context of Australian landscape painting, Patrick McCaughey wrote, ‘They were clearly paintings of substance, well made and fully fashioned and yet they still allowed [his] touch to operate. They made of the drab and featureless bush, a landscape of enduring, even monumental proportions and dignity. They revalued Australian landscape painting… and renewed hope in the genre.’1 While Williams had previously painted in and around Upwey, in the Dandenong Ranges to the east of Melbourne, it was the experience of living there from 1963 which provided the impetus for a major series. Now able to paint full-time, he established a studio in the house by joining two rooms together, and the view looking from the valley up the hill to the sky above informed the composition of these images, which are characterised by a narrow band of sky running across the top of a steep, treed slope.2 The strength of the series was recognised early, with the National Gallery of Victoria acquiring Upwey Landscape III, 1965 from the studio the year it was painted. Major Upwey paintings also entered the collections of the National Gallery of Australia, Art Gallery of New South Wales and Tate, London. Williams worked in various media throughout his career – the technical possibilities and creative innovations of one, influencing his work in another – and Upwey subjects feature in drawings, etchings, gouaches, as well as oil paintings. A quick-drying medium composed of watercolour mixed with white pigment (which renders it opaque), gouache was his preferred medium for painting outdoors during the mid-1960s.3 As this example shows however, in addition to its convenience and ease of use, in Williams’ hands, gouache also offered something of the richness of oil paint in terms of the pictorial possibilities and textural manipulation it allowed. The familiar format of the Upwey landscapes is combined here with a luscious wintry palette, a hillside of deep browns, ochre , grey and highlights of ultramarine, beneath a pale sky streaked with painterly clouds. Williams’ trademark daubs and dots of paint describe dense vegetation growing across the top of the hill while tree trunks, strongly defined in black, mark out the topography of the hillside, the verticals of standing trees creating a staccato-like rhythm across the picture which is counterbalanced by the series of horizontal sweeps in the foreground. 1. McCaughey, P., Fred Williams 1927 – 1982, Murdoch Books, Sydney, 1996, p. 170 2. See Mollison, J., A Singular Vision: The Art of Fred Williams, Australian National Gallery & Oxford University Press, Canberra, 1989, p. 89 3. In the late 1960s Williams began to make small outdoor oil sketches, adding synthetic polymer paint to his repertoire of outdoor materials in 1971. KIRSTY GRANT , © Estate of Fred Williams/Copyright Agency, 2024
Deutscher and Hackett
Nov. 26, 2024
FRED WILLIAMS, LANDSCAPE WITH SWAMP, 1972
Est: $250,000 - $350,000
FRED WILLIAMS (1927 - 1982) LANDSCAPE WITH SWAMP, 1972 oil on canvas 71.0 x 97.0 cm signed lower right: Fred Williams bears artist's name, title, date, medium and dimensions on artist's label verso inscribed on artist's label verso: WILLESMERE [sic] / PARK / (KEW) / PAINTED ON 6 AUGUST 1972 PROVENANCE Rudy Komon Gallery, Sydney (RK 3461), (label attached verso) Private collection, Sydney Gould Galleries, Melbourne Private collection, Melbourne Deutscher and Hackett, Melbourne, 16 April 2008, lot 18 Private collection, Melbourne EXHIBITED From Streeton to Whiteley: A Selection of Australian Art, Gould Galleries, Melbourne, 18 October – 10 November 1996, cat. 29 (illus. in exhibition catalogue) We are grateful to Lyn Williams for her assistance with this catalogue entry. ESSAY We are grateful to Brenda Martin Thomas, wife of the late David Thomas AM, for kindly allowing us to reproduce David’s writing in this catalogue entry. The 1970s introduced some of Fred Williams’ pictorially richest and most interesting works, as seen in Landscape with Swamp, 1972. From the aerial viewpoint and minimalism of the You Yang paintings and the tripartite divisions of his later Lysterfield paintings, his work gave way to the freer compositions and richer colours of the Yan Yean oils of 1972, painted out of doors at the Yan Yean Swamp in company with John Perceval. Unlike earlier works, they are clearly identified with the place and its particularities, being described by Patrick McCaughey as ‘among the finest and most interesting of