MS 9107
Papers of Noel Counihan
Scope Note
Biographical
Note
Series List
Series
Description
Box List
Papers
MS 9107
1931-1994
4.2 m. (30 boxes) + 2 folios
Available for reference
Noel Counihan (1913-1986) was a
painter, cartoonist and illustrator of national standing noted
for his socialist-realist style and radical outlook, whose
reputation continued to grow after his death. He travelled
extensively overseas and his art has been widely exhibited in
Australia, Europe and Russia, as well as receiving permanent
representation in a number of Australian galleries, including the
National Gallery of Australia. A communist, his passionate
concern with civil rights and free speech often led to conflicts
with authorities.
In addition to the large body of
papers amassed by Counihan during his lifetime, his widow Pat
continued to maintain records of exhibitions, books,
correspondence and articles concerning her husbands art and
career after his death in 1986. The resultant collection, which
bears her numerous annotations, was extensively drawn upon by
Bernard Smith for his biography Noel Counihan : artist and
revolutionary (1993). Following publication of his study,
Smith helped coordinate the transfer of the Counihan Papers to
the Library, which were received in a single consignment in 1996.
The collection documents aspects
of Counihans career from the 1930s to 1994, and includes
extensive series of correspondence (personal, business, family
and posthumous), together with articles, reviews, catalogues and
invitations connected with his various artistic and writing
activities. Also featured in the papers are appointment diaries,
published and photographic copies of Counihan's artwork
(especially cartoons and caricatures), typescript memoirs, a
manuscript history of Russian art, articles and speeches by or
about the artist, and a few photographs and books about his life
and career.
Without doubt the richest
component of the collection lies in the correspondence, which
dates back to the 1930s, and includes many contacts maintained by
Counihans wife until 1994. Numbering amongst correspondents
are family, artists, writers, dealers, models and gallery owners,
as well as purchasers of Counihans work who became friends.
In terms of content the letters reflect not only Counihans
own artistic output, but also important figures with whom he
associated, and their artistic and political milieux. Counihan
was a close friend of a number of prominent artists and writers
such as Judah Waten and Alan Marshall, and maintained
correspondence with other intellectuals including Frank Hardy,
Nettie Palmer, Dymphna Cusack, H.C. Coombs and Manning Clark.
Counihan's own letters are particularly revealing, with Smith
describing him as someone who 'wrote constantly and
self-reflectively to his family and friends, particularly in
later life, and in his letters he gives highly personal accounts
of his daily activities, of family life, and of his art'.
Readers can find further material
which complements the Counihan Papers in other areas of the
Librarys special collections. Nine folders of letters from
Counihan and his son Terry are located in the Marshall Papers (MS
2741, 3992), whilst other items are filed in the correspondence
of Judah Waten (MS 4536), Jack Lindsay (MS 7168), Katharine
Susannah Prichard (MS 6201) and Winifred Stone (MS 7043), and in
the records of Art and Australia magazine (MS 4665).
In addition, recordings of four
interviews made with the artist between 1961 and 1986 are held in
the Oral History Collection (ORAL TRC 33, 1059 and 2022 and ORAL
DeB 13). The Librarys Pictorial Collection also houses
portraits by Counihan of Vance Palmer (PIC R3881 Con1757) and
Alan McCulloch (PIC R11453), painted in 1953 and 1978
respectively.
| 1913 |
Born Jack
Noel Counihan, Albert Park, Melbourne, 4 October |
| 1930 |
Studied,
National Gallery Art School, Melbourne |
| 1930s |
Worked as
freelance pencil portraitist and press caricaturist |
| 1931 |
Joined Young
Communist League; founding member Workers Art Club,
Melbourne |
| 1932 |
Unemployed,
supported by dole payment |
| 1935-36 |
Working trip
through regional Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland
with Judah Waten, drawing portraits and caricatures |
| 1938 |
Drew town
identities in Broken Hill, NSW followed by solo
exhibition where two works purchased by the Broken Hill
Art Gallery; foundation member of the Contemporary Art
Society, Melbourne |
| 1939-40 |
Freelance
work in New Zealand but deported for involvement in
anti-conscription movement |
| 1942 |
Secretary,
Artists Unity Congress; exhibited in Contemporary
Art Society anti-fascist exhibition, Melbourne |
| 1943 |
Spent five
months recovering from tuberculosis |
| 1944 |
Drew miners
at Wonthaggi coal fields, including studies made
underground |
| 1945 |
Awarded
prize in Australia at War art exhibition |
| 1945-49 |
Staff artist
for The Guardian, Melbourne |
| 1947 |
Miners
series linocuts |
| 1948 |
Lithographs
of metal workers; awarded Albury Prize |
| 1949-52 |
Travel
studies and freelance artist in the United Kingdom,
France, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Hungary and The
Netherlands |
| 1950-52 |
Worked for
World Trade Union Movement, London |
| 1951 |
Exhibitions
London, Warsaw |
| 1952-58 |
Returned to
Melbourne as staff artist for The Guardian |
| 1954 |
Exhibition
