John Brack was a wonderful artist and illustrator born in Melbourne, Australia in the year 1920. He was best renown for his work with the figure and large crowds of people painted in a highly stylized manner such as Alex Katz.
A big jump for the artist came during the 1950s when he received critical acclaim for works dealing with the everyday life of Australians.
For his collegiate studies Brack attended the Nationally Gallery School located in Melbourne, Australia.
Among John Brack’s most famous works is a painting titled “Collins Street 5pm” pictured below. A painting done in the early 1950s that brought John Brack critical acclaim and the attention of the national media.
Brack served as Art Master at the Melbourne Grammar School for one decade from 1952 to 1962.
Served as Head of the National Gallery of Victoria Art School.
Included in the collection of the National Gallery of Australia.
I love the line work of John Brack’s art. Many of his works take me back to Disney’s group of the Nine Old Men. He loved to paint crowds, but each face is similar but unlike any other. To me his work was about standing apart from the crowd. There is the crowd, a boring mix of greys , and then something or someone in the picture is so colorful and lively as opposed to the crowd.
With his paintings of couples dancing and moving about the floor together I am reminded of the artist Jack Vettriano’s dancing scenes that show couples dancing under moonlight as the servants attend to their every desire. An example of Vettriano’s style.
Price range information: John Brack was highly prolific as a painter. His oil paintings range from $10,000 to $1.35 million dollars. Lithographs range $1,500 to $10,000. Watercolors range $50,000 to $180,000.
John Brack passed away in 1999 at the age of 78 years old.
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