Lin Onus Paintings & Artwork for Sale | Lin Onus Art Value Price Guide

Nov. 20, 2024
LIN ONUS (1948-1996), On the Snowline
Est: $6,000 - $8,000
PROPERTY FROM THE ESTATE OF A PRIVATE COLLECTION, MELBOURNE LIN ONUS (1948-1996) On the Snowline oil on board 49.5 x 64.5 cm; 62.5 x 78.0 cm (framed) signed lower right: Lin Onus bears inscription on label attached verso: "ON THE SNOWLINE"
Menzies
Nov. 20, 2024
LIN ONUS (1948-1996), Summertime 1994
Est: $50,000 - $70,000
PROPERTY FROM THE ESTATE OF A PRIVATE COLLECTION, SYDNEY LIN ONUS (1948-1996) Summertime 1994 synthetic polymer paint on card 20.0 x 63.0 cm; 48.0 x 68.5 cm (framed) accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from The Estate of Lin Onus, Melbourne (attached verso)
Menzies
Nov. 13, 2024
LIN ONUS (1948-1996) Gumiring Garkman 1994 screenprint, ed. A/P 50 x 74.5cm (image); 77 x 99cm (frame)
Est: $3,500 - $4,500
LIN ONUS (1948-1996) Gumiring Garkman 1994 screenprint, ed. A/P signed and dated lower right: Lin Onus '94 titled lower centre editioned lower left 50 x 74.5cm (image); 77 x 99cm (frame) PROVENANCE: Private collection, Melbourne OTHER NOTES: RELATED WORK: Lin Onus, Gumiring Garkman 1994, synthetic polymer paint and ink on illustration board, 49 x 72cm, Menzies, Melbourne, 27 March 2024, lot 27 © Estate of Lin Onus/Copyright Agency 2024
Leonard Joel
Nov. 12, 2024
LIN ONUS, SENTINEL, C.1981
Est: $6,500 - $8,500
LIN ONUS 1948 -1996 SENTINEL, c.1981 oil on board 64 x 73 cm; 80 x 89 cm (framed) Signed lower right 'Lin Onus' PROVENANCE Direct from the artist, Belgrave Vic Private collection, Vic Fireworks Gallery, Qld Cat No. FW9872 Private collection, Qld Accompanied by certificate of authenticity from Fireworks Gallery and a letter from the vendor ©Lin Onus / Copyright Agency, 2024 Lin Onus played a pivotal role in renegotiating the history of colonial and Aboriginal Australia through his practice as an artist and advocate. A Yorta Yorta man from Cumeraganga on the Murray River, he grew up in urban Melbourne strongly influenced by the work of realist painters including Albert Namatjira and began his own career as a watercolorist and photorealist. Onus's work evolved after his 'adoption' by Arnhem Land Elders in the mid 1980s conferred upon him the right to use certain traditional stories and designs. This enabled him to develop a distinctive visual language. Through a fusion of Western and Aboriginal systems of organising space, vision and design he sought to portray landscape as a carrier of myth, history, and ideology. In this rare seminal work, Lin Onus explores his relationship with landscape and how to depict meaning from it's simplicity. Lin was a cultural provocateur who believed that there was no distinction between the political and the beautiful. His contribution changed forever the perceptions about the nature of Aboriginal art and in the inadequate terminology of our times put urban art, as it is popularly known, onto the cultural map in Australia. The personal note from the private collector reads: "I lived in Tecoma Victoria in the 70-80's and being interested in local artwork I visited the Sherbrooke Gallery, now known as the Burrinja Gallery and purchased several paintings, including one by Lin Onus.Unbeknown to me the Gallery had been broken into during the night and several paintings were stolen. I actually decided to purchase 'Sentinel' when I saw it on the verandah, left there when the robbery was interrupted. I found the tranquility of 'Sentinel' to be very relaxing after a hectic day teaching and I swear the clouds moved! Today I live a different life in Hervey bay and I have decided to pass my painting on for someone else to enjoy and appreciate the talents of Lin Onus." Corrie Wright 21 September 2024 This piece is a fine example of an Australian Aboriginal artwork.
