HILDA RIX NICHOLAS (1884-1961) Women at Market in Picardy pastel and charcoal on paper signed lower left: E H Rix 37 x 26.5cm PROVENANCE The George Brugler & Jasmine Cowen Collection, Melbourne RELATED WORKS Fruit Market, Étaples, circa 1910, in the Collection of Art Gallery of New South Wales (purchased 1919) The Canny Fish Wife, circa 1910, previously Property of The of Dame Nellie Melba GBE, Private collection
HILDA RIX NICHOLAS (1884-1961) An Artist's Colony in Picardy pastel, pencil and crayon on paper signed lower left: E. H. Rix. inscribed verso (concealed): no II. "Travelling shows of all varieties choose The Place as Their oasis"/ An Artists Colony in Picardy" (Page 2.) 27.5 x 36cm PROVENANCE: Private collection, Melbourne Deutscher and Hackett, Melbourne, 25 November 2009, lot 130 Private collection, Melbourne OTHER NOTES: Born in Ballarat in 1884, Hilda Rix Nicholas was an influential Australian artist known for her unique blend of nationalist sentiment and technical insights into French impressionism and post-impressionism, particularly during the period between the First and Second World Wars. From 1902 to 1905, she studied at the Melbourne National Gallery School under Frederick McCubbin. Encouraged by family friend Arthur Streeton, she left Melbourne in March 1907 to further her studies in London and Paris. Etaples, a fishing village in Picardy, was well known as an artists' colony, popular with both Americans and Australians. Hilda first visited Etaples in July 1910 and stayed for six months. She returned every summer after until the outbreak of the First World War, establishing herself there during the summer and autumn. Her time in Picardy was marked by a distinctive approach to her artwork. She avoided fussiness, often constructing her pictures in parts by recording incidents in isolation and then assembling the whole drawing later in her studio. Her coloured drawings possessed a sense of spontaneity and liveliness, with an intuitive understanding of coloured pastels and their potential. 'An Artist's Colony in Picardy', highlights the strength of her draughtsmanship and the vibrancy of her colours, animating the scene with a pictorial energy that set her apart from other artists working in Etaples. Drawing in the open air and capturing her unsuspecting subjects as they shopped provided her with a wealth of material and inspiration. Hilda Rix Nicholas's years in Picardy were formative, allowing her to expand her creative possibilities and establish herself as one of the most successful Australian artists of her time. Her exposure to Europe's influential art movements during this period had a profound impact on her oeuvre, leading to a distinguished career that continued to evolve in the years following. Hannah Ryan Art Specialist
Hilda Rix Nicholas (1884-1961) Canberra Hillside (Knockalong) signed lower right : H Rix Nicholas oil on canvas on panel 31.0 x 39.0cm (12 3/16 x 15 3/8in).
EMILY HILDA RIX NICHOLAS (1884-1961) Moroccan Street Scene crayon and pastel on paper signed lower left: E H Rix 37 x 27.5cm PROVENANCE Leonard Joel, Autumn Auction, Melbourne, 10 May 2004, Lot 226 Private Collection, Victoria
Hilda Rix Nicholas (1884-1961) Children at Mount Annan, Holbrook signed lower right: 'EH Rix Nicholas' oil on linen 81.5 x 121.0cm (32 1/16 x 47 5/8in). For further information on this lot please visit the Bonhams website
Hilda Rix Nicholas (1884-1961) Three Figures on Cronulla Beach signed lower left: 'H. Rix Nicholas' crayon on paper 37.0 x 54.5cm (14 9/16 x 21 7/16in). For further information on this lot please visit the Bonhams website
HILDA RIX NICHOLAS (1884 - 1961) PORTRAIT WITH PINK HAT, 1911 pastel and charcoal on paper 37.5 x 27.5 cm (sheet) 62.0 x 48.5 cm (frame) signed and dated lower right: E. H. Rix. / 9. 9. 11. PROVENANCE Private collection, France This work is located in our Melbourne Gallery This work is in very good, stable and near original condition. This work has been viewed out of its frame and is not laid down. The pastel and charcoal drawing, along with the signature and date, retain their strong clarity and fine detail. The buff coloured paper support has faded evenly, consistent with age. Under ultraviolet light inspection, there is no evidence of past restoration
HILDA RIX NICHOLAS (1884 - 1961) PORTRAIT WITH PINK HAT, 1911 pastel and charcoal on paper 37.5 x 27.5 cm (sheet) signed and dated lower right: E. H. Rix. / 9. 9. 11. PROVENANCE Private collection, France
HILDA RIX NICHOLAS (1884 - 1961) PORTRAIT, 1911 pastel and charcoal on paper 37.5 x 27.5 cm (sheet) signed and dated lower left: E. H. Rix. / 9. 9. 11. PROVENANCE Private collection, France
HILDA RIX NICHOLAS 1884-1961 Colonel Barnes (circa 1907) oil on canvas signed 'E H Rix Nicholas' lower left 80 x 65 cm PROVENANCE Hilda Rix Nicholas, New South Wales Private Collection, New South Wales, by descent from the above EXHIBITED Exhibition of Pictures by E. Hilda Rix Nicholas, The Guild Hall, Melbourne, 12-26 November 1918, no. 28, 'Colonel Barns (Retired Anglo-Indian Officer)' Exhibition of Drawings and Oil Paintings by E. H. Rix Nicholas, Anthony Hordern's Fine Art Gallery, Sydney, 11 June 1919, no. 29, 'Colonel Barnes (Retired Anglo-Indian Officer)', 100 gns Hilda Rix Nicholas: Her Life and Art, Lauraine Diggins Fine Art, Melbourne, 1-26 July 2000, no. 14, 'Colonel Barnes, Retired Anglo-Indian Officer c. 1911' (label verso) Hilda Rix Nicholas: Her Life and Art, Savill Galleries, Sydney, 10-31 August 2000 Paris to Monaro: Pleasures from the Studio of Hilda Rix Nicholas, National Portrait Gallery, Canberra, 31 May - 11 August 2013 LITERATURE 'Mrs. Hilda Rix Nicholas's Exhibition', Punch, Melbourne, 21 November 1918, p. 37 Sarah Engledow, Paris to Monaro: Pleasures from the Studio of Hilda Rix Nicholas, National Portrait Gallery, Canberra, 2015, p. 99 (illustrated)
