High Fenced 1996

This work, first shown by Tolarno at the Fifth Australian Contemporary Art Fair in Melbourne, and then at Art Cologne in November 1996, applies the all-over ‘moiré’ patterning Arkley developed in 1994 to a new suburban subject, featuring quasi-classical detailing in the front fence. This composition first appeared in monochrome form in High Fenced (1995) [W/P].

Arkley’s archive (see Visual Diary 44) contains an extensive series of photos of the painting in progress, documenting the meticulous process of underpainting and air-brushed work involved, and also several photos showing Arkley with the completed work in October 1996, one of them annotated as taken at ACAF5.

Provenance details and a good recent photograph, as shown here, were kindly provided by Ella Perrottet (Registrar, Deutscher and Hackett), ahead of the auction of the work in Melbourne in November 2022.

Provenance

• Tolarno Galleries, Melbourne
• Gould Galleries, Melbourne, acquired from the above, 1996
• Private collection, London, acquired from the above, 2000
• Auctioned by Deutscher and Hackett, Melb., 1 Dec.2022, lot 5 (with additional provenance details and photograph as shown here; est.$500-700,000; sold for $700,000 + B/P = $859,091)

Exhibited

• Tolarno at ACAF5 (Australian Contemporary Art Fair 5), 2-6 Oct.1996
• Tolarno at Art Cologne, Cologne, Germany, 10-17 Nov. 1996