‘Howard Arkley’, Coventry Gallery, March 1980
‘Howard Arkley’, Coventry Gallery, 56 Sutherland Street, Paddington, Sydney, 4-22 March 1980
Arkley’s second show of door-format canvases incorporated a number of the works first shown at Tolarno in 1979 (some re-titled, as noted below), together with several new examples. This was Arkley’s second show at the Coventry gallery, following his earlier exhibition of white paintings in May 1977. Chandler Coventry himself purchased two of the paintings from this show (nos.1 and 9), and appears to have bought one or two other examples not included in the exhibition.
Arkley’s files contain a check-list, and a set of slides, including several installation photos (see e.g. Carnival Fig.2.4), facilitating identifications. Works shown were as listed below (all paintings were priced at $450 except the two ‘double door’ works, nos.2 and 10, each priced at $900; sizes given were 80 x 240 cm for all the standard works, and 160 x 204 cm for nos. 2 and 10).
(photos: Arkley standing in front of cat.no.10; and an installation shot, showing cat.nos.6-9 [archive slides])
1. Proton-Neutron 1979: the bright red ‘door’ first shown at Tolarno 5/79; subsequently owned by Chandler Coventry
2. Print Out (1980): ‘double door’
3. 50’s 1979 (first exh. at Tolarno 5/79)
4. Curvilinear with Grid 1978 (first exh. at Tolarno 5/79 as Curvilinear-Grid)
5. Bodgie-Widgie = Bodgie 1979; first exh.at Tolarno 5/79 as Deco, and subsequently known as Bodgie
6. Deco 1979 (first exh. at Tolarno 5/79 as Arrows-Crosses)
7. Curvilinear = Arabesque 1979 [Curvilinear] (first exh. at Tolarno 5/79, also as Curvilinear; later titled Arabesque)
8. Mosiac = Mosaic (1980) (the title in the check-list appears to be a mis-print)
9. Soft Nouveau 1978: subsequently in Chandler Coventry’s collection
10. Psychedelic Painting 1978: another ‘double door’ (compare no.14)
11. Arabesque = Arabesque 1979 [Floral]
13. Ticks and Crosses = Arrows and Crosses 1980 (shown at HA Monash 1991, cat.20, as Arrows and Crosses – noted as inscribed title)
14. Psychedelic 1979 (first shown at Tolarno 5/79)