Art Leven (formerly Cooee Art)
Nov. 12, 2024
LIN ONUS, FROGS IN RIVERGRASS, 1996
Est: $30,000 - $40,000
LIN ONUS 1948 -1996 FROGS IN RIVERGRASS, 1996 gouache on illustration board 27 x 63.5 cm; 55.5 x 86 cm (framed) signed lower left 'Lin Onus' PROVENANCE Direct from the artist to Belinda Dennis nee Baker, Lin Onus’ personal assistant (1991-1996) The Belinda and Craig Dennis Collection, Vic ©Lin Onus / Copyright Agency, 2024 Lin Onus was born in 1948 in Melbourne, his father being of the Yorta Yorta people from the Barmah Forest country. Onus used images from this area when he took up painting and sculpture in 1974. He created paintings which were not only essentially Australian but showed what it is like to be an Aboriginal Australian living in a city. He helped to raise the profile of indigenous art, including being one of the leaders of the urban Aboriginal Art Movement. Importantly, his work is appreciated for his technical skill as much as the mix of styles. His strong socio-political views combined with great expertise resulted in art that is political, provocative and distinct. Lin Onus' early works displayed anger at Aboriginal social injustice, but he later employed whimsy to paint a less strident picture. Perhaps he learned the power of humour from his father, Bill. The story goes that in the early 50s Bill Onus was asked, in his role as President of the Australian Aborigines League, to provide a suitable token Aboriginal name for a new Melbourne community festival. Onus loved to recall how Bill suggested 'Moomba' to the gullible city fathers, saying it meant 'let's get together and have fun'. With his uncle, Lin Onus... ‘would sit on the banks of the Murray River within view of the Bermah Forest, Onus’s spiritual home, the subject of many of his later paintings and his final resting place.’Ref: Margo Neale, Urban Dingo, The Art and Life of Lin Onus 1948-1996. This piece is a fine example of an Australian Aboriginal artwork.
Art Leven (formerly Cooee Art)
Nov. 10, 2024
LIN ONUS, (1946-1996), Butterfly Cave, archival pigment print, ed. 3/499 (unframed/cellophane wrapped with corflute backing), 51.5 x 125 cm. (20.2 x 49.2 in.)
Est: $1,000 - $1,500
LIN ONUS (1946-1996) Butterfly Cave archival pigment print, ed. 3/499 (unframed/cellophane wrapped with corflute backing) facsimile signature lower right; certificate verso
Lawsons
Nov. 10, 2024
LIN ONUS, (1946-1996), Frogs and Barmah II, archival pigment print, ed. 23/499 (unframed/cellophane wrapped with corflute backing), 69 x 90 cm. (27.1 x 35.4 in.)
Est: $1,000 - $1,500
LIN ONUS (1946-1996) Frogs and Barmah II archival pigment print, ed. 23/499 (unframed/cellophane wrapped with corflute backing) facsimile signature lower right; certificate verso
Lawsons
Oct. 13, 2024
LIN ONUS, (1948-1996), Kicking around the Claypan, archival pigment print, ed. 63/499 (unframed/cellophane wrapped with corflute backing), 70 x 82.5 cm. (27.5 x 32.4 in.), sheet: 77 x 89.5 cm. (30.3 x 35.2 in.)
Est: $1,000 - $1,500
LIN ONUS (1948-1996) Kicking around the Claypan archival pigment print, ed. 63/499 (unframed/cellophane wrapped with corflute backing) facsimile signature lower right; certificate verso
Lawsons
Sep. 15, 2024
LIN ONUS, (1948-1996), Kicking around the Claypan, archival pigment print, ed. 63/499 (unframed/cellophane wrapped with corflute backing), 70 x 82.5 cm. (27.5 x 32.4 in.), sheet: 77 x 89.5 cm. (30.3 x 35.2 in.)
Est: $1,000 - $1,500
LIN ONUS (1948-1996) Kicking around the Claypan archival pigment print, ed. 63/499 (unframed/cellophane wrapped with corflute backing) facsimile signature lower right; certificate verso
Lawsons
Sep. 11, 2024
LIN ONUS, (1948-1996), Fish and Lillies, Dingo Springs, archival pigment print, ed. 44/499 (unframed/cellophane wrapped with corflute backing), 61 x 81 cm. (24.0 x 31.8 in.), sheet: 70 x 91 cm. (27.5 x 35.8 in.)
