Trevor Nickolls Paintings & Artwork for Sale | Trevor Nickolls Art Value Price Guide

Sep. 10, 2024
Trevor Nickolls (1949-2012) Dream Time - Machine Time, 1988
Est: $5,500 - $8,500
Trevor Nickolls (1949-2012) Dream Time - Machine Time, 1988 signed and dated lower right: 'Trevor Nicholls 88' synthetic polymer paint on canvas 151.0 x 151.0cm (59 7/16 x 59 7/16in).
Bonhams
Sep. 05, 2023
TREVOR NICKOLLS, THE SPEAR, 1983
Est: $5,000 - $7,000
TREVOR NICKOLLS (1949 - 2012) THE SPEAR, 1983 synthetic polymer paint on board 56.0 x 45.5 cm 62.5 x 52.5 cm (frame) signed and dated lower right: TREVOR NICKOLLS 83 PROVENANCE Deutscher Fine Art, Melbourne Collection of Beverly Knight, Melbourne, acquired from the above in 1983 The collection of Marielle Soni, Melbourne, a gift from the above EXHIBITED Dreamtime to the New Millennium, Queensland University of Technology Gallery, Brisbane, 2 - 21 October 2001, cat. 52 © Trevor Nickolls/Copyright Agency 2023 This work is located in our Melbourne Gallery
Deutscher and Hackett
Jun. 20, 2023
Trevor Nickolls - Self Portrait, 1987
Est: $9,000 - $12,000
A solid grounding in the theory of Western art put Trevor Nickolls in a unique position when, towards the end of his postgraduate degree, he had a chance encounter with Papunya artist Dinny Nolan. The meeting left him feeling that it could be possible to synthesise an art style from techniques gleaned from both traditional Aboriginal and western culture. His appointment as an education officer the following year allowed Nickolls to travel, meeting artists and elders throughout Arnhem Land and seeing traditional rock paintings in situ. A new mood permeated his work of this period. Cramped urban complexities gave way to an elemental landscape where figures, trees, animals and waterholes were held in a direct frontal foreground, confronting and engaging the viewer with a powerful sense of mythic relatedness. Tightly patterned dots radiated a vibrant life force, harmonising the background in a unique rendition of an Australianised Garden of Eden. This work, created three years before Nickolls was selected to represent Australia at the Venice Biennial can be interpreted as a self portrait in which the artist and the land with its vegetation, rockholes and life-giving water sources become one.
Cooee Art
Feb. 14, 2022
Trevor Nicholls Drawing, Three Hills, Paddock
Est: $200 - $300
Trevor Nickolls Drawing, Three Hills, Paddock Drawing x 3 Signed dated lower right
Colville Auctions
Oct. 24, 2021
NICKOLLS Trevor (Aboriginal 1949-2012), 'Manly Point,' Sydney 1984., Acrylic & Mixed Media on Canvas, 91x91cm
Est: $3,000 - $5,000
NICKOLLS, Trevor (Aboriginal 1949-2012) 'Manly Point,' Sydney 1984. Unsigned, but illus. 'Dream Time - Machine Time, The Art of Trevor Nickolls,' Ulli Beier, 1985, plate 18 (book included): 'in 1984 Trevor Nickolls lived in a studio overlooking Manly Point. The beautiful view was marred to him by the suburban villas and affluent yachts; symbols of the European invasion. Feeling thoroughly isolated in the wealthy, leisurely suburb of Manly, Trevor Nickolls tried to visualise the beauty of this landscape before the coming of the white man. The painting relies heavily on the Papunya 'dotting' technique.' Acrylic & Mixed Media on Canvas 91x91cm PROVENANCE: Private collection, NSW. Purchased directly from the artist.
