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Artist: John Perceval (1923-2000)
Title: Williamstown Light House Detail
Medium: Oil on canvas
Image Size: 82 x 102 cm
Signed: PERCEVAL Lower left
Price: SOLD

John Perceval (1923 - 2000)

John Perceval has played a major role in the Antipodean group in the late 1950s in Melbourne and in 1959 he signed the Antipodean Manifesto which determined the shape of Australian contemporary art. Antipodean group reacted strongly against the promoters of non-figurative painting who followed the trends in the United States and suggested that representational painting was unfashionable and outdated. In 30 June 2000 Sotheby's sold John Perceval "Scudding Swans" (Williamstown series) for $552,500 it was then a record for a living Australian painter. In March 2002 Dutscher Menzies sold John Perceval "Sulphur Smoke" for $596,600. 

John de Burgh Perceval AO (1 February 1923 - 15 October 2000) was a well-known Australian artist. Perceval was the last surviving member of a group known as the Angry Penguins who redefined Australian art in the 1940s. Other members included John and Sunday Reed, Joy Hester, Sidney Nolan, Arthur Boyd and Albert Tucker.

He was born Linwood Robert Steven South at Bruce Rock, Western Australia, the second child of Robert South (a wheat farmer) and Dorothy née Dolton. His parents separated in 1925 and he remained at his father’s farm until reunited with his mother in Melbourne in 1935. Following the marriage of his mother to William de Burgh Perceval, he changed his name to John and adopted the surname de Burgh Perceval.

John Perceval moved to Melbourne with his mother in 1934 attending a local boarding school, Trinity Grammar, here he had his first access to a large library, where the school’s collection of art books left a profound impact on the teenager. Greatly influenced by Van Gogh’s famous painting of the same title, Perceval’s first work Sunflowers (1935) captures the essence of Van Gogh’s work but Perceval’s own flair can be seen in its depth and unique textural qualities.

In 1938 Perceval contracted polio and was hospitalised, giving him the opportunity to further his skills at drawing and painting. When he contracted polio and was confined to a hospital bed, Perceval spent much of this time developing his skills in drawing and painting. Although he survived the infection, it seriously affected his neck muscles, speech patterns and left him with a permanent limp. These problems continued to give Perceval constant troubles throughout his life.

Enlisting in the army in 1941, following the outbreak of war in the Pacific, Perceval was assigned to the Army Survey Corps when he was rejected as unfit for military duty. In the army Perceval first met and befriended Arthur Boyd. During this time he used his drawing skills to become a draughtsman and soon met other young artists such as Albert Tucker, Sidney Nolan and Arthur Boyd. Becoming a close friend with Boyd, Perceval later met his sister, Mary whom he married in 1944. His associations with Boyd also allowed him to be introduced to the well-known art patrons John and Sunday Reed who helped establish his name within Australia’s art circles. After leaving the army and moving into the Boyd family home at Open Country, Murrumbeena, he married Boyd's younger sister Mary in 1944. Together he and Mary Boyd produced four children.

From 1943, and the aftermath of the war, Perceval began to produce joyful religious and genre paintings with richly textured surfaces. Although he was exhibiting regularly with the Contemporary Art Society, Perceval held his first one-man show at the Melbourne Book Club in 1948.

Establishing a pottery workshop at Murrumbeena with Arthur Boyd and Peter Herbst in 1944, between 1949 and 1955, Perceval turned to ceramic work and created a series of angel figures. Returning to painting in 1956, Perceval produced a series of spontaneous images depicting Williamstown, Gaffney’s Creek and a range of seascapes.

Perceval held his first solo exhibition at the Melbourne Book Club in 1948 and showed regularly with the Contemporary Art Society. Between 1949 and 1955 he concentrated on producing earthenware ceramics and helped to establish the Arthur Merric Boyd Pottery in Murrumbeena. Returning to painting in 1956 Perceval produced a series of images of Williamstown and Gaffney's Creek.

In 1959, Perceval became a member of the Antipodeans, a group of self-taught Australian painters who dramatically changed the local art scene in the 1940s and 50s. Working alongside Arthur Boyd, Albert Tucker, Sidney Nolan and Joy Hester, during his time as an Antipodean Perceval worked with passionate intensity to put his strong responses to nature onto canvas. Proving to be one his most creative periods, his palette and style had matured greatly to show subtle contrasts in tone and vibrant use of colour. In 1961 he began to receive wider recognition and was asked to contribute to the renowned Whitechapel Gallery’s 50 Australian Painters show in London. His work was also included in the 1962 Rebels and Precursors in Australia, London’s Tate Gallery in 1963 and later at Brazil’s Museum of Modern Art.

