Looking for Australia’s Next Collectable Artist?
With the arrival of our new Collectable Artists page, we’re tipping our hat to ten of our most highly-renowned emerging and established Australian artists showcased in the category. Due to the depth and talent of our 11,000 artists, the criteria for a collectable artist is strict in our most exclusive area of Bluethumb to date.
What makes an artist collectable, we hear you ask? The artists featured within the Collectable page have been handpicked by Bluethumb’s curatorial team based on success in major art prizes, expansive and prestigious exhibition records and having works in the collections of famous institutions.
1. Todd Simpson: A Contemporary Collectable Artist
New Zealand-born, Melbourne-based Todd Simpson exercises such incredible technique in his work that his realist paintings are often mistaken for photographs. Intense, uncompromising and often referred to as ‘technically accomplished’, Todd has been a finalist in numerous Australian and New Zealand Art awards for his work, including the Black Swan Portrait Prize, Darling Portrait Prize and the Shirley Hannan National Portrait Award.
Todd’s recent self-portrait was awarded ‘highly commended’ in this year’s Adam Portraiture Award.
Along with his uncanny ability to convey complex emotion through his portraiture, Todd is renowned on Bluethumb for his atmospheric cityscapes. Segments of city life take centre stage through his work, with motion, perspective and mood all remarkably accounted for.
“This scene depicts an iconic Melbourne tram travelling at what appears to be warp speed,” Todd describes. “The reality is something different, the leisurely pace at which they navigate the city’s streets are a far cry from the stuff of intergalactic travel.”
As well as a stately number of awards in his name, Todd Simpson has had work featured in galleries across Melbourne and further afield. The gallery doors might be closed for now, but you can always find his work on his Bluethumb profile.
2. Donovan Christie: Setting the Scene
With an impressive line-up of past achievements under his belt, Donovan Christie has been one to watch for many years now. Based in Adelaide, his work is primarily focused on the streets and landmarks of his hometown. By capturing familiar yet vacant scenes of his humble city, he invites the viewers to find themselves in the setting and lets them recall a fond memory of a simpler time. “I so frequently find myself standing still and appreciating things that people take for granted in life,” Donovan explains. “I like to focus on the human interaction (or lack thereof) with these things. This outlook makes me an avid admirer of people, architecture and urban landscapes in particular. The majority of my pieces are very vacant scenes with no sign of people; this leaves it up to the viewer to make their own interpretation of the image.”
Donovan’s attention to detail is matchless!
Donovan Christie’s talent has been met with respected awards and exhibitions over this past decade. In 2015 he was nominated for the Channel 9 Young Achiever Arts Award and in 2016 went on to win it. Among the many awards that he has been a finalist in are the Lethbridge 10000 and the BSG Small Scale Prize. To top it off, the self-taught collectable artist has had 12 solo exhibitions since 2010 and has been a part of over 100 group exhibitions. And yet, we think he’s only just getting started.
Donovan’s most recent piece, ‘Apesh*t‘ was recently selected as a finalist in the Lethbridge 20000 Small Scale Art Award, Australia’s largest and most respected small scale art prize. Light-up LED frame included!
Browse the full collection here.
3. Linda Syddick Napaltjarri: A NATSIAA Winner
Linda Syddick Napaltjarri grew up in a traditional lifestyle walking the Pintupi homelands with her family and gaining an intimate knowledge of her country. She was raised by the famous early Western Desert painter, Shorty Lungkarta Tjungarrayi, and further developed her painting under the guidance of some of the most masterful painters in Indigenous art. In August 2006, Linda was selected as the winner of the Painting Award at the 23rd Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award (NATSIAA).
Linda at work on Kangaroo Man at lltja Ntjarra Many Hands Art Centre.
The main themes in Linda’s paintings are spirit creatures and Christian themes. Her works are held by numerous galleries including the National Gallery of Australia, the Art Gallery of New South Wales and the Art Gallery of South Australia. Linda Syddick was the subject of a portrait painted by Robert Hannaford, which was a 1992 finalist in Australia’s premiere portrait competition, the Archibald Prize.
Walukurritje Rock Hole by Linda Syddick Napaltjarri.
View Linda’s profile on Bluethumb here.
4. Robert Hagan: Brisbane-based Collectable
We’ve seen Robert Hagan’s popularity rise to an all-time high over the past few years, establishing himself as one of Australia’s truly collectable artists. Robert is widely celebrated for his outback horse scenes that run parallel to the intensity and skill of film stills.
Glossy blue water in the foreground adds to the movement and charm of River Crossing.
With a growing international audience, Robert’s acclaims include awards from American art bodies and exhibitions held both within Australia and across the pond. Invest in your own piece here.
5. Gloria Petyarre: Winner of Australia’s Longest Running Art Prize
A little north of Alice Springs sits the Anmatyerre community, where Gloria Petyarre hails from. She is a significant figure in contemporary Indigenous Australian art, and has work exhibited in major galleries across Australia, including the National Gallery of Australia, as well as internationally.