Davidson Auctions
Apr. 22, 2021
Trevor Nickolls (1949-2012) Frog Corroboree, 1980
Est: $800 - $1,200
Trevor Nickolls (1949-2012) Frog Corroboree, 1980 monogrammed lower right: 'TN' synthetic polymer paint on canvas on panel 25.0 x 20.0cm (9 13/16 x 7 7/8in). For further information on this lot please visit the Bonhams website
Bonhams
Apr. 18, 2021
TREVOR NICKOLLS (1949-2012) Gum Tree (Woman Gum) 1985
Est: $1,200 - $1,800
TREVOR NICKOLLS (1949-2012) Gum Tree (Woman Gum) 1985 acrylic on canvas 90.5 x 75.5 cm EXHIBITED Deutscher Gertrude Street Gallery, Melbourne, Nickolls Exhibition 1973-1989, 5-20 October 1989 Niagara Galleries, Melbourne, Blue Chip XVII, The Collectors Exhibition, 2015 LITERATURE Ulli Beier, Time – Machine Time The Art of Trevor Nicholls, plate 26 (called Gum Tree) Sydney 1985
Gibson's
Oct. 20, 2020
Trevor Nickolls - Hippy Picnic, 2006
Est: $5,500 - $6,500
A solid grounding in the theory of Western art put Trevor Nickolls in a unique position when, towards the end of his post-graduate degree, he had a chance encounter with Papunya artist Dinny Nolan. The meeting left him feeling that it could be possible to synthesise an art style from techniques gleaned from both traditional Aboriginal and Western culture. His appointment as an education officer the following year allowed Nickolls to travel, meeting artists and elders throughout Arnhem Land and seeing traditional rock paintings in situ. This painting reflects an idyllically happy and peaceful scene referring back to life in the 1970s, hence the title âHippy Picnicâ. It reflects the early days of Trevor Nickollâs art career, when he went on picnics where he would also sketch. The Holden he owned in the early 1970s is in the background. He has placed some of his regular iconic imagery into the painting, including the dilly bag, goanna, butterfly, the personified tree with uplifted arms, and the doves which he used as symbols of peace. The artwork is richly painted with layers of paint and intricate textures.
Cooee Art
Jul. 15, 2020
TREVOR NICKOLLS, HOLDEN BOOMERANG DREAMING IN SUMMER TIME, 2000
Est: $15,000 - $20,000
THE PETER AND RENATE NAHUM COLLECTION OF ABORIGINAL ART, LONDON TREVOR NICKOLLS (1949 – 2012) HOLDEN BOOMERANG DREAMING IN SUMMER TIME, 2000 synthetic polymer paint on canvas 91.0 x 121.5 cm signed and dated lower right: NICKOLLS 2000 PROVENANCE Vivien Anderson Gallery, Melbourne The Peter and Renate Nahum Collection of Aboriginal Art, London, acquired from the above in 2009 EXHIBITED Masterwork, Vivien Anderson Gallery, Melbourne, 11 October – 4 November 2006 Trevor Nickolls: New + Important Early Paintings & Drawings, Vivien Anderson Gallery, Melbourne, 12 May – 13 June 2009, cat. 18 (illus. in exhibition catalogue) RELATED WORK Family in Blue Holden, 1998, synthetic polymer paint on canvas, 121.5 x 152.5 cm in the collection of the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra ESSAY With a singular emphasis on the human condition and reflecting a continual internal struggle in his life regarding the balancing act between his indigenous and non-indigenous heritage, the art of Trevor Nickolls resonates widely today. Mesmerising and full of personal symbolism, his work was shaped by multifarious influences as diverse as the masterpieces of European art, his love of landscapes, Indigenous history and mythology, comic book characters and observations of daily urban life. However, his overarching concern was the conflict between what he saw as the alienation of urban industrialism and the symbiosis between rural indigenous life and nature; the contrasts between white and black societies. Born to an indigenous mother from Moonta in South Australia and an English/Irish father, Nickolls began to paint at a young age and drawing became a refuge for him during difficult and unhappy times at school in Adelaide, a place where he did not fit in. His early drawings combined observations of the world around him together with caricatures, figures and cartoon heroes. He later studied at the South Australian School of Art followed by a teaching degree and post graduate studies at the Victorian College of Arts. Holden Boomerang Dreaming in Summertime, 2000 is a typical Nickolls dreamscape, with its festival of colour, activity, juxtaposed Australian icons and both obvious and obscure meanings. The painting employs an assortment of formal elements developed early in his career and provides an insight into his world, moving between tradition and modernity, or what he called ‘dreamtime’ and ‘machinetime’.1 We have the superheroes and comic book influences of his youth, city buildings crowded together dwarfing the small Wanjina figure (dressed in western garb), a large non-indigenous rock musician playing to diminutive indigenous dancing figures and larger than life, an FJ Holden, the major focus of this work and also Nickolls’ first and most loved car. The scene is illuminated by the radiating sun and references to country, city, ancestors, night and day and a myriad of characters that heighten our ongoing examination and enjoyment of this work and its performative elements. Trevor Nickolls exhibited nationally and internationally for over thirty years and was prominent in the emergence of an urban Indigenous art. In 1990 he was selected, together with Rover Thomas, as Australia’s representative at the Venice Biennale and in 2009 a retrospective exhibition was held at the Ian Potter Museum of Art, The University of Melbourne, touring to the Northern Territory, South Australia and regional Victoria in 2010. 1. Beier, U., Dream Time - Machine Time: The Art of Trevor Nickolls, Robert Brown and Associates, and the Aboriginal Artists Agency, Sydney, 1985, p. 14. CRISPIN GUTTERIDGE
