Beyond Sacred: Australian Aboriginal Art, The Laverty Collection

Colin and Elizabeth Laverty’s collection was on the of the most important collections of its type in the world. A large format catalogue for the auction held at Museum of Contemporary Art Sydney on Sunday 8 March 2015.

Issued in conjunction with a 2015 sale of 166 lots of Australian aboriginal art, as collected by Colin and Elizabeth Laverty. With an introduction by Ron Ramsey. Offers more than a standard auction catalogue does, including essays about the places and the artists, from a few ancient artifacts to contemporary paintings. Scarce.

Deutscher and Hackett are delighted to announce the sale of selected works from one of Australia’s most important and well-known collections of Australian Indigenous art. BEYOND SACRED: Australian Aboriginal Art from the Laverty Collection will be held at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney on 8 March, 2015. The sale includes works collected over forty years by Dr Colin and Elizabeth Laverty, two of Australia’s most celebrated collectors of aboriginal and contemporary Australian art.

“This is an extraordinary once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said Crispin Gutteridge, Deutscher and Hackett’s Head of Aboriginal Art. “The artworks for sale have been highly sought-after for exhibitions across the globe, and have been showcased in museums across 12 countries worldwide.”

“The Lavertys have been instrumental in raising the profile of Aboriginal art, and are true pioneers in the history of Australian art,” said Crispin Gutteridge. Colin and Elizabeth Laverty were among the very first collectors to visit Aboriginal Art centres, sitting down with elders and artists and gaining a true understanding of Aboriginal art. Their collection is a Who’s Who of important indigenous artists such as: Emily Kngwarreye, Rover Thomas, Paddy Bedford and John Mawurndjul, and they were among the very first to embrace newer painting communities as they began such as Bidyadanga in the Kimberly west of Broome.

Locally, The National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, State Galleries, The Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney and many regional Galleries across Australia have exhibited these works. More than 130 works from the Laverty Collection have been donated to public galleries under the Cultural Gifts Scheme. In 2008 a major book Beyond Sacred: Australian Aboriginal Art – The Collection of Colin and Elizabeth Laverty, was published to coincide with an exhibition of selected works from the Laverty Collection at The Museum of Contemporary Art Sydney. ‘Colin and Liz strongly believed that indigenous Australian Art could hold its own amongst contemporary art from around the world, and this exhibition was able to prove their point”, said Crispin Gutteridge.

Dr Colin Laverty, OAM was a renowned pathologist whose ground-breaking research on the Human Papillomavirus led to extensive research and the development of vaccines for the treatment of cervical cancer. In 2008, Colin was awarded an Order of Australia medal for his services to medicine and is remembered for his great contribution to both medicine and Art.

Black & copper spine, colour illus. wraps, French flaps, illus. flyleaves, 293 pp., many colour illus. #0121 AS NEW