Gary James Shead (Australian 1942-) Bio
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Gary is an Australian painter, print maker, cartoonist, photographer, and filmmaker, early in his youth whilst at secondary school in the 1950s Gary won numerous art prize and in 1961 he attended the National Art School (NAS) Sydney where he also directed his first film “Ding a Ding Day 1966”, it was also in that year, his painting of his sister Lynne was accepted and hung in the Archibald Prize exhibition, making him one of the youngest on record Archibald exhibitors
In 1966 Gary held his first solo exhibition at the Watters Gallery in Sydney. He won the Young Contemporaries Prize in 1967. In the late 1960s Gary travelled New Guinea on a film expedition, where he discovered the letters of DH Lawrence (20th century Writer), in 1972 Gary was Artist in residence, Power Studio, Cite des Arts, Paris in 1973 Brett Whiteley who also shared Gary’s interest in DH Lawrence travelled with Gary to Thirroul, south of Sydney, where Lawrence and his wife had lived in the early 1920’s, Gary often visited Thirroul it was HD Lawrence that heavily influenced Gary’s later work. Gary travelled to Europe in the early 1980s, living in Vence, France (the place where DH Lawrence had died) in 1981. He moved back to Australia in 1983, and settled in Bundeena, NSW in 1986 he was the Winner of Mahalb Art Prize (New South Wales Law Society), in 1987, where his style (figurative, allegoric, lyric, moody) crystallized with the Bundeena paintings, the Queen series and the D. H. Lawrence series. This last one is based mainly on Lawrence’s novel Kangaroo, which was inspired by the Lawrence’s stay at Thirroul. In that year Gary embarked on the first of the ‘Outback’ series of paintings, those paintings, along with the ‘Bundeena’ series in 1990, paved the way for Gary’s distinctive style to emerge in the breakthrough ‘DH Lawrence’ series. Living in the Australian bush with his European wife inspired Gary to include not only DH Lawrence in his work, but also Lawrence’s wife Frieda. Placing a European woman against the Australian bush began with the ‘DH Lawrence’ series of paintings and became a recurring theme in Gary’s work.
The ‘DH Lawrence’ series was exhibited seven times during 1992-93, including the Art Gallery of NSW, the series was hugely successful for Gary and represents a watershed in his career. Gary used Lawrence’s novel Kangaroo as a springboard for the scenes in some of the works, including the figures of the kangaroo, cockatoo, and currawong as the spirit of the Australian landscape brooding over the alien European visitors.
In 1993 He won the Archibald Prize with a portrait of Tom Thompson. In 1994 Gary commenced ‘The Royal Suite’ series, which was inspired by his memories of the first Royal visit to Australia in 1954, the series focuses on the progress of a European woman through the Australian landscape, employing the native animals as spiritual guides and guardians. The paintings may interpret the colonial treatment of Aboriginal people as well as establishing Gary’s visual vocabulary of wattle sprigs and embracing couples.
In 1999 Gary commenced the ‘Artist and the Muse’ series, focusing on the female nude. Early in 2000 Gary began painting a series of religious paintings, placing Christ within the Bundeena landscape, and using the Sulphur crested cockatoo to symbolize the Holy Spirit.
He won the Dobell Prize in 2004 with Colloquy with John Keats. He was a finalist in the Archibald Prize in 2009 and 2012. The 21st century saw him branch out into a complex set of paintings celebrating the Malley series of hoax poems. Garry through his unique talent that’s evident in his oil paintings, original etchings and Limited edition works on paper has now experience consistent steady demand for his works with collectors and investors of Australian Fine Art. Gary is represented in the National Gallery of Australia and all state galleries, many regional galleries, and numerous private and corporate collections, both nationally and internationally.
Below Chart shows the Percentage Gain in Average Annual Price of Paintings Sold for Gary Shead
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