John Peart Margaret Tuckson

Margaret Tuckson is a well-known ceramicist and the author of a major book on New Guinea ceramics. A great collector of Aboriginal art herself, she worked with her husband, acclaimed Australian artist Tony Tuckson, in bringing together an important collection of Aboriginal art for the Art Gallery of NSW while he was assistant director of the Gallery in the 1960s and early 1970s.

John Peart, who has known Tuckson for many years, wanted to paint ‘an affectionate portrait which catches her in a pose that looks as if she is engaging directly with the viewer. She has a lot of character in her face and stands for high aesthetic and ethical values,’ he says.

Peart painted her portrait on top of an abstract painting of his with which he felt she had a connection. As for the earthy colours, they just felt right. ‘It’s the colour of clay she works with, the colour of the Aboriginal art she collects, the colour of the bush she lives near,’ he says. ‘Somehow it felt like the colour of her life and her aesthetics.’

Born in Brisbane in 1945, John Peart is a regular finalist in the Wynne Prize, which he won last year.

This work is now in the collection of Abbotsleigh, Wahroonga.