Hilda Rix Nicholas (1884-1961) Seated Man signed lower left: 'EH Rix' pastel on paper 31.0 x 22.0cm (12 3/16 x 8 11/16in). For further information on this lot please visit the Bonhams website
HILDA RIX NICHOLAS 1884-1961 Arab Lantern (1914) oil on canvas signed 'E.H. Rix' lower right 51 x 61 cm PROVENANCE Hilda Rix Nicholas, Sydney Private Collection Australian & International Fine Art, Christie's Australia, Sydney, 28 August 2001, lot 55, 'The Algerian', illustrated Private Collection, acquired from the above Australian & International Paintings, Deutscher-Menzies, Melbourne, 26 November 2003, lot 125, 'The Algerian', illustrated Private Collection, Sydney, acquired from the above
HILDA RIX NICHOLAS 1884-1961 Young Man in Breton Costume (1925-1926) charcoal and pastel on paper signed 'E H Rix Nicholas' lower right 55.3 x 38 cm PROVENANCE Hilda Rix Nicholas, New South Wales Private Collection, New South Wales, by descent from the above
HILDA RIX NICHOLAS 1884-1961 Woman with Basket (1925-1926) charcoal and pastel on paper signed 'E H Rix Nicholas' lower right 56.2 x 38 cm PROVENANCE Hilda Rix Nicholas, New South Wales Private Collection, New South Wales, by descent from the above EXHIBITED Exhibition of Pictures by E. Hilda Rix Nicholas, Anthony Hordern & Sons, Sydney, 7 June - 9 July 1927, no. 58, 20 gns Exhibition of Pictures of Life and Landscape of Australia and France by Hilda Rix Nicholas, Athenaeum Hall, Melbourne, 16-26 May 1928, no. 24, 30 gns (Probably) Exhibition of Travel Sketches by Hilda Rix Nicholas, The Macquarie Galleries, Sydney, 22 November - 4 December 1939, no. 19, 15 gns LITERATURE The Daily Telegraph, Sydney, 4 June 1927, p. 25 (illustrated)
HILDA RIX NICHOLAS (1884 - 1961) LA RÉCUREUSE (THE SCULLERY MAID), c.1914 oil on canvas 59.0 x 46.0 cm signed lower right: E H Rix PROVENANCE Private collection, France Sotheby’s, Melbourne, 21 December 1999, lot 122 (as ‘A Woman Cleaning’) Private collection, Melbourne ESSAY In the years before World War One, a great number of Australian artists travelled to Europe to study, a large contingent of whom were women. All were determined to expand their creative possibilities beyond that provided by their home country; and Hilda Rix Nicholas was one of their most successful. By 1913, the local press hailed her as ‘one of the most brilliant hopes of our younger contemporary school ... (with) the right idea of movement and character.’1 Accepted into the 1911 and 1913 Paris Salon, her entries had been hung ‘on the line’, with the result that she was invited to join the membership of the Société des Peintres Orientalistes Français, also known as the Orientalists. This was an incredible achievement for a young Australian woman, as was the purchase of her work for the French Government; and La Récureuse, c.1914, dates from this remarkable phase of the artist’s early career. Rix Nicholas was disciplined, talented and hard-working. She studied first at the National Gallery School in Melbourne between 1902 and 1905 with Frederick McCubbin as Drawing Master.2 In 1906, Hilda, her mother Elizabeth and older sister Elsie, mounted their own shared exhibition in Melbourne and the following year, all three departed for Europe with the express intention of Hilda gaining further tuition with a variety of teachers in London and Paris. Even though these were radical days for modernism’s avant-garde, Rix Nicholas aspired instead ‘to traditional values. Her dream was to be hung in the exhibitions of the conservative institutions.’3 Between 1910 and 1914, Rix Nicholas spent significant time each year in Étaples in north-west France, and La Récureuse was most likely created there using a local model. It is also likely that Iso Rae, a gallery school colleague of Elizabeth Rix, invited them to this town where she had lived for nearly twenty years (other Australian artists had also painted there previously, including Rupert Bunny and Arthur Streeton). The Rix studio was one of four built in the gardens of the Monthuys-Pannier family and Hilda was delighted to discover one of the others was occupied by the venerable and highly respected Jules Adler, an artist she considered ‘one of the greatest genre painters of France’.4 Adler was celebrated for his images which focussed on the daily lives of ordinary people, particularly workers, and Rix Nicholas benefited from his camaraderie and ‘invaluable criticisms’, as had Iso Rae before her.5 In 1912, Rix Nicholas travelled to Morocco and the local market stall-holders were impressed by the sketches she made of them, plus – importantly – by her interest in them as people, not just aesthetic tropes. This empathetic compassion extends to La Récureuse. Seated in three-quarter pose at yet another laborious chore, the young récureuse (‘she who scours’) wears a traditional starched cloth hat, work-clothes and wooden-soled slippers.6 Mostly subdued in palette, flourishes such as the violet hues in the shadows of the headwear give increased warmth to the composition. Three other paintings by Rix Nicholas of similarly dressed women can also be dated to 1914: Grandmère (Art Gallery of New South Wales); In Picardy (National Gallery of Victoria); and A mother of France Australian War Memorial). When viewed alongside, La Récureuse adds further depths of understanding to this powerful trio of women’s portraits. 