Deutscher and Hackett
Jul. 15, 2020
TREVOR NICKOLLS, MAGIC OF THE BOOMERANG SPIRIT, 2009
Est: $15,000 - $20,000
THE PETER AND RENATE NAHUM COLLECTION OF ABORIGINAL ART, LONDON TREVOR NICKOLLS (1949 – 2012) MAGIC OF THE BOOMERANG SPIRIT, 2009 synthetic polymer on linen 91.0 x 182.5 cm signed and dated verso: NICKOLLS 09 PROVENANCE Vivien Anderson Gallery, Melbourne The Peter and Renate Nahum Collection of Aboriginal Art, London, acquired from the above in 2009 EXHIBITED Trevor Nickolls: New + Important Early Paintings & Drawings, Vivien Anderson Gallery, Melbourne, 12 May – 13 June 2009, cat. 23 (illus. in exhibition catalogue)
Deutscher and Hackett
Apr. 21, 2020
Nickolls, Trevor Untitled Synthetic Polymer Paint on Canvas 41 x 84 cm 1989
Est: $1,600 - $2,200
Born in 1949 in Adelaide, South Australia, Trevor Nickolls developed a unique and innovative inventive style. Beginning to paint in the 1970s, he incorporated stylistic elements of traditional Aboriginal art such as dot painting and rarrk, in combination with imagery from diverse sources like comic books and the works of masters in the history of art. The resulting works at times contain complex iconography with multiple layers of meaning and at times combine tragedy with a wicked sense of humour. A major theme for Trevor Nickolls’ work is Dreamtime to Machinetime, which articulates the cultural transition from the traditional Aboriginal cultural heritage of the Dreamtime into the world of mechanisation and technology. In 1990 with Rover Thomas he represented Australia at the Venice Biennale, the first Indigenous artists to do so. CT/TNI24
Cooee Art
Dec. 03, 2019
Trevor Nickolls (1949-2012) Untitled Landscape
Est: $4,000 - $6,000
A solid grounding in the theory of Western art put Trevor Nickolls in a unique position when, towards the end of his post-graduate degree, he had a chance encounter with Papunya artist Dinny Nolan. The meeting left him feeling that it could be possible to synthesise an art style from techniques gleaned from both traditional Aboriginal and western culture. His appointment as an education officer the following year allowed Nickolls to travel, meeting artists and elders throughout Arnhem Land and seeing traditional rock paintings in situ. A new mood permeated his work of this period. Cramped urban complexities gave way to an elemental landscape where figures, trees, animals and waterholes were held in a direct frontal foreground, confronting and engaging the viewer with a powerful sense of mythic relatedness. Tightly patterned dots radiated a vibrant life force, harmonising the background in a unique rendition of an Australianised Garden of Eden. This work was painted immediately after his return from representing Australia at the 1990 Venice Biennale.
Cooee Art
Sep. 15, 2019
NICKOLLS Trevor (Aboriginal 1949-2012), 'Dreamtime Landscape,' 1977., Acrylic on Canvas, 30.5x23.5cm
Est: $200 - $400
NICKOLLS, Trevor (1949-2012) 'Dreamtime Landscape,' 1977. Signed, titled & dated verso. Acrylic on Canvas 30.5x23.5cm
Davidson Auctions
Jun. 04, 2019
TREVOR NICKOLLS (1949-2012) Untitled acrylic on canvas
Est: $2,000 - $3,000
TREVOR NICKOLLS (1949-2012) Untitled acrylic on canvas artist name inscribed on stretcher bar verso inscribed on stretcher bar verso: ex Deutscher Brunswick Street 76 x 60.5cm PROVENANCE: Private collection, Melbourne
Leonard Joel
Nov. 27, 2018
Trevor Nickolls (1949-2012) Full Moon 2010
Est: $15,000 - $20,000
The theme of ‘encapsulation’ which began during his art school days in the 1960s became increasingly important to Nickolls from the 1990s onward as he explored the alienation of the individual in an industrialised landscape as a counterpoint to the concept of the ‘Harmony of Nature’. He coined the catchphrase ‘Dreamtime - Machinetime’ to describe the divide between Aboriginal and Western cultures. In ‘Machinetime’ humankind is trapped by its own inventions; a cramped and hostile technological environment where isolated individuals, in cell-like apartments, plug into their television sets, trying to ward off a sense of loss and anxiety as they become increasingly estranged from each other and the earth. ‘Dreamtime’ introduces a relationship to nature that, in keeping with Aboriginal beliefs, is the source of spiritual sustenance and cultural continuity underpinning the necessary conditions for a life affirming and dignified human existence. In this particular canvas, these two realities are juxtaposed with contrasting areas of colour, texture and spatial composition. A language of symbols fills the image; a Rainbow Serpent slides up the side of a building; a dove - symbolising peace - rests on a smiling moon and an angel stands adjacent on a cloud; the agonised profile of an entrapped human searches for the freedom of open space from within the cacophony of high rise buildings. The scene appears peaceful and serene but there is disquiet in the lifeless city below. There are several of the artist's signature styles at work in this painting. His depiction of the landscape and sky references traditional desert art without any hint of appropriation while the city with its lifeless buildings is tightly packed, grey and univiting. The image in its entirety evokes a 'Machinetime' metropolis within a 'Dreamtime' landscape. As with most of Nickoll's strongest works, the artist’s inventive social comment carries a humorous, yet biting, edge. His imagery integrates a number of Western art conventions including surrealism, portraiture, comic book illustration and cartoon animation.
