'Barbara' is recognisably Charles Blackman. In minimal strokes, he carves out a woman’s face, modelled after Charles’s former wife and muse Barbara Blackman who inspired his Alice in Wonderland series. 

Dated circa 1953, ‘Barbara stems from a significant period in Blackman’s career. Despite being only in his mid-twenties, he was already gaining traction for his now iconic Schoolgirl series. Critics were struck by the series’s undercurrent of unease: this was an artist acutely attuned to the precarity of youth, urbanisation and loneliness. With this in mind, ‘Barbara’ is also an expression of youthful anxiety. 

‘Barbara’ is a monotype, meaning that although it was created using printmaking techniques, it remained as a single image. Blackman adored printmaking for its fidelity to collaboration and process. This work thus, embodies one of his favourite mediums while remaining as unique as a painting. Blackman stands among Australia’s most beloved and collectable artists.

With a career as distinct as it is diverse, his work is acclaimed for its deep understanding of the human condition. This work is framed with museum board. For collectors of Blackman and modern art, this early monotype is a thrilling find.
 

Charles BLACKMAN (1928 - 2018)
'Barbara' c. 1953
monotype on paper
Image Size: 42 x 33 cm
Dimensions: 62 x 51 x 4 cm
Signed: Signed: Blackman 53
Comes with Letter of Provenance
This work is a monotype. A similar monotype titled Head of a Woman created the same year is represented at the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra. Accession no.: 77.315A similar monotype titled Head created in 1961 is represented at the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra. Accession no.: 2002.287
Availability: in stock
Condition:Very Good. The frame is new
© Charles Blackman / Copyright Agency