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Other titles
Beach Pattern [1940 Sulman Prize exhibition]
1940
Painting
oil on canvas
91.5 x 122.0cm stretcher; 108.0 x 138.8 x 5.5cm frame
Purchased 1965
OA20.1965
Art Gallery of NSW, Ground Level, Australian Art 20th Century Galleries, Lowy, Gonski Gallery (old boardroom)
Further information
Meere was one of a group of Sydney artists whose work modernised classical artistic traditions as a means of imaging national life during the inter-war period. The epitome of his vision by the late 1930s is 'Australian beach pattern'; a tableau of beach dwellers whose athletic perfections take on monumental heroic proportions. Meere created a crowded and complex composition through a pattern of bodies which appear as a still life of suspended strength. Perennially popular, the painting has contributed more than any other in Australian art towards the myth of the healthy young nation as told through the metaphor of the tanned god-like body of the sunbather.
Bibliography
Auction catalogue; Deutscher and Hackett fine art auction: Melbourne 26 November 2008; Deutscher and Hackett (Melbourne) (Australia, estab. 2007); Nov 2008, 38, 39, Related work: 'Australian beach pattern' by Studio of Charles Meere, lot 18
Book; The Bodysurfers; Robert Drewe (Australia); 2008, front cover (colour illus., detail)
Encyclopedia/Book; The new McCulloch's encyclopedia of Australian art; Susan McCulloch (England; Australia, b.1949), Alan McCulloch (Australia, b.1907, d.1992), Emily McCulloch Childs (Australia, b.1976); 2006, 672 (colour illus.), Another version titled 'Australian Beach Pattern'; dated c.1938-1940; Courtesy estate of the artist and Deutscher Fine Art.
Newspaper; The Sydney Morning Herald; Paul McGeough (Australia); 26 Dec 2005, 6 (illus.), 'Muse worthy' by Steve Meacham, pg. 6.
Newspaper; The Sydney Morning Herald; Paul McGeough (Australia); 26 Dec 2005, (colour illus.), 'Bondi: A biography' by Steve Meacham., Article located online.
Scholarly/Periodical; Art Monthly Australia; Deborah Clark (Australia); Dec 2005-Feb 2006, 26 (colour illus.), 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 'In time of war: Charles Meere's Australian beach pattern' by Joy Eadie, pg. 26-31.
Scholarly/Book; On holidays: a history of getting away in Australia; Richard White (Australia, b.1951); 2005, front cover (cover illus., detail), back cover (colour illus.)
Educational/Periodical; Insites; Charmaine Moldrich (Australia), Clare Strong (Australia); Summer 2005, 3 (colour illus., detail), 'Bondi' by Richard Taylor, pg. 2-3.
Exhibition catalogue; Bondi: a biography; Richard Taylor (Australia); 2005, 4 (colour illus.), 'An artists' paradise', pg. 4.
Scholarly/Book; Through artists' eyes: Australian suburbs and their cities 1919-1945; John Slater (England); 2004, x (colour illus., detail), xi, 118 (colour illus.), 130-131, 'From bread to circuses: people at leisure', pg. 101-124; 'The end of certainty: the uneasy city', pg. 125-136., illus.no. 103
Exhibition catalogue; Strike a pose: Hunter art.1 art tourist 2004; Merryn Gates (Australia), Anita Callaway; 2004, 13, 18, 'Putting you in the picture' by Merryn Gates, pg. 8-16.
Scholarly/Book; Body culture: Max Dupain, photography and Australian culture, 1919-1939; Isobel Crombie (Australia); 2004, 188, 189 (colour illus.), 190, 'Laughing Gods in bathing costumes', pg. 176-191.
Auction catalogue; The Sydney auction: Australian and International Art: Fine Art, 4 March 2003; Deutscher-Menzies Fine Art (Australia); 2003, 48-49, Lot no. 29 is another, smaller version of the AGNSW painting.
Exhibition catalogue; The beach; Robert Rosenblum, Alannah Weston (United States of America); 2002, 12, 13 (colour illus.), 'Art on the beach' by Robert Rosenblum, pg. 8-14.