Cooee Art
Nov. 08, 2018
TREVOR NICKOLLS (1949-2012) Dream Time Landscape 1977 acrylic on canvas
Est: $500 - $700
TREVOR NICKOLLS (1949-2012) Dream Time Landscape 1977 acrylic on canvas signed, titled, and dated verso: DREAMTIME/ LANDSCAPE/ TREVOR/ NICKOLLS/ Trevor Nickolls/ 1977 30 x 23cm
Leonard Joel
Oct. 18, 2018
TREVOR NICKOLLS (1949-2012) Dream Time Landscape 1977 acrylic on canvas
Est: $700 - $900
TREVOR NICKOLLS (1949-2012) Dream Time Landscape 1977 acrylic on canvas signed, titled, and dated verso: DREAMTIME/ LANDSCAPE/ TREVOR/ NICKOLLS/ Trevor Nickolls/ 1977 30 x 23cm
Leonard Joel
Sep. 23, 2018
NICKOLLS, Trevor (1949-2012)
Est: $1,000 - $2,000
'Brown Hills Dreamtime Landscape,' 1985. Dacou Gallery certificate of authenticity available. Stock number DG 315 Acrylic on Canvas 41x51cm
Davidson Auctions
Sep. 04, 2018
TREVOR NICKOLLS (1949-2012) Dream Time Landscape 1977 acrylic on canvas
Est: $1,000 - $1,500
TREVOR NICKOLLS (1949-2012) Dream Time Landscape 1977 acrylic on canvas signed, titled, and dated verso: DREAMTIME/ LANDSCAPE/ TREVOR/ NICKOLLS/ Trevor Nickolls/ 1977 30 x 23cm
Leonard Joel
May. 29, 2018
The Flood
Est: $4,000 - $6,000
This work was created in 1990 for Nickollsâ solo exhibition following his return from the 1990 Venice Biennale where his work was exhibited alongside that of Rover Thomas. Nickolls' work always dealt with the paradoxes and complexities of being an Aboriginal, in an urban environment. This particular work deals metaphorically with the difficulties of living with the incessant rain of white culture upon Aboriginal society as demonstrated by the sad Aboriginal trapped in white mans house. As it floats without anchor its spirit attempts in futility to escape through the roof. The snakes in this painting represent danger.â
Cooee Art
Nov. 16, 2017
The Flood
Est: $4,000 - $6,000
Often tightly juxtaposed within one canvas, two realities collide abruptly with contrasting areas of colour, texture and spatial composition. NichollsÕ inventive social comment invariably carries a humorous, yet biting, edge. His imagery integrates a number of Western art conventions including surrealism, portraiture, comic book illustration and cartoon animation, with Aboriginal symbolism such as Desert dotting and Arnhem Land cross hatching, in a delicate balancing act between cultures aimed at uncovering and exposing lifeÕs realities. This painting refers to the biblical flood as well as floods that are a part of nature in Australia. Nickolls was deeply concerned about human beings tinkering with nature in this, as in all of his works, Nickolls includes playful elements. Here the redhead famously depicted on the ubiquitous match box is being interviewed for television in the foreground as the floodwaters rise.
Cooee Art
Nov. 16, 2017
Spirit '98
Est: $14,000 - $18,000
The work Spirit '98 is cross-cultural, referencing Wandjina and other Aboriginal spirits placed in amongst modern day cultural references. A Wandjina is driving the Holden car, wearing an Akubra hat and just an undershirt. Painted in 1998, it was created as an homage during the anniversary of the Holden car, a vehicle Nickolls drove at an early stage in his painting career. A black hand is holding a stop sign. The words ÔStop DogÕ refers to GOD when read in reverse. The dog is a dingo. The Aboriginal child with one leg refers to Aboriginal disadvantage. Nickolls includes multiple layers of meaning and adds the usual fun element. At the top of the painting is a small UFO with a green extra-terrestrial being inside. Nickolls was chosen alongside Rover Thomas to represent Australia at the Venice Biennale in 1990.
