Charles Blackman "Alice in Wonderland" fetched $1.2 million, view the entire article The Age, 21 Oct.2006 Melbourne, the ABC TV National News, Alice Paintings. A portrait of Charles Blackman by Jon Molvig won the Archibald Prize in 1966. Blackman and Olsen hold the record of the highest paid living Australian artists.

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Charles Blackman is only one of two living, most important Australian artists still alive whose painting sold over one million dollars. “Alice in Wonderland” Sotheby's sold for $1.2 million, a record price for a living Australian artist (fetched more than twice the previous record for the artist's work in October 2006). To view the entire article click  The Age, 21 Oct.2006 Melbourne, the ABC TV National News, Alice Paintings.

Charles Blackman (born August 12, 1928) is one of the most important Australian artists still alive. As a young man, he worked as an illustrator with the Sydney Sun newspaper while attending night classes at East Sydney Technical College (1943-46). He came to notice following his move to Melbourne in the mid-1940s, where he became friends with becoming friends with Joy Hester and John Perceval as well as gaining the support of critic and art patron John Reed. His work met critical acclaim through his early 'Schoolgirl' and 'Alice' series, the latter Blackman's conception of Lewis Carroll's most famous character. For some time while painting the 'Alice' series, Blackman worked as a cook at a cafe run by fellow artist Mirka Mora. Blackman married the poet Barbara Patterson in 1951. In 1959 he was a signatory to the Antipodean Manifesto, a statement protesting the dominance of abstract expressionism. The manifesto's adherents have been dubbed the Antipodeans Group. His work is associated with dreamlike images tinged with mystery and foreboding. In 1960 he lived in London after winning the Helena Rubenstein Art Award-Scholarship, settling in Sydney upon his return six years later. Charles Blackman is one of only handful Australian artists whose work attracted international recognition since 1961 London when the Helena Rubenstein Award. After twenty-seven years of marriage, Patterson divorced Blackman in 1978 and he remarried in 1989. He has won many prizes and distinctions, culminating in a major retrospective in 1993 and an OBE for services to Australian art in 1997. A portrait of Charles Blackman by Jon Molvig won the Archibald Prize in 1966.

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Title: Japanese Dinner Party, 1973
Medium: ink on paper
Image size: 50 x 64 cm
signed and dated top right: Blackman 73
Price:$8,250

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Blackman was a co-founder of the Melbourne Contemporary Art Society in 1953 and was one of seven Antipodeans responsible for the Antipodean Manifesto - a reaction against what they saw as the meteoric rise of abstract expressionism and non-figurative art in Australia and its intolerance of figurative painting. He has exhibited frequently since and is known for his facility in drawing. In 1951 Blackman married a poet, Barbara Patterson, who was to become a lasting presence in his work. Blackman has won many awards throughout his career, including the Rowney prize for drawing in 1959, the Helena Rubenstein Scholarship in 1960, the Dyeson Endowment Award and the Crouch Prize. Blackman's work was included in the Whitechapel Open Exhibition in 1961 and Tate Gallery exhibitions of Australian Art 1962-63. A major retrospective, 'Schoolgirls and Angels,' was organised in 1993 by the National Gallery of Victoria, touring to Sydney, Brisbane and Perth. In 1997 Blackman was awarded an OBE for his services to art. His work is held in all Australian state and most regional galleries, institutional and private collections.

Charles Blackman
Title: Girl with Flowers
Medium: Charcoal on paper on board circa 1985
Image size: 75 x 98cm
Framed size: 116 x 140cm
Price: $29,500

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Charles Blackman
Title: Girl with flowers sitting by the window c.1960
Medium: pastel on paper
Image size: 72 x 98cm
Framed size: 94 x 118cm
Price: $32,500

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Title: Crack-Up 1973 illustrated
Medium: oil on canvas
Image size: 91.5 x 96.5 cm
Framed size: 130 x 135 cm
signed top left: Blackman, 1973
Price: $285,000

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Crack-Up, a museum quality work of art from the era of Charles Blackman artistic acclaim, it portrays a famous American writer, Scott Fitzgerald and his wife Zelda. It is an exciting and emotionally moving painting, a razor sharp, but tender, opening feelings of the tormented writer, passions and suffering. Crack-Up is only one of four of the Fitzgerald series of paintings. All four paintings are illustrated in Blackman the Lost Domains; Crack-Up is illustrated and  documented on page 128. 

