HABERFIELD, BOB (1938-2021)

Name: HABERFIELD, BOB (1938-2021)
Price: 5500 AUD
Availability: InStock

$5,500.00

"Penumbral Organ" (1964)

oil on board

102 x 92cm

signed on verso

*private collection, Sydney

Haberfield is a forgotten Australian Mid Century Abstractionist, Surrealist, Photographer, Graphic Designer, Record Cover artist & Science Fiction illustrator.
He studied graphic design and life drawing at Melbourne Technical College (now RMIT University) while working in advertising as a layout and design intern. This explosive piece, now available at Belle Epoque, was part of a series of Abstract Surrealist interpretations mapping a human's internal organs. The series was part of his acclaimed first (and only) solo exhibition at the South Yarra Gallery in Melbourne in 1964, which opened to rave reviews.

Art critic of the Bulletin remarked "One is attracted to the pictures, but uneasily, just as one loves the color of blood but is often sick at the sight of it... The imagery is predominantly visceral, and certainly has the surrealistic power of seeming detached, yet important. He is concerned with creating images which combine beauty and unfamiliarity"

The success of this show put Haberfield amongst the most anticipated and exciting up-and-coming Young artists in Australia, and led to collective shows alongside the likes of Les Kossatz, David Aspden, Col Jordan, Richard Larter, John Peart, & Dick Watkins. Haberfield’s early works were inspired by abstract surrealism. He was introduced to World Record Club in the 1960s by Brian Digby, the brother of the art director Geoff Digby, whom he worked for in advertising. In his times at WRC, he was given the freedom to experiment with various techniques including collage, drawing, graphics, photographic etc, and challenge conventional printings. However, in 1966, Haberfield moved to Paris and left the Fine Art world to focus on illustration and graphic design. He created countless psychedelic record album covers and began designing cover art for popular science fiction novels, particularly those of Michael Moorcroft. His work is legendary in science fiction circles.