Tony Tuckson (1921-1973)

His paintings call upon a creativity enriched and sophisticated by his curatorial activities at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. As deputy director, he pioneered the gallery's superb collection of Australian Aboriginal and Melanesian art, then one of the finest in Australia, showing an empathy with it that had a profound influence on his own art. Yet, while influences may readily be traced to Aboriginal and European art, Tuckson was above all his own man, much of the quality of his art coming from this individuality. Reluctant to talk about his work, parallels have to be found elsewhere. Writing in the book, Australian Aboriginal Art published in 1964, Tuckson said art '... <...