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, ‘Introduction at R.C.H. “Mr. Thake—Dr So & So… Dr… Dr… Dr…’ sees a crowd of doctors greet Thake. It is a moment observed from Thake’s time as a medical illustrator. Under the artist’s laconic hand, however, the scene turns humorous; to exchange pleasantries in surgery, Thake suggests, is akin to making small talk on Mars.

Represented across numerous public collections, including at the National Gallery of Australia, this work 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)
'Introduction at R.C.H. “Mr. Thake—Dr So & So… Dr… Dr… Dr…' c.1959
linocut on paper
Image Size: 21 x 14 cm
Dimensions: 21 x 28 cm overall sheet size, scored to fold
Signed: Titled lower centre; signed and dated 1960 with dedication inside. Inscribed within card in ink: To Ursula / with Best Wishes / for 1960. / Eric & Grace
Comes with Letter of Provenance

Impressions of this work are represented at the:
National Gallery of Australia, accession number: P129-1974
Art Gallery of Western Australia, accession number: 1971/0Q20
National Gallery of Victoria, accession number: P129-1974

Condition: Excellent

© The Artist or Assignee