Opening 6pm Friday 21 June 2019
EN PLEIN AIR
Paintings by Harald Vike and Frank Norton
Curated by Michael Knight
To be opened by Professor Clarissa Ball, UWA
Harald Vike and Frank Norton works for sale from the collection of the CY O’Connor ERADE Village Foundation. (Established in 1998 as an evolution of an immunogenetics research foundation. Previously involved in AIDS research.)
An exhibition of paintings and drawings by respected Perth artists, Harald Vike and Frank Norton. Some of these donated works were never publicly displayed, and this show provides a rare opportunity to view and purchase a historical piece.
Following on from recent retrospectives of Norton and Vike at the Fremantle Arts Centre and Janet Holmes a Court Gallery respectively, this exhibition will present a fresh look at two artists who made significant contributions to the Western Australian painting tradition.
Harold Vike (1906-1987) was born in Norway in 1906 and moved to Australia in 1929. His career in artistic circles in Perth and Melbourne included painting, illustrating, cartooning and theatre work. He also travelled to remote regions of Australia painting landscapes and outback characters. Vike’s habit of documenting workers, rooftops, backyards and everyday scenes wherever he was left a record of early Australia that has been likened to Van Gogh for colour and texture. His work is represented in many private and public collections including AGWA and the National Gallery of Australia.
Frank Norton (1916-1983) was an official war artist in WWII, and became the Director of AGWA in 1958. For 18 years he maintained a unique office/studio at the gallery where he continued his own art practice alongside growing and improving the Perth art scene. Nearly 700 of Norton’s war works are held by the Australian War Memorial. His non-war landscapes were rarely exhibited during his lifetime but show a passion for hands-on art that continued throughout his life.
En Plein Air is a unique chance to draw comparisons between two vastly different personalities who both engaged in and realised the importance of painting outdoors. Both sought to depict the beauty of the Australian landscape in paintings and drawings of local scenery. Both are represented in the Art Gallery of WA collections.
Contact : Michael Knight Mobile: 0414 276 783 Email: michael@mhknight.com
Open: Mon- Sat 10-5, Sunday 12-5
