♥♥ LIN ONUS EARLY ABORIGINAL PAINTING ON VELVET c1960s♥

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Up for auction is an extremely rare and early painting by the one and only Lin Onus.

Before Lin began painting in the more contemporary style that he is well know for today containing raark (aboriginal cross hatching), he painted more traditional images of aboriginals in various poses for sale at his father's (Bill) art and craft shop that Bill established to raise awareness of aboriginal culture. This work, a painting on velvet of a group of aboriginals sitting and standing around a campfire, is one of those early paintings. Early on, Lin did not sign his paintings with ‘Lin Onus’ but rather went by the pseudonyms ‘Wirrin’ and ‘Yarmuk’ as he did not like to 'big note' himself. You can see an image of Lin painting one of these paintings in the 6th and 7th photos I have attached to this listing. How many of these rare early paintings survived? I do not know. I have only ever seen one other example of this style of painting by Lin so I can only imagine it is very rare. It is a great example of Lin's mastery with the paint brush even at a very early age. The provenance of this work is flawless, having originally been acquired by one of Lin's friends and co-workers at Bill's art and craft shop. Please see below for more information.

*****

The details of this work are as follows:

Artist: LIN ONUS (Born 1948-1996)

Title: Aboriginals Around a Campfire

Date of work: circa 1960s

Medium: painting on black velvet

Dimensions: 67cm x 97cm

(framed in a slick black, brown and gold frame which compliments this work beautifully)

Description:

Signed "Yarmuk" lower right (one of Lin's pseudonyms used early in his painting career - see note above)

Inscribed "Aboriginals Around a Campfire by Lin Onus" verso

Originally acquired by a friend and ex-colleague of Lin Onus

Private collection, Melbourne; purchased from the above

Condition:

There is a very small amount of surface dust on the velvet (which can be seen in the photos) but this could be easily cleaned. The work appears to be in perfect condition.

Other Notes:

This work is accompanied by a letter from the original owner which reads:

"To whom it may concern,

‘Yarmuk’ - painting on velvet of aborigines around campfire by Lin Onus (circa late 1960s)

I met Lin Onus in the 1960's and we became friends. I was self employed at the time and ran various businesses. Bill Onus (Lin’s father) was having some trouble with Aboriginal Enterprises, an aboriginal art and craft shop Bill established in Belgrave in the Dandenong Ranges. It wasn’t making much of a profit, so Lin asked me if I could help out. I then went and worked with Lin and Bill just before Bill passed away in 1968.

Then I started travelling Australia selling, throwing boomerangs and promoting the shop etc. I also ran the shop at Lion Park, Bacchus Marsh for a while.

Lin painted this painting (a painting on velvet of a group of aborigines sitting around a campfire) and many more like it. Early on, he did not often sign his paintings with ‘Lin Onus’. He used to sign them ‘Wirrin’ or ‘Yarmuk’ and sometimes other people’s names.

It is hard to explain but Lin did not throw many boomerangs for the public as he was worried if it did not come back, he would be embarrassed. Same with his paintings – so he rarely signed anything. In all the boomerangs, paintings, etc I had that were painted by Lin, I only had one that he signed ‘Lin Onus’ as he made it for me as a gift. I do have one picture of Lin painting those velvets. Attached are some pics of Lin with one of the velvets at Lion Park and one of me.

Hope that helps

XXXX (name withheld to protect the original owner's identity)"

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Lin's works have sold for several hundreds of thousands of dollars at auction according to AASD:

Onus, Lin. 1948-96 Australia (Aboriginal)

Title Hammer Price
incl. Premium Details

Water Lillies and Evening Reflections, Dingo Springs

$330,000 $396,000 Synthetic polymer paint on canvas, signed lower left: Lin Onus, 182.5 x 244 cm, Est: $200,000-250,000, Deutscher~Menzies, Sydney, 15/03/2006, Lot No. 20

Fish and Storm Clouds (Guyi Na Ngawalngawal), 1994

$240,000 $288,000 Synthetic polymer paint on canvas, 183 x 183 cm, Est: $120,000-150,000, Lawson~Menzies, Sydney, 23/05/2007, Lot No. 57

24 Hours by the Billabong Late Afternoon 1994 $160,000 $192,000 Synthetic polymer paint on linen, 91 x 122 cm, Est: $90,000-120,000, Lawson~Menzies, Sydney, 14/11/2007, Lot No. 22

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Although this fine work takes pride of place on my wall, I require funds for a new business venture so need to part with it. It will be sorely missed and will make a great addition to compliment your own collection. Given its rarety compared with Lin's more well-known images and its significance in both Lin's painting career and aboriginal culture in general, it will most certainly prove to be a great investment!

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Lin Onus biography:

Lin Onus played a pivotal role in renegotiating the history of colonial and Aboriginal Australia through his practice as an artist and advocate. A Yorta Yorta man from Cumeraganga on the Murray River, he grew up in urban Melbourne strongly influenced by the work of realist painters including Albert Namatjira and began his own career as a watercolorist and photorealist. Onus's work evolved after his 'adoption' by Arnhem Land Elders in the mid 1980s conferred upon him the right to use certain traditional stories and designs. This enabled him to develop a distinctive visual language. Through a fusion of western and Aboriginal systems of organising space, vision and design he sought to portray landscape as a carrier of myth, history, and ideology. His works challenged the Eurocentric history of the occupation of the land by inferring that beyond the immediately apparent there are other powerful stories and dimensions. In this, and other works on a similar theme, Onus depicted the Dreaming reality encoded in the landscape, seen and comprehended only by those who have the knowledge of, and willingness to embrace, an alternate vision and history. Lin Onus was a cultural provocateur who believed that there was no distinction between the political and the beautiful. His contribution changed forever the perceptions about the nature of Aboriginal art and in the inadequate terminology of our times put urban art, as it is popularly known, onto the cultural map in Australia.

00164

Postage and handling

Item location: Australia, Australia

Posting to: Worldwide

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AU $100.00	Australia	Registered	Varies Delivers within 1-6 days after seller ships item

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♥Magnificent early work "Aboriginals Around a Campfire"