Moving to England in 1963 Perceval held solo exhibitions in London, and travelled to Europe, before returning to Australia in 1965 to take up the first Australian National University Creative Fellowship (Australian National University Creative Fellowship in Canberra). John Perceval, a major retrospective exhibition, was held at Albert Hall, Canberra in 1966. Author Margaret Plant's monograph John Perceval, was published in 1971.

However, despite his rising success, Perceval was tackling serious health problems. In 1977 he was admitted to a Melbourne psychiatric institution where was diagnosed with schizophrenia and spent nearly ten years of his life.
Although he produced a small number of crayon sketches during this time, he did not seriously take up drawing and painting until 1987. Some of the images Perceval produced after his release from hospital reflect strong elements of tension and trauma. This can be seen in his works Jack-in-the-box with rooster lid (1987) and Feeding the Seagulls (1988) which include axe images and distraught faces.

Suffering from alcoholism and schizophrenia in 1974 Perceval committed himself to the psychiatric hospital Larundel, Melbourne, where he remained until 1981.

After Perceval left the hospital he began again to produce jubilant and brilliant paintings with richly textured surfaces which brought him fame in the 50’s in his early artistic acclaim. Perceval produced the prestigious Sunflowers series and also continued his bellowed Williamstown series of paintings. John Perceval established very strong emotional connection with Williamstown, a small Melbourne Harbour. Williamstown paintings formed Perceval first major show in 1956 bringing Perceval an immediate artistic acclaim and financial success. Perceval early Williamstown paintings are in the prestigious permanent collection of the National Gallery of Victoria (Melbourne) and the Heide Art Gallery, Victoria (John and Sunday Reed Collection).

In 1984John Perceval: A Retrospective Exhibition of Paintings was held at Heide Park and Art Gallery. In 1991 Perceval was awarded Officer of the Order of Australia (AO), the year after the National Gallery of Victoria organised John Perceval: A Retrospective.

In 2000 Perceval held his last major retrospective at Galeria Aniela. Perceval continued with his art until his death in 2000.

As the last of the original core of the Antipodeans, his death was considered a great tragedy.

Prior to his death Scudding Swans (1959) sold for $552,500, a record for a living Australian painter. Perceval is survived by his four children, all of whom Celia Perceval, Tessa Perceval and Matthew Perceval are practicing artists today.

John Perceval "Scudding Swans" Williamstown series sold for A$552,500.00. In 30 June 2000 it was a record for a living Australian painter. John Perceval "Sulphur Smoke" Williamstown series sold for A$596,600 at Deutscher-Menzies in March 2002 Sydney.

John de Burgh Perceval was born Linwood Robert Stevens South at Bruce Rock, Western Australia, on 1 February 1923, the second child of Bob and Dorothy South. His parents separated in 1925 and he remained at his father's farm, until reunited with his mother in Melbourne in 1935. He called himself John and adopted his stepfather's surname de Burgh Perceval. In 1938 Perceval contracted polio and was hospitalised, during which time he developed his skills at drawing and painting. Enlisting in the army in 1941, Perceval met Arthur Boyd, and later his sister Mary, whom he married in 1944. Although showing regularly with the Contemporary Art Society, Perceval held his first solo exhibition at the Melbourne Book Club in 1948. Between 1949 and 1955 he concentrated on producing earthenware ceramics at the Boyd's home at Murrumbeena. In 1956 Perceval returned to painting with a series of images of Williamstown and Gaffney's Creek. In 1963 Perceval moved to England, held solo exhibitions in London, and travelled to Europe, before returning to Australia in 1965 to take up the first Australian National University Creative Fellowship. John Perceval, a major retrospective exhibition, was held at Albert Hall, Canberra in 1966 and Margaret Plant's monograph John Perceval, was published in 1971. In 1974 Perceval committed himself to the psychiatric hospital Larundel, Melbourne, where he remained until 1981. John Perceval: A Retrospective Exhibition of Paintings was held at Heide Park and Art Gallery in 1984. Perceval was awarded Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in 1991, and in the following year the National Gallery of Victoria organised John Perceval: A Retrospective exhibition. Text curtsey National Gallery of Victoria - Melbourne.

