Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Copy Link
ACU Art Collection: First impressions
News 27 AprilThe Australian Catholic University is delighted to announce the publication of First impressions: Indigenous works from the ACU Art Collection.
ARTHUR BOYD
(1920- 1999)
The Tribute Money, c. 1950 – 52
Glazed ceramic tile
33.0 x 44.0 cm
ACU is delighted to have acquired an outstanding piece of art that represents a major piece of Australian art history and presents a concept of considerable theological interest and symbolism. Arthur Boyd’s The Tribute Money is a distinctive work painted on a ceramic tile. It depicts the iconic scene from Matthew in which Jesus instructs Peter to retrieve a coin from a fish’s mouth to settle the temple tax that was imposed by the Romans. This notable biblical episode has been represented several times, including a well-known rendition by Italian renaissance painter, Masaccio. Boyd’s captivating depiction captures the drama of the moment when the coin is being surreptitiously passed between the subdued figures, and describes it with a brilliant glaze that bestows a stained glass quality worthy of leadlight.
Boyd is admired for his mastery of many mediums, and ceramics comprised a significant part of his output. His father, Merric Boyd began a pottery studio at the family home in the Melbourne suburb of Murrumbeena, and Arthur learned the craft from an early age, later forming AMB pottery with fellow artists John Perceval and Peter Herbst. Initially serving to satisfy an urgent need for crockery following the Second World War, the product from this group grew in stature and in the case of Boyd began to define some of his most enduring themes, including those from his biblical period.
The ceramic is further enhanced by the artist’s self-framing, comprising dark pewter strip edging on a wooden backing secured with metal tacks. ACU Art Curator Caroline Field says “The Tribute Money is an important example of Arthur Boyd’s work, distinguished by its subject and vibrant translucent treatment, and represents valuable Australian cultural history through its provenance, as demonstrated by the attached labels on the reverse from a respected early Australian art gallery.” This exciting and important acquisition will form an integral part of a forthcoming exhibition showcasing highlights from the university’s diverse and growing art collection.
Caroline Field
Curator
ACU Art Collection
The Australian Catholic University is delighted to announce the publication of First impressions: Indigenous works from the ACU Art Collection.
John Fahey’s love of the chapel on ACU’s North Sydney Campus will inspire a memorial plaque and a portrait, honouring the memory of the late Chancellor and his contributions to the university communit...
This year Australia Post will feature the art of Leopoldine Mimovich OAM (1920-2019) from the ACU Art Collection.
It is anticipated that A new perspective will make a significant contribution to the appreciation of art whilst providing a greater awareness of the diversity of the ACU Art Collection
An exquisite religious object in the form of ‘A Charles I Irish Silver Recusant’s Communion Cup’ measuring just shy of 20cm in height, is of significant historical interest.
Book review by Margaret Pont
Artist Chris Orr was thrilled to have Motherboard Madonna Verde chosen for the ACU collection. The Sydney Morning Herald wrote up the acquisition in an article entitled Divine intervention proves a li...
In this compelling image by David Frazer, two preoccupied figures, dwarfed by the majestic, mysterious landscape surrounding them, walk slowly along a cambered pathway, hand-in-hand.
The ACU Art Collection contains over 1,000 diverse artworks dating from the 13th century to the contemporary, representing a wide range of disciplines and media.
Imagine you are walking through a soulless building. The corridors are empty. The walls are blank, save for an occasional functional notice. Nothing distracts you from the task in hand, the unrelentin...
Tonight, the Australian Galleries is making history. At 320 pages and with a meticulously researched text by Caroline Field and copious documentary illustrations, the book, being launched tonight, is ...
ACU’s new program recognises the power of fiction to build empathy and improve psychological wellbeing.
The annual ACU Prize for Poetry aims to support writers and to continue the tradition of the Catholic Church as a key patron of the arts.
Artist Shen Jaiwei has had a long association with ACU having painted numerous portraits over the years, four of which the University holds in its collection. He has won several art prizes and been ch...
Depiction of the Virgin Mary holding the Christ Child with Wisdom Accompanied by St. Joseph and St. Mary MacKillop in the style of Taddeo di Bartolo.
Building on the already significant representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art held within its collection, ACU recently embarked on an acquisition program for leading examples of this...
Margaret Hutchison, History Lecturer in ACU’s School of Arts in Brisbane, writes in The Conversation about Australia’s war art scheme in World War I.
Arthur Boyd’s The Tribute Money is a distinctive work painted on a ceramic tile.
Biccherna is the term given to the municipal account book covers commissioned by the chief financial office in Siena between the 13th and 17th centuries.
Jessica Loughlin is a leading Australian contemporary artist whose work is influenced by timeless and expansive landscapes.
A rare and beautiful ormolu plaque is the latest artwork to be acquired by ACU.
An arresting object of religious significance came to light recently during the process of examining our icon collection.
Dating back to the 17th century, a silver gilt recusant chalice is ACU’s latest engaging and symbolic art acquisition.