Est: $1,000 - $1,500
LIN ONUS (1948-1996) Fish and Lillies, Dingo Springs archival pigment print, ed. 44/499 (unframed/cellophane wrapped with corflute backing) facsimile signature lower right; certificate verso
Lawsons
Aug. 26, 2024
Lin Onus, (1948 - 1996), Pitoa Garkman, 1994, Screenprint, printed in colour from multiple stencils, editioned 36/85, 50 x 74.5cm, Frame: 87 x 118cm
Est: $3,500 - $4,500
Lin Onus (1948 - 1996) Pitoa Garkman, 1994 Screenprint, printed in colour from multiple stencils, editioned 36/85 signed and dated lower right 'Lin Onus '94'. numbered lower left 36/85. titled lower centre 'Pitoa Garkman',
Bargain Hunt Auctions
Aug. 26, 2024
Lin Onus, (1948 - 1996), Gumbirri Garqini, 1996, Screenprint, printed in colour from multiple stencils, editioned 28/85, 50 x 74cm, Frame: 80 x 102cm
Est: $3,500 - $4,500
Lin Onus (1948 - 1996) Gumbirri Garqini, 1996 Screenprint, printed in colour from multiple stencils, editioned 28/85 signed and dated lower right
Bargain Hunt Auctions
Aug. 26, 2024
Lin Onus, Melbourne/Manigrida (1948-1996), Michael and I are Just Slipping down to the pub for a minute 2000 (the Ongoing Adventures of X and ray), Novajet 600 digital print on canvas ed. 10/48 printed May 1999
Est: $4,000 - $6,000
Lin Onus Melbourne/Manigrida (1948-1996) Michael and I are Just Slipping down to the pub for a minute 2000 (the Ongoing Adventures of X and ray) Novajet 600 digital print on canvas ed. 10/48 printed May 1999 Inscribed & titled verso Signed & dated by Michael Eather Fire-Works Gallery, Certificate of Authenticity, Signed by Michael Eather
Theodore Bruce Auctioneers & Valuers
Aug. 21, 2024
LIN ONUS 1948-1996 Butterflies and Flowers (1993) synthetic polymer paint on paper on board 50 x 38 cm frame: original, Howden Studios,
Est: $35,000 - $45,000
LIN ONUS 1948-1996 Butterflies and Flowers (1993) synthetic polymer paint on paper on board signed ‘Lin Onus' lower left 50 x 38 cm frame: original, Howden Studios, Victoria (stamped verso) PROVENANCE Lin Onus, Melbourne Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne (label verso) Private Collection, Melbourne, acquired from the above Private Collection, Melbourne, acquired from the above EXHIBITED There and Back: An Exhibition of Recent Paintings and Sculpture by Lin Onus, Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne, 27 July – 4 September 1993
Smith & Singer
Aug. 21, 2024
LIN ONUS 1948-1996 Butterflies and Rocks (1993) synthetic polymer paint on board 50 x 38 cm frame: original, Howden Studios, Victoria (
Est: $35,000 - $45,000
LIN ONUS 1948-1996 Butterflies and Rocks (1993) synthetic polymer paint on board signed ‘Lin Onus' lower right 50 x 38 cm frame: original, Howden Studios, Victoria (stamped verso) PROVENANCE Lin Onus, Melbourne Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne (label verso) Private Collection, Melbourne, acquired from the above Private Collection, Melbourne, acquired from the above EXHIBITED There and Back: An Exhibition of Recent Paintings and Sculpture by Lin Onus, Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne, 27 July – 4 September 1993
Smith & Singer
Aug. 20, 2024
LIN ONUS , Kicking Around the Claypan
Est: $300 - $500
LIN ONUS Kicking Around the Claypan archival pigment print facsimile signature and editioned on margin: Lin Onus / A/P numbered verso: #201075 47 x 56cm PROVENANCE Digital Art Directory (certificate of authenticity accompanies this lot)
Gibson's
Aug. 20, 2024
LIN ONUS, Kicking Around the Claypan
Est: $400 - $600
LIN ONUS Kicking Around the Claypan archival pigment print facsimile signature and editioned on margin: Lin Onus / A/P numbered verso: #2010119 68 x 81cm PROVENANCE Digital Art Directory (certificate of authenticity accompanies this lot)
Gibson's
Aug. 18, 2024
LIN ONUS, (1948 - 1996), Birrikala Djini Bunarong (Butterflies in Sherbrooke Forest), 1993, archival pigment print, ed. 35/499 (unframed/cellophane wrapped with corflute backing), 82 x 82 cm (mount: 90 x 90 cm)
Est: $1,000 - $1,500
LIN ONUS ( 1948 - 1996 ) Birrikala Djini Bunarong (Butterflies in Sherbrooke Forest), 1993 archival pigment print, ed. 35/499 (unframed/cellophane wrapped with corflute backing) facsimile signature lower right; certificate of authenticity verso
Lawsons
Aug. 18, 2024
LIN ONUS, (1948-1996), Late afternoon Barmah, archival pigment print, ed. 4/499 (unframed/cellophane wrapped with corflute backing), 81 x 82 cm. (31.8 x 32.2 in.), sheet 90.5 x 91 cm. (35.6 x 35.8 in.)
Est: $1,000 - $1,500
LIN ONUS (1948-1996) Late afternoon Barmah archival pigment print, ed. 4/499 (unframed/cellophane wrapped with corflute backing) facsimile signature lower right; certificate verso
Lawsons
Aug. 18, 2024
LIN ONUS, (1948-1996), Fish and Lillies, Dingo Springs, archival pigment print, ed. 44/499 (unframed/cellophane wrapped with corflute backing), 61 x 81 cm. (24.0 x 31.8 in.), sheet: 70 x 91 cm. (27.5 x 35.8 in.)