Crack-Up is an important work of art being one of only few Australian works relating to the important international Pop-Art movement, the black outline around two figures epitomizes this rare tie. Australian artists far from the rest of the world seldom embodied the significant global Pop-Art Andy Warhol style movement in the 60's and the early 70’s except few works by Australian international artists who recognized the worldwide art progress. A portrait of Charles Blackman by Jon Molvig won the Archibald Prize in 1966. However 1961-66 Charles Blackman lived in the centre of international art in London able to recognize and embrace the important art movement. In 1961 in London Blackman won Helena Rubenstein Art Award-Scholarship which started his period of the artistic acclaim and Blackman work attracted the international recognition. 

Scott Fitzgerald regarded as one of the twentieth century's great writers and his wife Zelda  were good friends with the Blackman’s and in Crack-Up painting Charles Blackman shows Zelda in warm tones yet, as she is peeled from mind of her husband, almost as she was Fitzgerald own creation. Crack-Up is a superb painting and indeed a brilliant work of art.

Charles Blackman is a major figure in Australian art of the post-war years. His haunting and enchanting images of women and girls, absorbed in daydreams or games have an enduring appeal. Two significant themes in his work have been the Schoolgirl and Alice in Wonderland. Deep shadows and the accentuation of his figure's eyes occur throughout Blackman's works with a pervasive sense of melancholy.

Barbara and Cat 1969
Medium: oil on canvas
Image size: 91.5 x 96.5 cm
Framed size: 130 x 135 cm
signed bottom left: Blackman 1969
Price: $485,000

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Barbara and Cat 1969 is a museum quality work of art from the era of Charles Blackman artistic acclaim. The painting portrays Barbara Blackman playing with their cat. Charles Blackman married Barbara Patterson in 1951, a model and a poet.

Barbara and Cat 1969 is an important work of art being one of only few Australian works relating to the important international Pop-Art movement, the black outline around two figures epitomizes this rare tie. Australian artists far from the rest of the world seldom embodied the significant global Pop-Art Andy Warhol style movement in the 60's and the early 70’s except few works by Australian international artists who recognized the worldwide art progress. A portrait of Charles Blackman by Jon Molvig won the Archibald Prize in 1966. However 1961-66 Charles Blackman lived in the centre of international art in London able to recognize and embrace the important art movement. In 1961 in London Blackman won Helena Rubenstein Art Award-Scholarship which started his period of the artistic acclaim and Blackman work attracted the international recognition. 

Charles Blackman is a major figure in Australian art of the post-war years. His haunting and enchanting images of women and girls, absorbed in daydreams or games have an enduring appeal. Two significant themes in his work have been the Schoolgirl and Alice in Wonderland. Deep shadows and the accentuation of his figure's eyes occur throughout Blackman's works with a pervasive sense of melancholy.

Alice Tea Party, 1962 London see Alice paintings
Medium: mixed media on paper on board
Image size: 135.5 x 150.5 cm
Framed size: 170 x 185 cm
signed bottom left: Blackman, London 1962
Price: $285,500

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Alice Tea Party is a masterpiece from the period of Charles Blackman artistic acclaim after wining Helena Rubenstein Art Award-Scholarship London 1961  giving Charles Blackman international recognition. Only few rare paintings from this period have returned to Australia.

