Posts made in October, 2014

“First Class Marksman” – Taking aim at provenance

Posted by on Oct 16, 2014 in Heide, Nolan | 2 comments

Sidney Nolan’s 1946 painting First Class Marksman is unique on a number of counts. It is the only one of the so-called first series Kellys which was not painted at Heide;1 it is the only work in the first series not in the collection of the National Gallery of Australia;2 it is the one work in the series described by Nolan himself as being pivotal;3 and it holds the record price for a painting by an Australian artist.4 However First Class Marksman is far from...

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