Est: $1,000 - $1,500
LIN ONUS (1948-1996) Fish and Lillies, Dingo Springs archival pigment print, ed. 44/499 (unframed/cellophane wrapped with corflute backing) facsimile signature lower right; certificate verso
Lawsons
Aug. 08, 2024
§ LIN AND TIRIKI ONUS, DJALNG BALTJIGI NGUKI DJINIGMA (WISH YOU WERE HERE),
Est: $750 - $1,600
§ LIN AND TIRIKI ONUS, DJALNG BALTJIGI NGUKI DJINIGMA (WISH YOU WERE HERE), SCREENPRINT ED. 12/70, SIGNED BY TIRIKI ONUS LOWER RIGHT, 30 X 50CM, FRAME SIZE: 66 X 86CM
Leonard Joel
Jul. 31, 2024
LIN ONUS, (1948 - 1996), Gumbirri Garqini, 1996, screenprint, ed. 21/85, 50 x 74 cm. (19.6 x 29.1 in.), frame: 80 x 102 x 4 cm. (31 1/2 x 40.1 x 1.5 in.)
Est: $4,000 - $6,000
LIN ONUS (1948 - 1996) Gumbirri Garqini, 1996 screenprint, ed. 21/85 signed and dated lower right
Lawsons
Jul. 31, 2024
LIN ONUS, (1948 - 1996), Pitoa Garkman, 1994, screenprint ed. 7/85, 50 x 74.5 cm. (19.6 x 29.3 in.), frame: 87 x 118 x 2 cm. (34 1/4 x 46.4 x 0.7 in.)
Est: $4,000 - $6,000
LIN ONUS (1948 - 1996) Pitoa Garkman, 1994 screenprint ed. 7/85 signed and dated lower right
Lawsons
Jul. 24, 2024
LIN ONUS, (1948 - 1996), Reflection on Pebbles, screenprint, 30 x 50 cm. (11.8 x 19.6 in.), frame: 67 x 84 x 2 cm. (26.3 x 33.0 x 0.7 in.)
Est: $1,000 - $1,500
LIN ONUS (1948 - 1996) Reflection on Pebbles screenprint signed lower right
Lawsons
Jul. 18, 2024
§ LIN AND TIRIKI ONUS, DJALNG BALTJIGI NGUKI DJINIGMA (WISH YOU WERE HERE), SCREENPRINT ED. 12/70, SIGNED BY TIRIKI ONUS LOWER RIGHT,..
Est: $1,000 - $2,000
§ LIN AND TIRIKI ONUS, DJALNG BALTJIGI NGUKI DJINIGMA (WISH YOU WERE HERE), SCREENPRINT ED. 12/70, SIGNED BY TIRIKI ONUS LOWER RIGHT, TITLED AND EDITIONED BELOW IMAGE, 30 X 50CM, FRAME SIZE: 66 X 86CM
Leonard Joel
Jul. 10, 2024
LIN ONUS, (1948 - 1996), Reflection on Pebbles, screenprint, 30 x 50 cm. (11.8 x 19.6 in.), frame: 67 x 84 x 2 cm. (26.3 x 33.0 x 0.7 in.)
Est: $1,000 - $1,500
LIN ONUS (1948 - 1996) Reflection on Pebbles screenprint signed lower right
Lawsons
Jun. 26, 2024
LIN ONUS (1948-1996), The Joy of Fish - The Ripple 1994
Est: $350,000 - $450,000
PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE COLLECTION, VICTORIA LIN ONUS (1948-1996) The Joy of Fish - The Ripple 1994 synthetic polymer paint on canvas 182.5 x 182.5 cm signed lower right: Lin Onus
Menzies
May. 16, 2024
LIN AND TIRIKI ONUS, REFLECTIONS ON PEBBLES, SCREENPRINT, UNEDITIONED, SIGNED BY TIRIKI ONUS LOWER RIGHT, ESTATE STAMP LOWER RIGHT,...
Est: $1,000 - $2,000
LIN AND TIRIKI ONUS, REFLECTIONS ON PEBBLES, SCREENPRINT, UNEDITIONED, SIGNED BY TIRIKI ONUS LOWER RIGHT, ESTATE STAMP LOWER RIGHT, 48 X 67CM (REVEAL), FRAME SIZE: 67 X 84CM
Leonard Joel
May. 09, 2024
LIN AND TIRIKI ONUS, DJALNG BALTJIGI NGUKI DJINIGMA (WISH YOU WERE HERE), SCREENPRINT ED. 12/70, SIGNED BY TIRIKI ONUS LOWER RIGHT,...
