Every year, modernist Eric Thake would send his friends a hand-made Christmas card. Original linocut prints, these cards have since become canonical, each observing a changing nation through one its most distinct voices. They also speak to Thake’s innerworld, with this particular work coming from the collection of his friend, revered writer and curator Ursula Hoff.

Dated 1959, ‘“–in the nude! Oh, Mr. Thake”’ is a delightfully absurd image. In it, a dodo feigns shyness while an artist captures her form. It is a play on life drawing, coquettishness and what counts as nude. With striking simplicity, Thake tells a joke and crafts a character.

Represented across numerous public collections, including at the National Gallery of Australia, ‘“–in the nude! Oh, Mr. Thake”’ is a museum-quality work. It speaks to Thake’s remarkable vision, Australian modernism and the friendship between an artist and scholar. With strikingly excellent provenance, it is a prize for collectors of modernist art.

Eric THAKE (1904 - 1982)
'“—in the nude! Oh, Mr. Thake” ' 1963
linocut on paper
Image Size: 21 x 14 cm
Dimensions: 21 x 28 cm; overall sheet size, scored to fold Inscribed reverse sheet
Signed: Titled, signed with initials E.T. and dated 1963 in pencil in margin below image , inscribed in ink within card: To Ursula / with Best Wishes for Xmas / + 1964 / from / Eric & Grace Thake
Comes with Letter of Provenance

Impressions of this work are represented at the:
Art Gallery of New South Wales, accession number: DA37.1967
National Gallery of Victoria, accession number: P133-1974
National Gallery of Australia, accession number: 72.206

Condition: Excellent
 
© The Artist or Assignee