12/06/2026
Works on Paper from the Charles Nodrum Collection
20 June - 11 July
The works in this exhibition may cause some surprise. As both dealer and collector the central focus is late 20th century and here you will find graphics from the voyages of discovery, a few late 19th century landscapes, watercolours from the 20s and 30s including examples of the “blotting paper” school – as well as a number of artists you have never even heard of.
The first painting I bought was a Passmore drawing and the second was a Mike Brown – both from Joseph Brown; these were followed by a Philips Fox and a Tom Roberts and a Russell from France, but it soon became clear that finances were not sufficient to continue along that path. I sold the Passmore to Gary Anderson to help start my gallery, followed by the Roberts, the Russell and the Fox - probably to pay down mortgages.
With a few exceptions (Glover, Carse, Streeton) commercial interest in the traditional schools fell away and the more recent acquisitions of works by lesser- known artists derive from a short-lived aim to assemble a wide-ranging collection of works on paper - an enterprise abandoned as too time consuming and distracting.
For what it’s worth, the “Discovery” graphics were acquired while reading Bernard Smith’s mind-changing work European vision and the South Pacific, others by exchange (Whistler), by astonishment of the sheer quality of the work (Fizelle), nostalgia (Echuca was where I first met my Australian cousins), friendship (Daryl Lindsay nearly changed my career when he suggested I should apply for the position of director of the McClelland Gallery, of which he was the chair), but mostly out of curiosity to live with a work to see if my appreciation grew.
I have added brief notes to a number of individual works where appropriate. Feel free to ask any questions.
Charles Nodrum, June 2026
Fully illustrated and priced catalogue on works on our website: https://www.charlesnodrumgallery.com.au/