Est: $800 - $1,200
LIN AND TIRIKI ONUS, DJALNG BALTJIGI NGUKI DJINIGMA (WISH YOU WERE HERE), SCREENPRINT ED. 12/70, SIGNED BY TIRIKI ONUS LOWER RIGHT, TITLED AND EDITIONED BELOW IMAGE, 30 X 50CM, FRAME SIZE: 66 X 86CM
Leonard Joel
May. 02, 2024
LIN AND TIRIKI ONUS, DJALNG BALTJIGI NGUKI DJINIGMA (WISH YOU WERE HERE), SCREENPRINT ED. 12/70, SIGNED BY TIRIKI ONUS LOWER RIGHT,...
Est: $1,000 - $2,000
LIN AND TIRIKI ONUS, DJALNG BALTJIGI NGUKI DJINIGMA (WISH YOU WERE HERE), SCREENPRINT ED. 12/70, SIGNED BY TIRIKI ONUS LOWER RIGHT, TITLED AND EDITIONED BELOW IMAGE, 30 X 50CM, FRAME SIZE: 66 X 86CM
Leonard Joel
Apr. 24, 2024
LIN ONUS, YELLOW LILIES, 1993
Est: $350,000 - $450,000
LIN ONUS (1948 - 1996) YELLOW LILIES, 1993 synthetic polymer paint on canvas 182.0 x 182.0 cm signed lower right: Lin Onus PROVENANCE Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne (label attached verso) Boston Consulting Group, Melbourne Private collection, Sydney, acquired from the above in 2008 EXHIBITED There and Back: an Exhibition of Recent Paintings and Sculpture by Lin Onus, Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne, 27 July - 4 September 1993 ESSAY With visually arresting rhythmic striations, Lin Onus’ expansive Yellow Lilies, 1993 simultaneously presents, two opposing landscape views of a site of great indigenous cultural significance, Gurruwiling, the Arafura Swamp wetlands of central Arnhem Land. Painted at dusk, the sublime surface of Onus’ billabong, dotted with hundreds of water lily plants is still, reflecting the striking black trunks of native gums, a glassy transparency revealing a bed of russet leaflitter. Spliced evenly across the entire painted surface, the integrity of his picturesque Western landscape is compromised – revealed through interstices is the same view painted in colours mimicking bark and natural earth pigments, borrowing the graphic flatness and ceremonial rarrk crosshatched motifs of local Yolngu bark painting. Joining a small and important group of double-image landscape paintings1 featuring overlays or perforations, Onus’ metaphorical dislocations, with almost Magrittean surrealism, disrupt and subvert assumptions on ideologies of representation and the implications of belonging and custodianship they project. Self-consciously, they interrogate the process of representation itself and provide an unwavering reminder that this land is, and always has been, Aboriginal land. The incorporation of dual perspectives in his artworks through postmodern techniques of bricolage was Onus’ light-hearted and often humorous strategy to surmount prejudiced notions of what aboriginal art could and should look like. By 1993, Lin Onus was one of Australia’s best known and well regarded contemporary aboriginal artists, awarded that year a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the Queen’s Birthday honours list. He remains acclaimed today for his dedication to fostering cultural understanding through his roles as artist, educator, activist, and administrator. Onus grew up in the quiet Melbourne suburb of Deepdene within a deeply politically engaged household. He was the only child of William (Bill) Townsend Onus, a Yorta Yorta man and pioneering political activist, and Mary McLintock Kelly, a Scottish woman whom he had met at a Communist Party of Australia rally and married in 1947. Bill and his brother Eric, were instrumental in reforming the Australian Aborigines’ League advocating for indigenous civil and land rights and later driving the 1967 Referendum.2 Throughout the 1950s and 60s, Bill Onus established and ran a successful commercial enterprise, commissioning and selling decorative replicas of traditional implements such as boomerangs and woomeras, as well as Aboriginal-themed souvenirs to busloads of visiting tourists, at his shop, Aboriginal Enterprise in Belgrave, Victoria.3 It was through his early involvement with his father’s crafts and the influence of visiting artists, that the young Lin Onus taught himself painting, and recognised a need for cultural education and renewal amongst urban aboriginal youths. Throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, Lin Onus painted landscapes of his local environs around the Dandenongs, in a Western photorealist style, influenced by the works of older, indigenous artists who had been successful in using a European landscape tradition to depict their ancestral lands: Ronald Bull (1942 – 1979), Revel Cooper (c.1934 – 1983), and Albert Namatjira (1902 – 1959), all of whom had visited the Onus’ family in Melbourne. It was Onus’ later involvement with the Aboriginal Arts Board of the Australia Council, however, that provided a transformative visit to Maningrida, NT in 1986 – a ‘spiritual awakening’4 during which he met Senior Yolgnu artist, Djiwul (Jack) Wunuwun, whose ancestral lands run along the Northern edge of the Arafura Swamp. Over the course of dozens of subsequent pilgrimages to visit Wunuwun, Onus was welcomed into the Murrungun-Djnang clan, initiated into cultural knowledge systems and given permission to use sacred rarrk designs and storylines. Wunuwun’s philosophy of ‘seeing below the surface’ and using artistic hybridity to achieve reconciliation were also shared and adopted by Onus, explored in depth in his late water-and-reflection paintings.5 Yellow Lilies, with its striking dense patterning, oscillates between two interwoven modes of viewing and systems of understanding the world, metaphorically portraying indigenous displacement and erasure. Like the jigsaw motif of Arafura Swamp, 1990, the revelation of an underlying bark design gives primacy to its ancient origins.6 Running perpendicular to the striations, Onus’ black tree trunks unify the two images, indicating that in the impossibility of returning to land of pre-colonisation, the co-existence of multiple and equivalent frames of reference is a sustainable path to progress. 1. These include Jimmy’s Billabong, 1988, overlaid with rarrk, National Gallery of Australia; Arafura Swamp, 1990, with square cut-outs revealing an underlying bark painting, Baillieu Myer Collection; and Barmah Forest, 1994, with mismatched jigsaw piece cut-outs, Australian Heritage Commission, Canberra. 2. ‘William ‘Bill’ Onus’, First Peoples – State Relations, Victoria, 30 September 2019; see https://www.firstpeoplesrelations.vic.gov.au/william-bill-onus (accessed March 2024) 3. Kleinert, S., ‘Aboriginal Enterprises: Negotiating an urban Aboriginality’, Aboriginal History, Australian National University, Canberra, vol. 34, 2010, p. 2 4. Lin Onus, cited in Leslie, D., ‘Earth, spirit and belonging in Australian art’, Spirit in the Land, McClelland Gallery + Sculpture Park, Langwarrin, 2010 – 2011, p. 19 5. Davis, P., ‘In Touch with an artist’s Aboriginality’, Canberra Times, 7 July 1990, p. 21 and Mundine, D., ‘Jack Wunuwun’, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia Handbook, see https://www.mca.com.au/collection/artists/jack-wunuwun/ (accessed March 2024) 6. Neale, M., Urban Dingo - the Art and Life of Lin Onus 1948 – 1996, Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane, 2000, p. 16 LUCIE REEVES-SMITH © Estate of Lin Onus/Copyright Agency 2024
Deutscher and Hackett
Apr. 17, 2024
LIN ONUS 1948-1996 Wirrirr Wirrirr (Rainbow Birds) synthetic polymer paint on canvas (4 panels) 100 x 50 cm (each); 100 x 200 cm (overa
Est: $200,000 - $250,000
LIN ONUS 1948-1996 Wirrirr Wirrirr (Rainbow Birds) synthetic polymer paint on canvas (4 panels) 100 x 50 cm (each); 100 x 200 cm (overall) PROVENANCE Lin Onus, Melbourne Melbourne Airport, Melbourne, commissioned from the above Important Australian Art, Smith & Singer (trading as Sotheby's Australia), Sydney, 28 August 2018, lot 8, illustrated Private Collection, Melbourne, acquired from the above
Smith & Singer
Apr. 10, 2024
LIN ONUS (1948-1996) Gumiring Garkman 1994 screenprint, ed. A/P 50 x 74.5cm
Est: $4,000 - $5,000
LIN ONUS (1948-1996) Gumiring Garkman 1994 screenprint, ed. A/P signed and dated lower right: Lin Onus '94 titled lower centre editioned lower left 50 x 74.5cm PROVENANCE: Private collection, Melbourne OTHER NOTES: RELATED WORK: Lin Onus, Gumiring Garkman 1994, synthetic polymer paint and ink on illustration board, 49 x 72cm, Menzies, Melbourne, 27 March 2024, lot 27 © Estate of Lin Onus/Copyright Agency 2024
Leonard Joel
Mar. 27, 2024
LIN ONUS (1948-1996), Gumiring Garkman 1994
Est: $50,000 - $70,000
PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE COLLECTION, QUEENSLAND LIN ONUS (1948-1996) Gumiring Garkman 1994 synthetic polymer paint and ink on illustration board 49.0 x 74.0 cm; 81.5 x 105.0 cm (framed) inscribed lower right (below mount): GUMIRING GARKMAN
Menzies
Mar. 21, 2024
LIN ONUS, (1948 - 1996), Sherbrooke Falls, 1974, oil on canvas board, 61 x 91 cm. (24.0 x 35.8 in.), frame: 73 x 103 x 4 cm. (28.7 x 40.5 x 1.5 in.)
