2002

Works by Arkley continued to appear in group shows, notably Nick Cave (1999), the centrepiece of a major exhibition devoted to the musician, curated by Rodney James at the Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery (see installation photo above).

Arkley’s second major collaborative work with Juan Davila, Icon Interior (1994-2001) [3/M], completed by Davila in 2001, was first shown publicly at the Drill Hall Gallery in Canberra, in February. The work was well received, but provoked a certain amount of critical anxiety (see discussion under general comments regarding 1994).

Sales of Arkley at auction increased somewhat in 2002, the major examples offered being Still Life Petunias 1987 and Hedge on Street Corner 1988, both from the BP Collection (auctioned by Sotheby’s in September).

However, the main market activity centred around two dealer shows early in the year, at Metro 5, and Gould’s Sydney gallery, both devoted entirely to works by or attributed to Arkley. While both exhibitions included a number of important and well-documented paintings, e.g.Psychedelic Head (1990) and A Freeway Painting (Exit) 1994, they also included others that appear to lack convincing credentials; only works included in the present catalogue are listed here.

In February, in conjunction with the Metro 5 exhibition, Edwina Preston (author of a new biography of Arkley), and Ashley Crawford (co-author of Spray, re-issued at the end of 2001 in a revised edition) both spoke about the artist’s work. Preston also opened the Gould show in Sydney in March, when her book was launched. Preston’s biography probed the artist’s personal life, but its scope was limited by relatively meagre research (due in part to Arkley’s widow’s understandable decision not to participate so soon after his death). The result is a book that, while providing some interesting insights, is frequently gossipy in tone, often relying on inadequately identified sources and partial opinion.[1]