Cooee Art
Jun. 04, 2017
NICKOLLS, Trevor (1949-2012)
Est: $100 - $200
Bird, 1987.
Davidson Auctions
May. 25, 2016
TREVOR NICKOLLS, (1949 2012), MIMI TRAIL AND BILLABONGS, 1989, synthetic polymer paint on canvas
Est: $5,000 - $7,000
TREVOR NICKOLLS, (1949 2012), MIMI TRAIL AND BILLABONGS, 1989, synthetic polymer paint on canvas SIGNED: bears label verso with artist's name and title together with cat. CF/TNI 36 DIMENSIONS: 91.0 x 76.0 cm PROVENANCE: Flinders Lane Gallery, Melbourne Private collection, Melbourne This work is accompanied by a certificate from Flinders Lane Gallery which states: The patterning and detail in this work incorporate the symbols derived from central Australian Aboriginal art as well as the artists imaginative personal symbols that go beyond dots. One major theme of the artists work is Dreamtime in which the landscape trees, spinifex or shrubs is expressed through the simplest elements of pattern.
Deutscher and Hackett
May. 19, 2016
TREVOR NICKOLLS (1949-2012) Untitled Landscape acrylic on canvas
Est: $4,000 - $6,000
TREVOR NICKOLLS (1949-2012) Untitled Landscape acrylic on canvas unsigned 50 x 40cm PROVENANCE: Dacou Gallery, Adelaide (accompanied by a certificate of authenticity) Chapman Gallery, Canberra, 1996
Leonard Joel
Nov. 18, 2014
Trevor Nickolls (b. 1949) Bird Dreaming I synthetic polymer paint on canvas, signed and dated l.r.c. 'Trevor Nickolls, 89' 122 x 91 cm
Est: $1,500 - $2,500
Trevor Nickolls (b. 1949) Bird Dreaming I synthetic polymer paint on canvas, signed and dated l.r.c. 'Trevor Nickolls, 89' 122 x 91 cm
Shapiro Auctioneers
Mar. 24, 2013
Trevor Nickolls (1949-2002) Untitled 2002 Acrylic on canvas
Est: $1,500 - $2,500
Trevor Nickolls (1949-2002) Untitled 2002 Acrylic on canvas Signed & dated verso 61 x 91 cm
Theodore Bruce Auctioneers & Valuers
Oct. 07, 2012
Trevor Nickolls (b.1949) Roving in Thomas Country Acrylic on canvas
Est: $200 - $400
Trevor Nickolls (b.1949) Roving in Thomas Country Acrylic on canvas Signed verso 30 x 61 cm
Theodore Bruce Auctioneers & Valuers
May. 28, 2012
Trevor Nickolls (born 1949)
Est: -
Metamorphosis (of Rover) synthetic polymer paint on canvas 60 x 84cm
Bonhams
Dec. 08, 2011
Trevor Nickolls (born 1949) Bird 1987 screenprint 81/99
Est: $200 - $400
Trevor Nickolls (born 1949) Bird 1987 screenprint 81/99 60 x 73cm
Leonard Joel
Jul. 20, 2009
Trevor Nickolls born 1949 TOP HAT synthetic polymer paint on linen
Est: $10,000 - $15,000
signed Trevor Nickolls and dated 1984 (lower right) synthetic polymer paint on linen
Sotheby's
Dec. 14, 2008
Trevor Nickolls (1949-) Bird 1987 screenprint
Est: $500 - $700
Trevor Nickolls (1949-) Bird 1987 screenprint signed and dated 'Trevor Nickolls 87' lower right ed. 61/99 lower left 74.5 x 57cm Provenance: Hogan Galleries (label verso)
Leonard Joel
Oct. 12, 2004
TREVOR NICKOLLS (BORN 1949)
Est: £3,000 - £5,000
Walkabout screenprint, 1973, signed and dated in pencil and numbered 1/5 82 x 56 cm This print is based on the largest drawing Nickolls produced in 1972
Christie's
Oct. 12, 2004
TREVOR NICKOLLS (BORN 1949)
Est: £30,000 - £40,000
Spirit Above Australia signed and dated 'Nickolls 2000' (lower right) synthetic polymer paint on linen 213 x 122 cm Painted in 2000
Christie's