Scholarly/Book; Aspects of Art Deco in Australia: Sunrise over the Pacific; Mark Ferson (Australia), Mary Nilsson (Australia); 2001, 98 (colour illus.), 100, back cover dust jacket (colour illus.), 'Art Deco art' by Heather Johnson, pg. 96-105., plate no. 113
Scholarly/Book; Sand in our souls; Leone Huntsman (Australia); 2001, 70, 71 (illus.), 'The achievement of freedom on the beach', pg. 68-81.
Periodical; Look; Judith White (Australia); Jul 2000, 14, 'An artist for all seasons: Arthur Murch' by Steven Miller, pg. 14.
Auction catalogue; Australian modern masters and 19th & 20th century Australian and International Fine Art: Fine Art auction 3 & 4 May 2000; Chris Deutscher (Australia); 2000, 100, reference to work in assocation with lot 62 'Bronte Beach'
Educational/Book; L'Australie: Naissance d'une nation; Georges-Goulven Le Cam (France); 2000, 104 (colour illus.), 'D'une guerre à l'autre (1900-1950)', pg. 95-111., plate no. 147
Program; Olympic Opening Ceremony Sydney 2000; Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (Australia, estab. 1996); 2000, 8 (colour illus.), 'Sport ... a magnificent obsession' by Harry Gordon, pg. 6-8.
Book; Australian art: in the Art Gallery of New South Wales; Barry Pearce (Australia); 2000, 135, 136, 138, 139 (colour illus.), 301, 'Classical allusions' by Deborah Edwards, pg. 135-136.
Educational kit; Aspects of Australian art; Ursula Prunster (Australia), Jonathan Cooper (Australia); 2000, (illus.), card no. 15: Anne Zahalka 'The bathers' 1989
Educational/Television; The beach; Don Featherstone (Australia), David Woodgate (Australia); 2000, 00:01.25 and 00:46.25 (colour, details)
General/Book; Art Gallery of New South Wales handbook; Bruce James (Australia), Edmund Capon (England; Australia, b.1940); 1999, 147 (colour illus.), 'Australian Collection: Painting and Sculpture' by Bruce James, pg. 102-181.
Educational/Book; Australian readers - Discovering Democracy - Middle Primary Collection; Curriculum Corporation; 1999, 27 (colour illus.)
Educational/Book; Art is ... making, creating and appreciating 2; Sandra Jane; 1999, 114 (colour illus.)
Educational/Book; Discovering Democracy, Middle Secondary Units; Jane Angus, Carolyn Glascodine, Marion Russell, Barbara Vaughan; 1998, 140 (illus.)
Book; Eyewitness travel guides: Australia; Zoë Ross; 1998, 61 (colour illus.), 'Introducing Sydney', pg. 56-69.
Educational/Book; Looking At Australia; Donald Williams (Australia); 1997, 11, 23, 37, 111
General/Book; Art in Australia: from Colonization to Postmodernism; Christopher Allen (Australia); 1997, 94 (illus.), 96, fig.no. 74
Exhibition catalogue; Wool in the Australian imagination; Author Unknown; 1994, (illus.)
Book; Art now: Contemporary art post - 1970; Donald Williams (Australia), Colin Simpson (Australia, b.1960); 1994, 33 (illus.), fig. no. 2.10
Exhibition catalogue; Two hundred years of Australian painting. Nature, people and art in the southern continent; Barry Pearce (Australia), Patricia McDonald, Haruo Arikawa (Japan), Chikashi Kitazaki (Japan); 1992, 118 (colour illus.), 183, cat.no. 67
Scholarly/Book; National life and landscape - Australian painting 1900-1940; Ian Burn (Australia; United States of America, b.1939, d.1993); 1990, 178, 180 (colour illus.), 216, plate no. 140
Scholarly/Book; Art deco painting; Edward Lucie-Smith (Jamaica; England, b.1933); 1990, 58, 102=103 (colour illus.), 104, plate no. 72
Exhibition catalogue; Creating Australia: 200 years of art 1788-1988; Daniel Thomas, Ron Radford (Australia, b.1949); 1988, 9, 176-177, 177 (colour illus.), 239, 246, 'Spartans in Speedos' by Linda Slutzkin, pg.176-177.