1. Quote from Notre Gazette, Paris, c.1912 re-reprinted in Hilda Rix Nicholas 1884-1961: Retrospective exhibition of paintings and drawings, exhibition catalogue, Joseph Brown Gallery, Melbourne, 1971 2. Elizabeth Rix had also studied at the Gallery School between 1880 and 1883, with McCubbin as a fellow student. Other students included Arthur Streeton, Rupert Bunny and Iso Rae. 3. Travers, R., Hilda: the life of Hilda Rix Nicholas, Thames and Hudson, Melbourne, 2021, p.38 4. Ibid., p.47 5. Ibid., p.48 6. The author thanks Lucie Reeves-Smith for this translation ANDREW GAYNOR
COTTAGE GARDEN Öl auf Leinwand. Doubliert. 99 x 80,5 cm. Trägt Signatur links unten. In leicht vergoldetem Rahmen. Neben einer Blumenbank und vor einem mit Rosen gefüllten Korb die sitzende Figur einer jungen Frau, welche vermutlich als Elsie Rix zu identifizieren ist. Nach einem Studium der wichtigsten impressionistischen Maler Australiens zog sie mit ihrer Mutter und ihrer einzigen Schwester Elsie im Anschluss des Todes ihres Vaters nach Europa, wo sie unter anderem bei John Hassall (1868-1948), Richard Emil Miller (1875-1943) und Théophile Steinlen (1859-1923) lernte. Der Ausbruch des ersten Weltkrieges war auch der Beginn persönlicher Schicksalsschläge, da ihre Schwester 1914 und ihre Mutter 1915 starb. Ihr Mann starb an der Westfront und Hilda zog 1918 zurück nach Australien, wo sie schnell Anschluss an ihre Erfolge fand und in der Guild Hall in Melbourne eine gefeierte Ausstellung mit über einhundert Werken veranstaltete, wovon eine Vielzahl verkauft werden konnte - auch die National Gallery of Victoria sicherte sich ein Werk. Provenienz: Deutsche Privatsammlung. (1250031) (13) Hilda Rix Nicholas, 1884 Ballarat, Australia - 1961 Delegate, Australia, attributed COTTAGE GARDEN Oil on canvas. Relined. 81 x 60 cm. Carries signature lower left. In slightly gilt frame. Provenance: German private collection.
COTTAGE GARDEN Öl auf Leinwand. 9 x 80,5 cm. Links unten signiert. In leicht vergoldetem Rahmen. Neben einer Blumenbank und vor einem mit Rosen gefüllten Korb die sitzende Figur einer jungen Frau, welche vermutlich als Elsie Rix zu identifizieren ist. Nach einem Studium der wichtigsten impressionistischen Maler Australiens zog sie mit ihrer Mutter und ihrer einzigen Schwester Elsie im Anschluss des Todes ihres Vaters nach Europa, wo sie unter anderem bei John Hassall (1868-1948), Richard Emil Miller (1875-1943) und Théophile Steinlen (1859-1923) lernte. Der Ausbruch des ersten Weltkrieges war auch der Beginn persönlicher Schicksalsschläge, da ihre Schwester 1914 und ihre Mutter 1915 starb. Ihr Mann starb an der Westfront und Hilda zog 1918 zurück nach Australien, wo sie schnell Anschluss an ihre Erfolge fand und in der Guild Hall in Melbourne eine gefeierte Ausstellung mit über einhundert Werken veranstaltete, wovon eine Vielzahl verkauft werden konnte – auch die National Gallery of Victoria sicherte sich ein Werk. Provenienz: Seit 1987 in deutscher Privatsammlung. Davor Galerie Lawsons, Sydney, Australien. (1250031) (13) Hilda Rix Nicholas, 1884 Ballarat, Australia – 1961 Delegate, Australia COTTAGE GARDEN Oil on canvas. 99 x 80,5 cm. Signed lower left. In slightly gilt frame. Provenance: In German private collection since 1987. Prior Gallery Lawsons, Sydney, Australia.
HILDA RIX NICHOLAS (1884-1961) The Arab Sheep Market, Tangier 1914 oil on canvas on board signed lower left: EHRix 47.5 x 57.5cm PROVENANCE: Dr J. P. Rasmussen OAM Thence by descent Private collection, New South Wales EXHIBITIONS: Robyn Brady Pty Ltd, Loan Exhibition, Woollahra, Sydney 1989 (label verso) Hilda Rix Nicholas 1884-1961, Ian Potter Gallery, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, 20 Sept-27 Oct 1990 A Private Collection: A Century of Australian Heritage, SH Ervin Gallery, Sydney, 20 June-21 July 1991 Capturing the Orient: Hilda Rix Nicholas and Ethel Carrick in the East, Waverley City Gallery, Melbourne, 16 July-29 August 1993 (label verso), then toured to: Perc Tucker Regional Gallery, Townsville 1993 Gold Coast Art Centre, Surfers Paradise 1993 Tasmanian Museum & Art Gallery, Hobart 1994 SH Ervin Gallery, Sydney 1994 UNE Australienne: Hilda Rix Nicholas in Paris, Tangier and Sydney - Mosman Art Gallery, Sydney 3 May-13 July 2014 (p. 35, exhibition catalogue) LITERATURE: The Art of Hilda Rix Nicholas, Anthony Hordern & Sons Ltd., with Bertram Stevens, Sydney 1919 Pigot, J., Hilda Rix Nicholas: Her Life and Art, The Miegunyah Press, Melbourne, 2000, p. 44, pl. 10 Hoorn, J., Hilda Rix Nicholas and Elsie Rix's Moroccan Idyll: Art and Orientalism, The Miegunyah Press, Melbourne, 2013, p.140 (illus.) "The Sheep Market is one of Rix's most accomplished Moroccan paintings. The balance achieved in the composition is remarkable...the stone of ancient buildings simply rendered in a tonal palette. Slight chromatic variations create a subtle and distinctive texture that keeps the eye engaged...the whole is suffused by Moroccan light...it