Charles Blackman Alice in Wonderland sold by Sotheby's fetched $1.2 million, to view the entire article click The Age, 21 Oct.2006 Melbourne, the ABC TV National News, Alice Paintings. Charles Blackman holds the record of the highest paid living Australian artists.

Charles Blackman spent  his childhood in the Depression days in Sydney. His father left when he was only four and  his mother worked long hours to send him and his sisters to school. Blackman hard upbringing gave him a profound insight into the feminine mind. As women shaped his life, Blackman is at ease painting feminine subject's schoolgirls, Alice and his famous paintings of Zelda Fitzgerald. His friend, Joy Hester, said "The hand and the eye of the painter is what love is to a poet" and so Blackman's art has the infinite power and universal appeal, Blackman is loved by all.

Charles Blackman
Young Woman circa 1973
Charcoal on paper
77.5 x 53.5cm
SOLD

Charles Blackman (born August 12, 1928) is an Australian artist. Early life and initial success Blackman, born in Sydney, left school at thirteen (some sources say fifteen) and worked as an illustrator with the Sydney Sun newspaper while attending night classes at East Sydney Technical College (1943-46). He came to notice following his move to Melbourne in the mid-1940s, where he became friends with becoming friends with Joy Hester and John Perceval as well as gaining the support of critic and art patron John Reed. His work met critical acclaim through his early 'Schoolgirl' and 'Alice' series, the latter Blackman's conception of Lewis Carroll's most famous character. For some time while painting the 'Alice' series, Blackman worked as a cook at a cafe run by fellow artist Mirka Mora. Blackman married the poet Barbara Patterson in 1951. In 1959 he was a signatory to the Antipodean Manifesto, a statement protesting the dominance of abstract expressionism. The manifesto's adherents have been dubbed the Antipodeans Group. His work is associated with dreamlike images tinged with mystery and foreboding. In 1960 he lived in London after winning the Helena Rubenstein Scholarship, settling in Sydney upon his return six years later. After twenty-seven years of marriage, Patterson divorced Blackman in 1978 and he remarried in 1989. He has won many prizes and distinctions, culminating in a major retrospective in 1993 and an OBE for services to Australian art in 1997. A portrait of Charles Blackman by Jon Molvig won the Archibald Prize in 1966.
Later life: After years of alcohol abuse, Blackman has been severely disabled by Korsakoff's syndrome, a brain disorder affecting memory. After suffering a stroke and heart attack in 1994, Blackman has subsequently been under full-time care. He owns none of his original paintings, rents his home and survives on a stipend arranged by his accountant of forty years from the sale of his prints. The subject of ownership of Blackman's paintings has been a controversial issue, though his former wife maintains that her possession of some of them has been for the sake of preservation and that she intends to donate them to galleries.
References: Charles Blackman at Australian Art  Wilmoth, Peter. An artist in wonderland. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Even though Blackman has shown the sustaining power to originate a wide supply of superb images over a period of five decades many of Blackman  early paintings were destroyed during the Melbourne fire except for some which live to tell the tale.  The work Alice's Journey was rediscovered in Perth in May following a public appeal from the National Gallery of Victoria. The painting is part of the artist's Alice in Wonderland series and fetched $1.2 million. Mark Fraser from auction house Sotheby's is remaining tight-lipped about who the painting's new owner is.” It will go into a very good private collection here in Melbourne," he said.” They’ve already bought other major paintings from us this year, also record breaking paintings. "It's going to be an exceptional collection. I don't know if there are any plans for it to be made available to the public, but it's in very safe hands." Mr. Fraser says he was not expecting records to tumble. "I would have been perfectly happy with a result around the $700,000 or $800,000 level - that would still be twice the old record, but this result is extraordinary," he said.” The old record was also for an Alice in Wonderland painting set four or five years ago, but it was a much smaller painting.” This one was really considered the masterpiece of that series and since the Alice series is considered Charles Blackman's most famous series, this is the Blackman to beat all Blackman's." Tuesday, November 21, 2006 .