Est: $6,000 - $8,000
LIN ONUS (1948 - 1996) Sherbrooke Falls, 1974 oil on canvas board signed and dated lower right
Lawsons
Mar. 20, 2024
LIN ONUS (1948 - 1996) Barmah Forest, 1994 archival pigment print, ed. 41/499 (unframed/cellophane wrapped with corflute backing) 61...
Est: $1,000 - $1,500
LIN ONUS (1948 - 1996) Barmah Forest, 1994 archival pigment print, ed. 41/499 (unframed/cellophane wrapped with corflute backing) facsimile signature lower right; certificate of authenticity verso
Lawsons
Feb. 29, 2024
LIN AND TIRIKI ONUS, DJALNG BALTJIGI NGUKI DJINIGMA (WISH YOU WERE HERE), SCREENPRINT ED. 12/70, SIGNED BY TIRIKI ONUS LOWER RIGHT,...
Est: $1,100 - $1,400
LIN AND TIRIKI ONUS, DJALNG BALTJIGI NGUKI DJINIGMA (WISH YOU WERE HERE), SCREENPRINT ED. 12/70, SIGNED BY TIRIKI ONUS LOWER RIGHT, TITLED AND EDITIONED BELOW IMAGE, 30 X 50CM, FRAME SIZE: 66 X 86CM
Leonard Joel
Feb. 27, 2024
LIN ONUS (1948 - 1996) , Butterfly Cave ,1996, limited edition Fine Art reproduction on watercolour paper, edition of 499, 125 x 51.5 (frame: 150 x 74.5) cm
Est: $1,000 - $1,500
LIN ONUS (1948 - 1996) Butterfly Cave ,1996 limited edition Fine Art reproduction on watercolour paper, edition of 499 Digitally signed & Blind embossed with the Artist's Estate Logo below image.
Lawsons
Feb. 22, 2024
LIN ONUS, REFLECTIONS ON PEBBLES, SCREENPRINT ED. A/P, SIGNED, TITLED AND EDITIONED ON IMAGE, 50 X 70CM, FRAME SIZE: 65 X 85CM
Est: $1,000 - $1,500
LIN ONUS, REFLECTIONS ON PEBBLES, SCREENPRINT ED. A/P, SIGNED, TITLED AND EDITIONED ON IMAGE, 50 X 70CM, FRAME SIZE: 65 X 85CM
Leonard Joel
Feb. 15, 2024
LIN ONUS, REFLECTIONS ON PEBBLES, SCREENPRINT ED. A/P, SIGNED, TITLED AND EDITIONED ON IMAGE, 50 X 70CM, FRAME SIZE: 65 X 85CM
Est: $1,200 - $2,200
LIN ONUS, REFLECTIONS ON PEBBLES, SCREENPRINT ED. A/P, SIGNED, TITLED AND EDITIONED ON IMAGE, 50 X 70CM, FRAME SIZE: 65 X 85CM
Leonard Joel
Feb. 14, 2024
LIN ONUS (1948 - 1996) Barmah Forest, 1994 archival pigment print, ed. 41/499 (unframed/cellophane wrapped with corflute backing) 61...
Est: $1,000 - $1,500
LIN ONUS (1948 - 1996) Barmah Forest, 1994 archival pigment print, ed. 41/499 (unframed/cellophane wrapped with corflute backing) 61 x 81.5 cm (sheet: 69 x 90 cm) facsimile signature lower right; certificate of authenticity verso
Lawsons
Feb. 08, 2024
LIN ONUS, DJALNG BALTJIGI NGUKI DJINIGMA (WISH YOU WERE HERE), SCREENPRINT ED. 12/70, SIGNED, TITLED AND EDITIONED BELOW IMAGE, 30 X...
Est: $1,500 - $2,500
LIN ONUS, DJALNG BALTJIGI NGUKI DJINIGMA (WISH YOU WERE HERE), SCREENPRINT ED. 12/70, SIGNED, TITLED AND EDITIONED BELOW IMAGE, 30 X 50CM, FRAME SIZE: 66 X 86CM
Leonard Joel
Jan. 21, 2024
Lin Onus. ( 1948 - 1996). 'Wala Wala Garkman'. Coior Screenprint. 49 x 75 cm. Artists Proof in Edition 85. Signed and Dated lower right 1994.
Est: $3,000 - $4,500
Lin Onus. ( 1948 - 1996). 'Wala Wala Garkman'. Coior Screenprint. 49 x 75 cm. Artists Proof in Edition 85. Signed and Dated lower right 1994.