is an inspired work, one of her best." p.142 OTHER NOTES: Establishing success early in her career, Ballarat born Hilda Rix Nicholas exhibited locally in Melbourne at The Austral Salon and at the Victorian Artists' Society, while studying under Frederick McCubbin. Always with a sketchbook nearby, Hilda's early works began in illustration and drawing. Her portraits were often of subjects chosen at random, her linework masterful, and her confident handling evident from these early years. This talent and intuition for recognising subject matter in the streets would remain with her in the ensuing decades. The Rix family arrived in London in 1907 before continuing on to the epicentre of artistic culture - Paris. Women's access to academic exhibitions and art societies contributed to an avant-garde Parisian society where being a woman artist was not wholly obstructive. Hilda continued her talents in portraiture studying under Auguste Delecluse, but found his use of colour uninspiring. After her Christmas holiday in Rouen, Hilda returned to Paris and then began her studies under Richard Miller, an American painter immersed in Impressionism and its evanescent images of light, texture, and imaginative colour. Hilda had arrived in Paris with Australian colours at the forefront, but soon discovered the delicious palette and design of French Impressionism under Miller. Hilda Rix was further inspired in 1912 when she made her first visit to Morocco. Her trips here satiated her interest in both orientalism and the inspiration found on the street. Visiting markets and town squares, she produced a series of sketches and several energetic oils that remain some of her most accomplished works. Working with a quick hand, Rix captured the exotic architecture, rich textiles, bold colours, and majestic light of Morocco - sometimes in a matter of minutes. As with many before and alongside her, Rix was in search of the exotic, the magic of the East, and she certainly found it. Describing her first impressions of Tangier, Hilda commented: "So much like an extraordinary beautiful dream that I'm afraid to wake up in the morning and find it all gone…it is more splendid than I thought a great great deal. There is such quantity and richness of wonderful picturesqueness every way one turns the head there is a new picture." Hilda's fascination with the Orient was shared by many in Europe. Romantic conceptions of these far away lands consumed the tastes of the day, developing an oriental paraphernalia. The Westernised nature of Tangier cemented its popularity with foreign visitors, especially artists. Although Hilda had travelled to the mountains into the "real Morocco", she was confident of her own safety and used her privilege to her advantage while working in the public places of Tangier. In some instances, Hilda's subjects were won over by her, happy to play along as her muse, and other times uninterested, their bodies and heads seen from behind. Hilda had always been attracted to clothing, and she was fascinated by the array of colours, textures, and patterns exposed to her in Morocco. Her quick handling of paint, however, meant that the intricate details of pattern could not always be fully shown. Instead, she emphasised the rich design and colours of the cloth in perfect harmony and with skilled restraint. In The Arab Sheep Market, Tangier 1914, Hilda has cleverly foregone a focus on character for design. She contrasts the warm yellows, creams, oranges and pinks of the figures, against the cooler blue, violet, and grey shadows of the architecture. The painting in its entirety, however, displays the radiant effects of the Moroccan sunlight. From their first exhibition in Paris to further showings back in Australia, Hilda's Moroccan work was praised. Her depictions of the Orient did not challenge the colonialist perspective, but her works were recognisably different - a livelier and more vibrant depiction of such scenes than the more conventional depictions before her. In 1919, fellow woman artist Grace Cossington Smith viewed her works in a Sydney exhibition, commenting: "There has been a stunning exhibition here…I went to see it three or four times…a huge room at Anthony Hordern's full of them - very coloured - scenes of Morocco - and people, dresses - all sunny - but the most astonishing thing was the life in them: the people really had expressions, not just a painted thing." Whilst Hilda Rix is commonly discussed as an artist who comfortably stayed between traditionalism and modernism, her Moroccan works traversed new ground for, not only Australian female artists, but artists of the early 20th Century. Although she studied the work of others, she was her own woman, forging her own distinct path that has more recently been recognised for its immense impact on Australian art history. Olivia Fuller Head of Art
