Arthur Boyd

Arthur Boyd (1920 - 1999) was an Australian painter, potter, and printmaker from a family of artists. He sought to express an inner emotional vision rather than depict the external world. His lyrical, emotive allegories explored universal themes of love, loss, and shame, often set in the Australian bush. Rich in literary, mythological, and personal symbolism, his works also reflected a strong social conscience and engagement with humanitarian issues.

While considered an expressionist or allegorical painter, rather than a Surrealist, his work does share some of the same visual language. In 1959, Boyd joined the Antipodeans, a group of painters promoting figurative art against the dominance of abstraction. That same year he moved with his family to London, remaining there until 1971.

Soon after returning to Australia, Boyd and his wife Yvonne visited art dealer Frank McDonald’s property on the Shoalhaven River. Captivated by the wild landscape, Boyd made it one of his most enduring subjects. The majesty of the soaring cliffs which border the tranquil Shoalhaven remained a perennial image of the series of paintings. In the 1970s, the couple purchased Bundanon, an 1100-acre property on the Shoalhaven, fearing future development would destroy its natural beauty.

In 1993, the Boyds gifted Bundanon to the Australian Government so that unique nature of the area could be preserved and inspire generations to come.

Another version of this Shoalhaven motif is in the National Gallery of Australia: Interior with open door, Shoalhaven (1976–77), purchased in 1977 (Ref. NGA 1977.641).ed 1977.

Photo: Yvonne and Arthur Boyd at Bundanon, 1990s.