AN EXPENSIVE NIGHT AT THE FLICKS , NOT COUNTING THE OUTLAY ON POPCORN

 A  1941 painting  by Russell Drysdale -Going to the Pictures - seemingly  showing  his   dressed  up  family  preparing to  go  to  the  movies   in   regional   NSW ,  recently  auctioned  by   Deutscher and  Hackett   for  nearly  $3million . It  was  of  great  interest  to  Townsville's   James   Cook   University  Special Collections  section as it contains  Drysdale's   valuable early  Australiana / Pacificana 56 volume  book collection . The collection, part of which is  below,  is listed as one of JCU's 50  treasures, marking the university's  fiftieth  anniversary , subject of a  current  exhibition  at  the  Perc Tucker Gallery, Townsville .  .

Apart  from  having a 1964  Drysdale lithograph, Figures in a Landscape , depicting Aborigines , the university  has  a  collection of  books  written about  the  important  artist , also a keen photographer, which are in the Shaw Collection of  Australian Art  and  Culture .

The former  art  researcher  and  Magnetic Island   resident, the late Margaret Vine , is  pictured  here  with  Sir Russell  Drysdale  in   Brisbane. 

It has been pointed out in this blog that the  Northern Territory  influenced the artist , his  son   and   two  wives   in   various   ways .  Rupert Murdoch  said he carried  a Drysdale painting ,The Stockman and His Friend , around  the  world,  and  it  went  up  on the wall in  his  office at the  Wall Street Journal .