HILDA RIX NICHOLAS, (1884-1961), SPRING AFTERNOON, KNOCKALONG, 1933, oil on canvas SIGNED: signed lower left: E.H. Rix Nicholas bears inscription on Macquarie Galleries label verso: ...34. SPRING AFTERNOON KNOCKALONG / 1933 (MRS. CAVANAGH AND RIX)... DIMENSIONS: 80.5 x 99.0 cm PROVENANCE: Macquarie Galleries, Sydney (label attached verso) Dr J. P. Rasmussen OAM, Sydney, acquired from the above in 1978 Thence by descent The Rasmussen Family collection, Sydney EXHIBITED: Hilda Rix Nicholas, 1884 1961, Macquarie Galleries, Sydney, 30 August 18 September 1978, cat. 34 (illus. exhibition catalogue cover) Paris to Monaro: Pleasures from the studio of Hilda Rix Nicholas, National Portrait Gallery, Canberra, 31 May 11 August 2013, p. 185 (illus.) LITERATURE: Pigot, J., Hilda Rix Nicholas: Her Life and Art, The Miegunyah Press, Melbourne, 2000, pl. 43, pp. 62, 63 (illus.) Engledow, S., Paris to Monaro: Pleasures from the studio of Hilda Rix Nicholas, National Portrait Gallery, Canberra, 2013, p. 185 (illus.) ESSAY: Spring Afternoon, Knockalong, 1933 is a ‘pendant portrait’ to the Shepherd of Knockalong, 1933. These works were painted within days of each other. Young Rix is sporting the same clothing. His shirt and socks have been changed but otherwise he is wearing identical outfits. While the Shepherd of Knockalong has Hilda Rix Nicholas’s son represented on the property, under the watchful care of his father, Spring Afternoon, Knockalong, shows Rix playing with a small model sailing boat on one of the ponds found at Knockalong, under the watchful eye of his Governess, Mrs Cavanagh. She sits nearby, embroidering what appears to be a tablecloth. In this painting, the pastel palette, so often favoured by the artist, has been used to stunning effect. Mrs Cavanagh’s costume, a rather formal dress for station-wear, is a well-cut frock made of a rose-coloured linen that is reflected in the blossoms of the fruit trees that line the pond. These hues resonate in the pastures further in the distance, in the rolling hills that surround them and in the clouds that float across the landscape. The painting is one of domestic tranquillity in the outdoors as Mrs Cavanagh is engaged in the feminine task of needlework and childcare, while Rix occupies himself with keeping an eye on the sailing boat, which idly makes its way over the pond. Neither disturbs the other, there is harmony and peace in this rural Australian landscape in which the fruit trees of the garden, harmonise and co-exist peacefully with the Eucalypts that line the rolling pasture. The foreground of the picture, the enclosure that included the house and the garden, were Hilda’s domain, while the pastures belonged to Edgar. She was boss of one, and he the other. In an exhibition of her work that was part of a group show at the New South Wales Education Department held in September 1934 she referred to her dual role as mother and artist. The writer of the review noted of the artist ‘Mrs Nicholas said she gave up her chosen work to rear her son, and enjoyed it. But now he is independent of her continued care, she has decided to take up painting once more’.1 Hilda had not expected to be a mother and when at 43 she fell pregnant, she could not contain her delight. She was nevertheless, excited to be able to return to painting. The exhibition included the work of over 120 female artists. Both pictures are Australian icons that celebrate a way of life that now has faded. They are works that present Hilda Rix Nicholas’s facility for the genre in which she excelled, that of the figure in the landscape. Here she represents the beauty and abundance of life in pastoral Australia that is redolent of the Australia created by the Europeans in the ye
HILDA RIX NICHOLAS 1884-1961 (Standing Figure) (1925-1926) charcoal and pastel on paper signed 'E. H. Rix. Nicholas' lower right 55.3 x 38 cm PROVENANCE Hilda Rix Nicholas, New South Wales Private Collection, New South Wales, by descent from the above
HILDA RIX NICHOLAS 1884-1961 Woman with Basket, Finisterre (1925-1926) charcoal and pastel on paper signed 'E. H. Rix. Nicholas' lower right 56.2 x 38 cm PROVENANCE Hilda Rix Nicholas, New South Wales Private Collection, New South Wales, by descent from the above EXHIBITED Exhibition of Pictures by E. Hilda Rix Nicholas, Anthony Hordern & Sons, Sydney, 7 June - 9 July 1927, no. 58, 20 gns Exhibition of Pictures of Life and Landscape of Australia and France by Hilda Rix Nicholas, Athenaeum Hall, Melbourne, 16-26 May 1928, no. 24, 30 gns (Probably) Exhibition of Travel Sketches by Hilda Rix Nicholas, The Macquarie Galleries, Sydney, 22 November - 4 December 1939, no. 19, 15 gns LITERATURE The Daily Telegraph, Sydney, 4 June 1927, p. 25 (illustrated)
HILDA RIX NICHOLAS 1884-1961 Purple and Blue [Portrait of Elsie Rix] (circa 1911-1913) oil on canvas 81 x 60 cm PROVENANCE Hilda Rix Nicholas, New South Wales Private Collection, New South Wales, by descent from the above EXHIBITED Exhibition of Pictures by E. Hilda Rix Nicholas, The Guild Hall, Melbourne, 12-26 November 1918, no. 30, 'Purple and Blue - Portrait' Exhibition of Drawings and Oil Paintings by E. H. Rix Nicholas, Anthony Hordern's Fine Art Gallery, Sydney, 11 June 1919, no. 31, 'Purple and Blue - Portrait' Hilda Rix Nicholas, Robyn Brady and Bruce James at Caspian Gallery, Sydney, 23 July - 6 August 1991, no. 3, 'Purple and Blue 1914', NFS Une Australienne: Hilda Rix Nicholas in Paris, Tangier & Sydney, Mosman Art Gallery, Sydney, 3 May - 13 July 2014, illustrated LITERATURE 'Work of Mrs Rix Nicholas. Paintings of Distinction', The Argus, Melbourne, 12 November 1918, p. 7 'Art at Horderns'. Mrs. Nicholas's Paintings', The Sun, Sydney, 11 June 1919, p. 7 Jeanette Hoorn, Hilda Rix Nicholas and Elsie Rix's Moroccan Idyll: Art and Orientalism, The Miegunyah Press, Melbourne University, Melbourne, 2013, p. 190 (illustrated) Jeanette Hoorn, Julie Petersen and Elena Taylor, Une Australienne: Hilda Rix Nicholas in Paris, Tangier & Sydney, Mosman Art Gallery, Sydney, 2014, pp. 20 (illustrated), 74