Perceval selected Major Exhibitions
1942-44, 48, 54 Annual exhibitions, Contemporary Art Society, Melbourne
1956, 60 Australian Galleries, Melbourne
1957 David Jones Gallery, Sydney
1959 'Angels', Museum of Modern Art of Australia, Melbourne
1959 'The Antipodeans exhibition; Victorian Artists' Society', Clune Galleries, Sydney
1961 '50 Australian Painters', Whitechapel Gallery, London
1962 'Rebels and Precursors', National Gallery of Victoria, touring State galleries
1963 VII Biennale, Museum of Modern Art, Sao Paolo, Brazil
1963 'Australian Painting: Colonial, Impressionist, Contemporary', Tate Gallery, London
1964 Zwemmer Gallery, London; Sotuh Yarra Gallery, Melbourne
1966 Retrospective exhibition, Albert Hall, Canberra
1967-79 Various exhibitions at Clune Galleries, Sydney; South Yarra Gallery, Melbourne; Australian Galleries, Melbourne; Joseph Brown Gallery, Melbourne; David Jones Gallery, Sydney
1967 'Australian Painters 1964-66', The Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, USA (the Mertz Collection)
1969 'Retrospective 1943-68', Villiers Gallery, Sydney
1984 Retrospective exhibition, Heide Park and Art Gallery, Melbourne
1984 'JGL Collection: The Great Decades of Australian Art', National Gallery of Victoria
1986 Adrian Slinger Gallery, Brisbane
1988 'Angry Penguins and Realist Painters in Melbourne in the 1940s', Hayward Gallery, London
1989 BMG Fine Art, Sydney
1991 Australian Galleries, Sydney; Greenhill Galleries, Perth
1992 Retrospective exhibition, National Gallery of Victoria
2000 Retrospective exhibition, Galeria Aniela, Kangaroo Valley, NSW televised by the ABC TV Australian National News.

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Perceval selected Major Exhibitions
1942-44, 48, 54 Annual exhibitions, Contemporary Art Society, Melbourne
1956, 60 Australian Galleries, Melbourne
1957 David Jones Gallery, Sydney
1959 'Angels', Museum of Modern Art of Australia, Melbourne
1959 'The Antipodeans exhibition; Victorian Artists' Society', Clune Galleries, Sydney
1961 '50 Australian Painters', Whitechapel Gallery, London
1962 'Rebels and Precursors', National Gallery of Victoria, touring State galleries
1963 VII Biennale, Museum of Modern Art, Sao Paolo, Brazil
1963 'Australian Painting: Colonial, Impressionist, Contemporary', Tate Gallery, London
1964 Zwemmer Gallery, London; Sotuh Yarra Gallery, Melbourne
1966 Retrospective exhibition, Albert Hall, Canberra
1967-79 Various exhibitions at Clune Galleries, Sydney; South Yarra Gallery, Melbourne; Australian Galleries, Melbourne; Joseph Brown Gallery, Melbourne; David Jones Gallery, Sydney
1967 'Australian Painters 1964-66', The Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, USA (the Mertz Collection)
1969 'Retrospective 1943-68', Villiers Gallery, Sydney
1984 Retrospective exhibition, Heide Park and Art Gallery, Melbourne
1984 'JGL Collection: The Great Decades of Australian Art', National Gallery of Victoria
1986 Adrian Slinger Gallery, Brisbane
1988 'Angry Penguins and Realist Painters in Melbourne in the 1940s', Hayward Gallery, London
1989 BMG Fine Art, Sydney
1991 Australian Galleries, Sydney; Greenhill Galleries, Perth
1992 Retrospective exhibition, National Gallery of Victoria
2000 Retrospective exhibition, Galeria Aniela, Kangaroo Valley, NSW televised by the ABC TV Australian National News.

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ABC TV Australian National News John Perceval

The major John Perceval Retrospective exhibition held at Galeria Aniela Fine Art Gallery and Sculpture Park in May 2000, exhibited  over 80 works of art from 1937 to 1999. The exhibition officially open by Chairman Sotheby's Australia, Justin Miller, was widely canvas by the media including the ABC TV Australian National News..

John Perceval LAST Major Retrospective at Galeria Aniela

2000 Retrospective exhibition, Galeria Aniela, Kangaroo Valley, NSW televised by the ABC TV Australian National News. John Perceval AO is Australia's one of the most distinguished and celebrated artists. He has earned a place at the forefront of Australian painters and is recognised as an icon of Australian visual art. His work includes paintings, drawings, ceramic sculpture and decorated earthenware. He is one of the last 'Antipodeans' and remains one of the century's most important and best loved artists.

At the recent auction of the Mertz collection, Perceval's "Scudding Swans" sold for the top price of $552,500. Perceval holds now a record for a living Australian painter.

The first major Retrospective of John Perceval's work in New South Wales will be on view at Galeria Aniela Fine Art Gallery in Kangaroo Valley. The exhibition is arranged with the personal encouragement and support of this great Australian painter.

With a contribution to art spanning nearly six decades, Perceval has produced fewer than 600 oil paintings. This exhibition gives a rare chance to appreciate valuable works of this significant Australian artist that are normally held in museums and private collections.

John Perceval provides the viewer with a visual feast, using rich colours, dancing and sensuous forms, a touch of the amorous to seduce the eye and witty humour. Perceval mastery of the wide range of media is obvious in the way they are seamlessly applied and integrated, showing vivacity, spontaneity and joyous innocence. The appeal of his work is immediate, disclosing an active mind, dynamism, strength, vitality and a youthfulness which belies his age. His work is pure celebration of life and visual delight solely revealing Perceval's genius.