all the oil sketches of the early 1970s.’1 Although inspired by a different place, Landscape with Swamp belongs to this group in terms of motif and achievement. Now more traditional in pictorial presentation, the brilliance of palette and vitality of form gains in emphasis through the use of black, outlining tree trunks and water’s edge. It provides an element of control, as it were, for the rich tangle of colour and paint, seen again in such works as Yan Yean II (Dog Chasing Possum) and Yan Yean in the collection of the Queensland Art Gallery, both painted in 1972. Landscape with Swamp is identified by the artist’s note on the back of the painting as Willsmere Park in Melbourne’s East Kew, close to the Kew Billabong and River Yarra. Williams even added the date on which it was painted, indicating that both location and time had significance in terms of the painting itself during this highly fertile period of his art. While the locale is different from Yan Yean, the motif is similar and marks the genesis of the great Kew Billabong series of three years later. Previously it had been thought that Williams commenced this series in April of 1975.2 Williams considered the Billabong ‘splendid’ and found ‘it a great place to work.’3 It was within easy distance from his home and provided Williams with what McCaughey described as ‘a retreat, a new starting point with some point of departure from previous work.’ Quiet paintings of the transitory illusion of light reflecting on water and thoughts of Monet’s Waterlilies led many to see these paintings as being ‘as close to the spirit of French Impressionism as any of Williams’ works.’5 Such developments to come are hinted at in Landscape with Swamp, where the splendidly vigorous handling of the monumental in nature is destined to give way to the intimate. The ephemeral detritus of man and nature were to replace the grandeur of trees beside the bank and their solid reflections in the water. 1. McCaughey, P., Fred Williams, Bay Books, Sydney, 1980, p. 240 2. Mollison, J., A Singular Vision: The Art of Fred Williams, Australian National Gallery, Canberra, 1989, p. 199 3. ibid. 4. McCaughey, op. cit., p. 285 5. Mollison, op. cit., p. 201 DAVID THOMAS © Estate of Fred Williams/Copyright Agency, 2024
Deutscher and Hackett
Nov. 21, 2024
FRED WILLIAMS, (1927-1982), Dry Creek Bed, Werribee Gorge 1976-78, lithograph, ed. 39/50, 71 x 51 cm. (27.9 x 20.0 in.), frame: 90 x 70 x 3 cm. (35.4 x 27.5 x 1.1 in.)
Est: $1,500 - $2,500
FRED WILLIAMS (1927-1982) Dry Creek Bed, Werribee Gorge 1976-78 lithograph, ed. 39/50 signed lower right: Fred Williams numbered lower left: 39/50 titled lower centre: Dry Creek Bed W. G
Lawsons
Nov. 20, 2024
FRED WILLIAMS, (1927 - 1982), Landscape with steep road 1957 and Landscape with a goose, 1974 (2 works), decorative prints, 37 x 26 cm. (14.5 x 10.2 in.), frame: 48 x 38 x 3 cm. (18.9 x 14.9 x 1.1 in.) each
Est: $100 - $200
FRED WILLIAMS ( 1927 - 1982 ) Landscape with steep road 1957 and Landscape with a goose, 1974 (2 works) decorative prints each signed in plate
Lawsons
Nov. 20, 2024
FRED WILLIAMS (1927-1982), Desert Landscape (Tibooburra series) 1968
Est: $20,000 - $30,000
PROPERTY FORMERLY FROM THE AUSTRALIAN CLUB COLLECTION, MELBOURNE FRED WILLIAMS (1927-1982) Desert Landscape (Tibooburra series) 1968 gouache on paper 49.5 x 75.5 cm; 78.0 x 99.5 cm (framed) signed and dated lower right: Fred Williams 68
Menzies
Nov. 13, 2024
FRED WILLIAMS, (1927 - 1982), John Brack 1978 and Standing Nude 1945 (2 works), decorative prints, 38 x 28 cm (frame: 55 x 44 x 3 cm), 41 x 25 cm (frame: 54 x 38 x 3 cm)
Est: $150 - $250
FRED WILLIAMS (1927 - 1982) John Brack 1978 and Standing Nude 1945 (2 works) decorative prints each signed in print
Lawsons
Nov. 13, 2024
FRED WILLIAMS, (1927 - 1982), Dancing Figures 1954 and Landscape with steep Road 1959 (2 works), decorative print, 29 x 22 cm. (11.4 x 8.6 in.), frame: 47 x 39 x 4 cm. (18 1/2 x 15.3 x 1.5 in.) and 27 x 22 cm, frame 49 x
Est: $150 - $250
FRED WILLIAMS (1927 - 1982) Dancing Figures 1954 and Landscape with steep Road 1959 (2 works) decorative print
Lawsons
Nov. 13, 2024
FRED WILLIAMS, (1927 - 1982), Lysterfield Triptych 1967 and Red Trees 1962 (2 works), decorative prints, 13 x 37.5 cm. (5.1 x 14.7 in.), frame: 40 x 54 x 2 cm. (15 3/4 x 21.2 x 0.7 in.) and 33 x 25.5 cm frame: 57 x 47 x
Est: $150 - $250
FRED WILLIAMS (1927 - 1982) Lysterfield Triptych 1967 and Red Trees 1962 (2 works) decorative prints
Lawsons