General/Periodical; National Trust magazine [no. 41]; Editor Unknown; Sep 1987, 17, 18 (illus.), 'Two styles from 1830's Sydney' by Anne Loxley, pg. 17-18.
Book; Australia - the painter's vision; Graeme Sturgeon (Australia, b.1936, d.1990); 1987, 144, 145 (colour illus.), 202, plate no. 89
Exhibition catalogue; On the beach; Linda Slutzkin (Australia, d.2005); 1982, 18 (illus.), cat.no. 13
Periodical; Bulletin; Editor Unknown; 27 Aug 1952, 19, 'Landscape Landscapes.', pg. 11., NOTE: General review of Charles Meere exhibition held at David Jones Art Gallery 1952.
Newspaper; Daily telegraph and daily news; Editor Unknown; 21 Aug 1952, 5 (illus.), 'Painting of Beach scene', pg. 5., NOTE: Photo of Charles Meere infront of painting; General review of Charles Meere exhibition held at David Jones Art Gallery 1952.
Newspaper; Sun; Unknown (Australia); 21 Aug 1952, 17, 'No warmth in Meere's paintings' by James Gleeson, pg. 17., NOTE: General review of Charles Meere exhibition held at David Jones Art Gallery 1952.
Exhibition venue
Title: Art Deco 1910-1939
Organizer: National Gallery of Victoria [Swanston Street]
Venue: NGV: International
Opening: 27 Jun 2008
Closing: 05 Oct 2008
Curator: Wood, Ghislaine
Title: Strike a pose
Organizer: Lake Macquarie City Art Gallery
Venue: Lake Macquarie City Art Gallery
Opening: 13 Feb 2004
Closing: 04 Apr 2004
Title: "When I was young...": artists' impressions of childhood
Organizer: Global Arts Link
Venue: Global Arts Link
Opening: 09 Nov 2002
Closing: 02 Feb 2003
Title: Ready, set, ... go! Sporting life and Australian art
Organizer: Global Arts Link
Venue: Global Arts Link
Opening: 18 Aug 2001
Closing: 11 Nov 2001
Title: On the beach: Australian Artists at the shore
Organizer: Museum of Modern Art at Heide
Venue: Museum of Modern Art at Heide
Opening: 05 Dec 1994
Closing: 05 Feb 1995
Title: Two hundred years of Australian painting : Nature, people and art in the southern continent
Organizer: National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo
Art Gallery of New South Wales
Nihon Keizai Shimbun
Venue: The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto
Opening: 14 Jul 1992
Closing: 06 Sep 1992
Curator: Pearce, Barry
Arikawa, Haruo
Venue: National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo
Opening: 28 Apr 1992
Closing: 28 Jun 1992
Curator: Pearce, Barry
Arikawa, Haruo
Title: Celebrity Choice - Sam Neill
Organizer: Art Gallery of New South Wales
Venue: Art Gallery of New South Wales
Opening: 08 Jan 1987
Closing: 08 Feb 1987
Title: On the Beach
Organizer: Art Gallery of New South Wales
Venue: Art Gallery of New South Wales
Opening: 08 Dec 1982
Closing: 28 Dec 1982
Curator: Slutzkin, Linda
Title: Charles Meere A.R.C.A. (1952)
Organizer: David Jones' Art Gallery, Sydney
Venue: David Jones' Art Gallery, Sydney
Opening: 20 Aug 1952
Closing: 28 Aug 1952
Notes: cat.no. 1; titled 'Australian Beach Pattern'; priced 500 gns.
Title: Archibald, Wynne and Sulman (1940)
Organizer: Art Gallery of New South Wales
Venue: Art Gallery of New South Wales
Opening: 22 Jan 1941
Closing: 23 Feb 1941
Notes: cat.no. 18; Sir John Sulman Prize section; titled 'Beach pattern'
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