Hilda Rix Nicholas (1884 - 1961) Old Houses, Montreuil-Sur-Mer, c1925 crayon on paper 31 x 38cm signed lower right; The Macquarie Galleries label verso
HILDA RIX NICHOLAS, (1884 – 1961), MONARO LANDSCAPE, c.1923, oil on canvas on board SIGNED: signed lower left: H Rix Nicholas DIMENSIONS: 33.0 x 26.0 cm PROVENANCE: Macquarie Galleries, Sydney (label attached verso) Private collection Goodmans Auctioneers, Sydney, 18 October 1993, lot 262 Private collection, Canberra Private collection, Victoria EXHIBITED: Hilda Rix Nicholas, Macquarie Galleries, Sydney, 30 August – 18 September 1978, cat. 21
§ HILDA RIX NICHOLAS 1884-1961 (Street Scene in Morocco) (1912-1914) charcoal and pastel on paper signed 'E H Rix' lower right 36.5 x 27 cm PROVENANCE Private Collection Fine Art & Photographic Auction, Leonard Joel, Melbourne, 17 June 2013, lot 51, illustrated Mr Neville Grace, Sydney Private Collection, by descent from the above
HILDA RIX NICHOLAS 1884-1961 (Standing Female Figure) (1925-1926) charcoal and pastel on paper signed 'E H Rix Nicholas' lower left 56.5 x 38. 3 cm PROVENANCE Private Collection, New South Wales, by descent from the artist
HILDA RIX NICHOLAS 1884-1961 Chinese Vase (1937) oil on canvas 65.5 x 50 cm PROVENANCE Private Collection, New South Wales, by descent from the artist EXHIBITED Hilda Rix Nicholas 1884-1961: Retrospective Exhibition of Paintings and Drawings, Joseph Brown Gallery, Melbourne, 21 July - 6 August 1971, no. 28, 'Flower Study with Chinese Vase 1937' Hilda Rix Nicholas: Her Life and Art, Lauraine Diggins Fine Art, Melbourne, 1-26 July 2000, no. 12, 'The Chinese Vase mid 1930's'
HILDA RIX NICHOLAS 1884-1961 In my Studio (circa 1920) oil on canvas 51 x 61 cm PROVENANCE Private Collection, New South Wales, by descent from the artist EXHIBITED Exhibition of Paintings and Drawings by E. Hilda Rix Nicholas, Anthony Hordern's Fine Art Gallery, Sydney, 1 August 1923, no. 29 Exposition de Tableaux d'Australie par Mme Hilda Rix Nicholas, Galeries Georges Petit, Paris', 16-30 January 1925, no. 32, 'Mon atelier; Sydney' Australian Life and Landscape by Hilda Rix Nicholas, Sunderland Public Art Gallery, Museum and Libraries, England, - 26 July 1926, no. 22, 'My Studio (Sydney)', 25 gns Hilda Rix Nicholas, Robyn Brady and Bruce James at Caspian Gallery, Sydney, 23 July - 6 August 1991, no. 4, 'My Studio (Sydney) 1924', NFS Hilda Rix Nicholas: Her Life and Art, Lauraine Diggins Fine Art, Melbourne, 1-26 July 2000, no. 15, 'In My Studio (Sydney)' Une Australienne: Hilda Rix Nicholas in Paris, Tangier & Sydney, Mosman Art Gallery, Sydney, 3 May - 13 July 2014, 'The Artist's Studio, Mosman, 1921', illustrated LITERATURE 'A Virile Woman Painter', The Sunday Times, Sydney, 5 August 1923, p. 21 Jeanette Hoorn, Julie Petersen and Elena Taylor, Une Australienne: Hilda Rix Nicholas in Paris, Tangier & Sydney, Mosman Art Gallery, Sydney, 2014, pp. 45 (illustrated), 77, 'The Artist's Studio, Mosman,
HILDA RIX NICHOLAS 1884-1961 Howard Ashton, Esq. (1948) oil on canvas signed 'E.H.Rix.Nicholas' lower right 100 x 81 cm frame: original, John Thallon, Melbourne PROVENANCE Hilda Rix Nicholas, Sydney Private Collection, New South Wales, by descent from the above EXHIBITED The Archibald Prize, 1948, National Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 22 January - 7 March 1949, no. 50 Hilda Rix Nicholas: Her Life and Art, Lauraine Diggins Fine Art, Melbourne, 1-26 July 2000, no. 6, 'Portrait of Howard Ashton' (label verso) Paris to Monaro: Pleasures from the Studio of Hilda Rix Nicholas, National Portrait Gallery, Canberra, 31 May - 11 August 2013, 'Portrait of Howard Ashton' LITERATURE John Pigot, Hilda Rix Nicholas: Her Life and Art, The Miegunyah Press, Melbourne University, Melbourne, 2000, p. 71 (illustrated), 'Portrait of Howard Ashton' Sarah Engledow, Paris to Monaro: Pleasures from the Studio of Hilda Rix Nicholas, National Portrait Gallery, Canberra, 2015, pp. 90, 91 (illustrated), 93, 231, 'Portrait of Howard Ashton'
HILDA RIX NICHOLAS 1884-1961 Madame Gough (1925-1926) charcoal on paper signed 'E.H.Rix.Nicholas.' lower right 56 x 38 cm PROVENANCE Hilda Rix Nicholas, Sydney Private Collection, New South Wales, by descent from the above EXHIBITED Exhibition of Travel Sketches by Hilda Rix Nicholas, The Macquarie Galleries, Sydney, 22 November - 4 December 1939, no. 9, 'Madame Gough', 10 gns LITERATURE 'Artist Takes New Style', The Daily Telegraph, Sydney, 22 November 1939, p. 8
HILDA RIX NICHOLAS 1884-1961 (Man with Pipe) (1925-1926) charcoal on paper signed 'E.H.Rix.Nicholas.' lower right 55.5 x 38.5 cm PROVENANCE Hilda Rix Nicholas, Sydney Private Collection, New South Wales, by descent from the above
HILDA RIX NICHOLAS 1884-1961 (Seated Figure) (1925-1926) charcoal on paper signed 'E.H.Rix.Nicholas.' lower right 56.2 x 38 cm PROVENANCE Hilda Rix Nicholas, Sydney Private Collection, New South Wales, by descent from the above
