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ISSN 1443-0568 | no. 40 | August 1999


The collections

Portrait of Andrew Sibley

Andrew Sibley

The Library’s collection of portraits of Australians of national significance was enhanced recently by the acquisition of a portrait of the artist Andrew Sibley, by Esther Erlich.

Sibley is renowned as a portrait artist and notable for his entries in the Archibald Prize. According to McCulloch’s Encyclopedia of Australian Art (St. Leonards, NSW: Allen & Unwin, 1994), Sibley’s work has remained distinctive for over 40 years of productive output. He has held annual exhibitions in Melbourne and has been the subject of a number of publications including Rodney Hall’s, Focus on Andrew Sibley (Brisbane: University of Queensland Press, 1968) and Sasha Grishin’s, Andrew Sibley (East Roseville, NSW: G & B Arts International; distributed by Craftsman House, 1993). Sibley’s work is widely represented in Australian galleries and the State libraries of New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland. The acquisition will complement the Library’s holdings of published works about Sibley and oral history recordings made in 1963 and 1984.

Ester Erlich’s portrait of Andrew Sibley was a finalist in the 1998 Portia Geach Prize, which is awarded annually for a portrait of a sitter who is distinguished in the arts, letters or science. Erlich recently won the prestigious Doug Moran Portrait Prize.

The Library also holds Erlich’s Portrait of Louis Kahan (R11467) and three head studies for long-distance runner Steve Moneghetti (R11541).

Esther Erlich (1955–
Portrait of Andrew Sibley
painting; acrylic on canvas; 182.5 x 91 cm
R11540


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Please address any comments and enquiries to The Editor, Gateways: lkirwan@nla.gov.au

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