€200 - €400
Star Lot: Brownie Downing (Australian, 1924-1995). A charming original Brownie Downing drawing. This piece depicts a enchanting fairytale scene of a child surrounded by animals in a forest, rendered with soft, subtle hues and delicate shading that evoke a sense of whimsy. Signed lower right. Housed in a gilt frame behind glass. Downing's work has a rich auction history with similar scenes fetching $250 at auction.
MM: 59cm x 77cm including frame.
For generations of children and adults in Australia and overseas, Brownie Downing brought out the magic of childhood, the Australian bush and its native inhabitants in an art career spanning several decades. Through her sketches, watercolours, porcelain items and, later, illustrated children’s books, she earned a distinct place in Australia’s art world. Downing’s achievement is intriguing – her most successful subject, Aboriginal Australia, was one she did not really know first hand; only in an idealised form. Her success lay in an ability to capture the simple, naive beauty and innocence of children and wildlife in a way that transcended any one culture. That quality, developed early on in a corner of Sydney’s northern suburbs, never left her, staying with her in the second half of her life lived entirely overseas.
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