HILDA RIX NICHOLAS 1884-1961 La Bigouden (1925) oil on canvas signed 'E H Rix Nicholas' lower left 100 x 81 cm PROVENANCE Hilda Rix Nicholas, Sydney Private Collection, New South Wales, by descent from the above EXHIBITED London, 1925 Toronto, 1926 Exhibition of Pictures by E. Hilda Rix Nicholas, Anthony Hordern & Sons, Sydney, 7 June - 9 July 1927, no. 19, 'La Bigouden (Breton Woman)', 120 gns Exhibition of Pictures of Life and Landscape of Australia and France by Hilda Rix Nicholas, Athenaeum Hall, Melbourne, 16-26 May 1928, no. 30, 'La Bigouden (Breton Woman)', 250 gns Hilda Rix Nicholas 1884-1961: Retrospective Exhibition of Paintings and Drawings, Joseph Brown Gallery, Melbourne, 21 July - 6 August 1971, no. 19, illustrated (cover) Hilda Rix Nicholas 1884-1961, Ian Potter Gallery, The University of Melbourne Museum of Art, Melbourne, 20 September - 27 October 1990, no. 10, 'La Bigonden (Breton Woman), 1925' Hilda Rix Nicholas, Robyn Brady and Bruce James at Caspian Gallery, Sydney, 23 July - 6 August 1991, no. 6, NFS Hilda Rix Nicholas: Her Life and Art, Lauraine Diggins Fine Art, Melbourne, 1-26 July 2000, no. 8 (label verso) Paris to Monaro: Pleasures from the Studio of Hilda Rix Nicholas, National Portrait Gallery, Canberra, 31 May - 11 August 2013 LITERATURE 'Exhibition of Pictures by Mrs. Rix Nicholas', The Sunday Times, Sydney, 12 June 1927, p. 5 J.S. MacDonald, 'Vigor and Courage in Pictures. Mrs. Rix Nicholas's Exhibits', The Herald, Melbourne, 14 May 1928, p. 4 'Mrs. Rix Nicholas's Exhibition. Australia and France', The Age, Melbourne, 15 May 1928, p. 9 John Pigot, Hilda Rix Nicholas: Her Life and Art, The Miegunyah Press, Melbourne University, Melbourne, 2000, pp. 52-53, plate 23 (illustrated) Jeanette Hoorn, Julie Petersen and Elena Taylor, Une Australienne: Hilda Rix Nicholas in Paris, Tangier & Sydney, Mosman Art Gallery, Sydney, 2014, pp. 20 (illustrated), 74
HILDA RIX NICHOLAS 1884-1961 Le Bigouden (1925) oil on canvas signed 'E.H.Rix.Nicholas.' lower right 100 x 81 cm PROVENANCE Hilda Rix Nicholas, Sydney Private Collection, New South Wales, by descent from the above EXHIBITED Royal Academy, London, 1926, no. 301 Exhibition of Pictures by E. Hilda Rix Nicholas, Anthony Hordern & Sons, Sydney, 7 June - 9 July 1927, no. 16, 'Le Bigouden (Breton Man)', illustrated, 120 gns Exhibition of Pictures of Life and Landscape of Australia and France by Hilda Rix Nicholas, Athenaeum Hall, Melbourne, 16-26 May 1928, no. 28, 'Le Bigouden (Breton Man)', illustrated, 250 gns Hilda Rix Nicholas 1884-1961: Retrospective Exhibition of Paintings and Drawings, Joseph Brown Gallery, Melbourne, 21 July - 6 August 1971, no. 18 Project 26: Hilda Rix Nicholas 1884-1961, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 5 August - 17 September 1978, no. 30 Hilda Rix Nicholas,Robyn Brady and Bruce James at Caspian Gallery, Sydney, 23 July - 6 August 1991, no. 5, NFS Hilda Rix Nicholas: Her Life and Art, Lauraine Diggins Fine Art, Melbourne, 1-26 July 2000, no. 7 (label verso) Paris to Monaro: Pleasures from the Studio of Hilda Rix Nicholas, National Portrait Gallery, Canberra, 31 May - 11 August 2013 LITERATURE The Daily Telegraph, Sydney, 4 June 1927, p. 25 (illustrated) J.S. MacDonald, 'Vigor and Courage in Pictures. Mrs. Rix Nicholas's Exhibits', The Herald, Melbourne, 14 May 1928, p. 4 'Mrs. Rix Nicholas's Exhibition. Australia and France', The Age, Melbourne, 15 May 1928, p. 9 'Exhibition of Pictures. Rix Nicholas's Work', The Argus, Melbourne, 15 May 1928, p. 17 'Pictures by Mrs. Rix Nicholas', The Australasian, Melbourne, 19 May 1928, p. 20 Joanna Mendelssohn, 'Hilda Rix Nicholas', Hemisphere, Sydney, Vol. 26, No. 4, p. 243 (illustrated) John Pigot, Hilda Rix Nicholas: Her Life and Art, The Miegunyah Press, Melbourne University, Melbourne, 2000, pp. 52-53, 55 (illustrated)
HILDA RIX NICHOLAS 1884-1961 Colonel Barnes (circa 1907) oil on canvas signed 'E.H.Rix.Nicholas.' lower left 80 x 65 cm PROVENANCE Hilda Rix Nicholas, Sydney Private Collection, New South Wales, by descent from the above EXHIBITED Exhibition of Pictures by E. Hilda Rix Nicholas , The Guild Hall, Melbourne, 12-26 November 1918, no. 28, 'Colonel Barns (Retired Anglo-Indian Officer)' Exhibition of Drawings and Oil Paintings by E. H. Rix Nicholas, Anthony Hordern's Fine Art Gallery, Sydney, 11 June 1919, no. 29, 'Colonel Barnes (Retired Anglo-Indian Officer)', 100 gns Hilda Rix Nicholas: Her Life and Art, Lauraine Diggins Fine Art, Melbourne, 1-26 July 2000, no. 14, 'Colonel Barnes, Retired Anglo-Indian Officer c. 1911' (label verso) Paris to Monaro: Pleasures from the Studio of Hilda Rix Nicholas, National Portrait Gallery, Canberra, 31 May - 11 August 2013 LITERATURE 'Mrs. Hilda Rix Nicholas's Exhibition', Punch, Melbourne, 21 November 1918, p. 37 Sarah Engledow, Paris to Monaro: Pleasures from the Studio of Hilda Rix Nicholas, National Portrait Gallery, Canberra, 2015, p. 99 (illustrated)
HILDA RIX NICHOLAS (1884-1961) Oriental Man pastel on paper signed lower right: E H Rix Nicholas 42 x 31cm PROVENANCE: Melbourne Fine Art Gallery, Melbourne (label verso) Private collection, Melbourne OTHER NOTES: After spending her early years overseas, Hilda Rix moved back to Australia permenently, setlling in rural NSW with her husband and child. Distance from the capital cities, along with gender barriers in the art world and the challenge of balancing roles of wife, mother and artist, made it difficult for Hilda to resume a career in Australia. Neither conservative nor modernist in an avant-garde sense, she fell out of favour with the contemporary art scene in the 1930s and 40s. More recently, the brilliance of her work and her remarkable achievements overseas have been rightfully acknowledged.