Gloria’s signature bush medicine leaves
Gloria’s paintings – monochromatic or multi-colored – are distinguishable for their well-defined segments filled with curved lines, and evoke a strong rhythmic quality. Her style has evolved into abstract fields that represent leaves, grass and body paint. In 1999, Gloria Petyarre was awarded the prestigious Wynne Prize for Landscape Painting, being the first Aboriginal person to win one of the Art Gallery of New South Wales’s major prizes.
6. Jamie Preisz: Collectable Hyperrealism
Jamie putting the finishing touches to the piece “Smile”.
Jamie Preisz is no stranger to success as an artist – his accomplishments span from winning the esteemed Archibald Packing Room Prize and being a finalist in multiple awards, to completing both national residencies and ones abroad, to exhibiting in some of Sydney’s sharpest contemporary spaces.
Jamie describes Pink Machine as one of the most technical paintings he’s attempted to date.
7. Kim Leutwyler: Collectable Artist, Archibald Favourite
Three-time Archibald finalist, three-time Portia Geach finalist, twice Bluethumb Prize finalist and Black Swan finalist… The impressive list of prestigious acknowledgements goes on for Kim Leutwyler. Consequently, she is one of the most collectable artists on Bluethumb.
Kim Leutwyler‘s acclaimed work has been recognised and celebrated by awarding bodies in the arts and social communities.
With a highly distinctive and effortlessly cool approach to portraiture that with time further takes on a personality of its own, her work celebrates a variety of inspirational queer figures – covering everyone from sports icons to Sydney’s Lord Mayor to reality stars. These portraits tinker onto concepts of glorification, objectification and modification, while discussing the fluid nature of beauty, gender and identity.
This portrait of Kim’s good friends, Simon and BJ, hails her unique abstract technique.
Discover more of Kim’s portraits here.
8. Jimmy Donegan: An Eminent Legacy
The ancestral narrative Jimmy Donegan carries throughout the Pitjantjarra lands is the backbone of his illustrious art. Jimmy grew up as a bush baby in country around Blackstone and Mantamaru and has continuously settled himself between Kulka and Blackstone ever since, giving him an inherently strong tie to country.
Jimmy Donegan in front of his winning painting in 2010. Source: ABC
Jimmy’s work is notably rich in colour and composition through dot work and line. A great deal of symbolism lies hidden in these dots, remaining indecipherable to most. In 2010, Jimmy won the 27th Telstra Award (The National Indigenous & Torres Strait Islander Art Award); since then, his work has become highly sought after amongst collectors and rightly recognised for its unique story.
Jimmy is celebrated for his depictions of Pukara Rock Hole, a sacred site with an abundance of stories and resources.
Shop Jimmy’s last remaining painting here.
9. Concettina Inserra: A Collectable Photographer
Though she may keep a discreet profile, Concettina Inserra has nonetheless created a reputable name as a photographer over a twenty year-long career. Since graduating from RMIT in 1996, Concettina has exhibited widely in various solo and group exhibitions at galleries around Melbourne, where she currently resides. Common themes within her work involve self-identity and place through portraiture and landscape photography. The artist’s identity is also explored through performance and photography.
Pole Street, 2000 was made in collaboration with visual artist, Lyndal Walker. It was inspired by the work, Vale St (1975) made by the late Australian photographer, Carol Jerrems.
In 2008, Concettina Inserra was awarded the William and Winifred Bowness Photography Prize – one of Australia’s most prestigious annual photographic awards – along with artist Nat Thomas for their collaborative performance and photographic project. Since then, she has completed an MFA in photo media at Monash University and has been featured in public and private collections across the country.
A collaborative piece with visual artist Nat Thomas, The Family, After Mirka, 2008 is an homage to Australian painter Mirka Mora and was inspired by an anecdote in her autobiography, My Life: Wicked but Virtuous.
View more of Concettina’s portfolio here.
10. Matthew Quick: A Storytelling Collectable Artist
It took a flirt with a few careers before Matthew Quick truly settled into painting. We’re so happy he did; he has since won or been a finalist in more than seventy national art awards, including the Sulman Prize, the Doug Moran and the Mosman, to name but a few. His recent dub as “one of Australia’s top 50 artists” by Business Review Weekly is but a stepping stone in his artistic endeavours. Matthew’s objective as an artist lies in telling a story in just one image. Beautifully thought-provoking, his work plays on myths and traditional tales, often juxtaposed with the surreal nature of our current reality.
Two contrasting worlds of beauty standards collide in A Better You 2.
Ready to dive deep into our new page and explore the full collection? The next Whiteley, Nolan or Namatjirra is waiting to be discovered. Click here to find your favourite collectable artist.
Wow!! Such amazing beautiful works. From magical artists.