Bungalow Home 1987

This highly characteristic canvas, first shown in Arkley’s solo show at Roslyn Oxley9, Sydney, in Sept.1987, depicts a ‘Californian Bungalow’ of the type found in many Melbourne suburbs: for further comments, see the essay by John McPhee in the Christie’s 2000 auction catalogue.

Arkley’s archive contains a clipping of the real estate source (identifying the house as in the Melbourne suburb of Caulfield: reproduced in Carnival Fig.1.6), and a photo of a set of coloured photocopies serving as working drawings, testing different colour combinations (also reproduced in Carnival, Fig.1.10): for further details, see 1987 Works on paper (minor).

Provenance

• Listed as in a private collection in Spray research card c.1996[1]
• Auctioned by Sotheby’s, Melb., 16 June 1991 (ill.; sold for $6,500 = $7,150 inc. buyer’s premium)
• Auctioned by Christie’s, Melb., 27-28 Nov.2000, lot 23 (ill.; details as above; sold for $174,500 inc. premium)

Exhibited

• HA Roslyn Oxley9, 9/87, cat.1
• Tolarno 11/97 (‘Spray’ exh.), cat.13 (acc.to Christie’s

Literature

• John McPhee essay in Christie’s Nov.2000 auction cat. as cited above
• Carnival 20-21 and Fig.1.7

[1] This may be erroneous, due to confusion in the Spray research records (copy in Arkley’s archive) between this work and Home Eastern Suburbs (1988).