4 Volumes: "Une Australienne Hilda Rix Nicholas in Paris, Tangier & Sydney", pub. Mosman Art Gallery; 2 x Galbally, A. & Pearce, B. "Charles Conder", pub. AGNSW; Gray, A. "George W. Lambert retrospective Heroes & Icons"pub. NGA, 2007
HILDA RIX NICHOLAS, (1884 – 1961), COOCHIN COOCHIN, NEAR BOONAH, QUEENSLAND, c.1926, oil on canvas on board SIGNED: signed lower left: H Rix Nicholas bears inscription verso: The Homestead – Coochin DIMENSIONS: 33.0 x 41.0 cm PROVENANCE: Bell family, Queensland Thence by descent Pamela Bell, Queensland Private collection, Tasmania ESSAY: Coochin Coochin Homestead near Boonah is of historical significance, being one of the earliest stations established in Queensland. The property was taken up by pastoralist James Thomas Marsh Bell in 1883 and, after his death in 1903, his wife Gertrude Norton Bell and her children continued its operation. The main house, consisting of connected pavilions dating mainly from the 1840s, 1880s and the early 1900s, is surrounded by an extensive garden. Of special interest is a tree yard, famous for a series of plantings by distinguished 20th century visitors, initiated by Lord and Lady Chelmsford when they visited in 1907. The large Bell family became patrons of their community and were popular, fashionable figures who entertained royalty, film stars, authors and artists. Edward, Prince of Wales visited the property in August 1920. At the end of 1926, Rix Nicholas purchased a car, filled its rear compartment with painting equipment and, together with Dorothy Richmond, set out to paint the landscape, ranging from Canberra and the Monaro plains to the south, up into central Queensland. The artist’s intimate glimpse of the homestead and garden was most likely painted on this trip.
HILDA RIX NICHOLAS 1884-1961 (Market at Etaples) (circa 1910) pencil on paper signed 'E.H. Rix.' lower right 36 x 27.4 cm PROVENANCE Private Collection, Melbourne
HILDA RIX NICHOLAS - (1884 - 1961), MOROCCAN SCENE TANGIERS, c.1913, pastel on paper SIGNED: signed lower left: - H RIX DIMENSIONS: 46.0 - 36.0 cm PROVENANCE: Private collection, Sydney Thence by descent Private collection, Sydney
HILDA RIX NICHOLAS, (1884 - 1961), THROUGH THE GUM TREES, TOONGABBIE, c.1920, oil on canvas SIGNED: signed lower right: EH Rix Nicholas partial label attached to stretcher frame verso: Lucien Lefebvre-Foinet, Paris label attached to stretcher frame verso: Nicholson Institute, Leek, Staffordshire DIMENSIONS: 65.0 x 81.0 cm PROVENANCE: Macquarie Galleries, Sydney (labels attached verso) Private collection, New South Wales EXHIBITED: Exhibition of Paintings and Drawings by E. Hilda Rix Nicholas, The Fine Art Societys Gallery, Melbourne, 10 - 24 August 1922, cat. 6 (as Through the Gum Trees) Exhibition of Paintings and Drawings by E. Hilda Rix Nicholas, Anthony Horderns Fine Art Gallery, Sydney, opened 1 August 1923, cat. 8 (as Through the Gum Trees) Hilda Rix Nicholas, Galerie Georges Petit, Paris, 16 - 30 January 1925, cat. 24 (illus. in exhibition catalogue) Hilda Rix Nicholas: Australian Life and Landscape, Beaux Arts Gallery, London, 8- 29 October 1925, cat. 10 then touring throughout England between 1926 - 1928 at: Hull Art Gallery; Sunderland Public Art Gallery; County Borough of Bootle; Grundy Art Gallery, Blackpool; Central Museum, Northampton; Warrington Municipal Museum and Art Gallery; Folkestone Municipal Art Gallery; Leicester Museum and Art Gallery, Derby Museum and Art Gallery; Shipley Art Gallery, Gateshead; Nicholson Institute, Urban District of Leek. Hilda Rix Nicholas: The Man for the Job, Bendigo Art Gallery, Victoria, 23 January - 5 April, 2010 Une Australienne, Hilda Rix Nicholas in Paris, Tangier - Sydney, Mosman Art Gallery, Sydney, 3 May - 13 July, 2014 LITERATURE: Pigot, J., Hilda Rix Nicholas: Her Life and Art, The Miegunyah Press, Melbourne, 2000, pp. 44, 67, pl. 17 (illus.) Cooper-Lavery, T., Hilda Rix Nicholas: The Man for the Job, Bendigo Art Gallery, Victoria, 2010, p. 25 (illus.) Une Australienne, Hilda Rix Nicholas in Paris, Tangier - Sydney, Mosman Art Gallery, Sydney, 2014, pp. 52, 77 (illus. p. 53)
![HILDA RIX NICHOLAS 1884-1961 Purple and Blue [Portrait of Elsie Rix] (circa 1911-1913) oil on canvas 81 x 60 cm](https://stageimg.invaluable.com/housePhotos/sothebysaustralia/66/641066/H4160-L168023629.jpg)