Christian McCann Auctions
Nov. 21, 2023
LIN ONUS - CRAB - ACRYLIC ON BOARD
Est: $12,000 - $18,000
LIN ONUS (1948-1996) CRAB Signed lower centre Acrylic on board 65 x 114cm Estimate $12,000/18,000 AUD
GFL Fine Art
Nov. 15, 2023
LIN ONUS (1948-1996) Michael and I Are Just Slipping Down to the Pub For a Minute 2000 (The Ongoing Adventures of X and Ray) giclée...
Est: $2,000 - $3,000
LIN ONUS (1948-1996) Michael and I Are Just Slipping Down to the Pub For a Minute 2000 (The Ongoing Adventures of X and Ray) giclée print on Arches paper, ed. 46/48 signed and dated lower right: Onus/Eather 2000 editioned lower right titled lower centre signed in plate 60 x 46cm PROVENANCE: Ray Hughes Gallery, Sydney The Estate of the late Verity Lambert, London EXHIBITIONS: RELATED: Urban Dingo: The Art of Lin Onus (Burrinja) 1948-1996, A retrospective exhibition of Melbourne-based artist Lin Onus, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, Sydney, 11 August – 29 October 2000 LITERATURE: Neale. M., Urban Dingo: The Art and Life of Lin Onus 1949-1996, Craftsman House 2000, (illus., front cover, another example) "This image was part of the series of works entitled 'Ongoing adventures of X and Ray'. This was begun in 1992 and like all good myths, has continued its adventures after Onus's death under the custodianship of his collaborator Michael Eather, and into the next generation with Onus's son Tiriki. In this scenario the two totemic animals perform social, moral, and political roles as they travel the places where Lin has been, or inhabit fictionalised landscapes. This work was inspired by a residency in Yokohama in 1989. This seminal work reveals both a kinship between these two travellers and the importance of the narrative and humour. Ray (the female Stingray) becomes a kind of surfboard for X (the male dingo), and they are seen riding the crest of one of art history's greatest waves, taken from the eighteenth century Japanese woodcut by Hokusai." OTHER NOTES: © Lin Onus/Copyright Agency, 2023
Leonard Joel
Oct. 24, 2023
LIN ONUS (1948-1996) Tribesman at Yuendumu 1974 oil on canvasboard 50 x 57cm
Est: $25,000 - $35,000
LIN ONUS (1948-1996) Tribesman at Yuendumu 1974 oil on canvasboard signed and dated lower left: Lin Onus 1974 artist's name, title and date inscribed verso 50 x 57cm PROVENANCE: Private collection, Melbourne Thence by descent OTHER NOTES: This work was created in 1974 during a period when Lin Onus was establishing his practice. Onus produced this painting taking inspiration from a photo in a book, using it as part of his application for a modest grant from the Aboriginal Arts Board to acquire art materials. However, in the presentation of his work to the board, he learned that the image he depicted was from a sacred site in the central desert, something Onus was unaware of because the source was a publicly available photograph. Despite receiving the grant for materials, Onus found himself in a dilemma regarding the fate of the painting. He eventually gifted the work to the owner of Kangaroo Gifts, who he was working for at the time, to be preserved in their personal collection. During those financially challenging days, Lin and Jo relied on the sale of artworks for their livelihood. This painting carries a compelling narrative that sheds light on the artist's early career and complexities he faced as an emerging Indigenous artist.
Leonard Joel
Oct. 10, 2023
LIN ONUS, STORMY WEATHER, 1980S
Est: $6,000 - $8,000
LIN ONUS (1948 - 1996) STORMY WEATHER, 1980s oil on composition board 25.5 x 30.5 cm 31.5 x 36.5 cm (frame) signed lower right: Lin Onus bears inscription verso: With Love to Vic from Mary Onus / 7-11-88 PROVENANCE Mary Onus, Melbourne Victor Abel, Melbourne, a gift from the above in November 1988 Private collection, Melbourne © Estate of Lin Onus/Copyright Agency 2023 This work is located in our Melbourne Gallery
Deutscher and Hackett
Oct. 08, 2023
ONUS Tiriki & SNIR, Shaike , 'Reflection on Pebbles', S/Print 45/80, 50x70cm (sheet)
Est: $800 - $1,200
ONUS, Tiriki & SNIR, Shaike 'Reflection on Pebbles' S/Print 45/80 50x70cm (sheet) PROVENANCE: This print was started by Lin Onus and completed by Tiriki Onus with Printer Shaike Snir. OTHER NOTES: 'In 1996 Lin and I started to work simultaneously on a few prints. We used the same four screens of pebbles to create different prints but unfortunately Lin passed away before completing them. One was "Walawala Garkman" and another "Wish you were here." Tiriki Onus, Lin's son completed them with me and signed the works,' Shaike Snir, September 2016.
Davidson Auctions