Copenhagen |
| 1956 |
Four month
visit to Italy, USSR and London |
| 1956, 1957 |
Twice winner
of the Crouch Prize, Ballarat |
| 1958 |
McCaughey
prize winner; awarded Victorian Artists Society drawing
prize |
| 1959 |
Bronze
medallist, International Graphics competition, Leipzig |
| 1960 |
Accompanied
social realist exhibition to Moscow, Leningrad |
| 1961-63 |
Council
member of Victorian Artists Society |
| 1967 |
Initiated The
Broad Sheet with Udo Sellbach and Ian Turner;
participated in anti-war exhibition, Melbourne and
Adelaide |
| 1969 |
Exhibitions
of drawings and prints Poland, USSR; also visited Mexico,
New York, England, Ireland, Italy, France, The
Netherlands, Czechoslovakia, East Germany and India |
| 1973 |
Semi-retrospective
exhibition National Gallery of Victoria and Commonwealth
Gallery, London |
| 1973-78 |
President,
Print Council of Australia |
| 1974 |
Occupancy,
Australian studio, Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris;
show at Marjorie Parr Gallery, London and participated in
Australian Artists in Britain (Flinders
bicentenary celebrations), Lincoln; also visited
Yugoslavia, Greece, Istanbul |
| 1978 |
Noel
Counihan, Faces and Figures exhibition at
Mornington Peninsula Arts Centre |
| 1979 |
Noel
Counihan, 1944-79, Realities Gallery, Melbourne |
| 1980 |
Visited
Opaul, France |
| 1981 |
Opaul series
lithographs; suffered heart attack and stroke |
| 1984-85 |
Visited
England, France, Italy, Spain, New Zealand |
| 1986 |
Died 5 July,
Melbourne |
| 1988 |
Work
represented in The Face of Australia and
The Great Australian Art Exhibition
bicentennial art shows |
| 1991 |
Retrospective
exhibition Images of Working Life |
| 1. |
General and
personal correspondence, 1930s-1990 |
| 2. |
Business
correspondence and papers, 1940s-1987 |
| 3. |
Family
correspondence and papers, 1956-1986 |
| 4. |
Diaries,
1949-1975 |
| 5. |
Artwork,
1930s-1994 |
| 6. |
Exhibitions,
1932-1993 |
| 7. |
Catalogues
and reviews, 1932-1994 |
| 8. |
Writings by
Noel Counihan, 1930s-c. 1990 |
| 9. |
Print
Council of Australia, 1967-1982 |
| 10. |
Victorian
Print Makers Group, 1979-1983 |
| 11. |
Victorian
Print Workshop Advisory Committee, 1981-1986 |
| 12. |
Biographical
papers, 1930s-1988 |
| 13. |
Posthumous
correspondence and exhibitions, 1986-1994 |
| 14. |
Photographs,
c. 1930-1991 |
| 15. |
Publications,
1974-1993 |
Series 1 General and personal
correspondence, 1930s-1990
A long series of letters
exchanged between Noel and Pat Counihan and their many friends
and associates in Australia and overseas. Most of the
correspondence is original, with a smaller portion of photocopied
letters filed in some folders.
Included in the list of prominent
artists, writers and intellectuals whose correspondence is
represented in this series are Alan Marshall, Herbert McClintock,
Lloyd Rees, Bernard Smith, Jack and Meta Lindsay and Manning
Clark. The work of John Brack, Frank Hardy, John Reed, Albert
Tucker, Judah Waten, Fred Williams, Marshall and Rees are amongst
the many topics discussed.
Also filed here are letters
written in later life by one of Counihans early girlfriends
Zélie McLeod (née Pimlott). Located with the letters of George
Luke are illustrations for Marshalls stories, caricatures
and discussions of Marshall by Counihan and Luke, as well as
material about Lukes sculptures. The folders concerning Jim
Wigley contain cuttings, catalogues and examples of Wigleys
book illustrations.
Other letters relating to
Counihans business activities are filed in Series 2, and to
his family affairs in Series 3. The main sequence of
correspondence conducted with Counihans associates by his
wife after 1986 is contained in Series 13.
| Folders |
|
| 1 |
Correspondence,
1930s-1940s |
| 2 |
Correspondence,
1949 |
| 3 |
Correspondence,
1950-54 |
| 4 |
Correspondence,
1955-57 |
| 5 |
Correspondence,
1958-59 |
| 6 |
Correspondence,
1960 |
| 7 |
Correspondence,
1961 |
| 8 |
Correspondence,
1962 |
| 9 |
Correspondence,
1963 |
| 10 |
Correspondence,
1964 |
| 11 |
Correspondence,
1965 |
| 12 |
Correspondence,
1966 |
| 13 |
Correspondence,
1967 |
| 14 |
Correspondence,
1968 |
| 15 |
Correspondence,
1969 |
| 16 |
Correspondence,
1970 |
| 17 |
Correspondence,
1971 |
| 18 |
Correspondence,
1972 |
| 19 |
Correspondence,
1973 |
| 20 |
Correspondence,
1974 |
| 21 |
Correspondence,
1975 |
| 22 |
Correspondence,
1976 |
| 23 |
Correspondence,
1977 |
| 24 |
Correspondence,
1978 |
| 25 |
Correspondence,
1979 |
| 26 |
Correspondence,
1980 |
| 27-28 |
Correspondence,
1981 |
| 29 |
Correspondence,
1982 |
| 30 |
Correspondence,
1983 |
| 31 |
Correspondence,
1984 |
| 32 |
Correspondence,
1985 |
| 33-34 |
Correspondence,
1986 |
| 35 |
Undated
correspondence |
| 36 |
Correspondence
with Krystyna Usarek (mostly photocopied), Anne
Campbell-Dixon, Cal Younger and others, 1949-86 |
| 37 |
Correspondence
with Edmund Kurtz, Jack Lindsay, Frank Zaborovsky,
1954-90 |
| 38 |
Letters from
George Luke, 1958-81, together with papers and
photographs relating to his work |
| 39 |
Letters from
Herbert McClintock, c. 1959-64, together with newspaper
clippings, 1954, 1980 and exhibition catalogue for
McClintock retrospective |
| 40 |
Letters
written to Lloyd Rees, Jack Beasley, Alan McCulloch,
Lilian Renard, Eric Westbrook and others (original and
photocopied), 1959-80 |
| 41-42 |
Letters from
George Luke, 1960-68 |
| 43 |
Correspondence
with Gré Armstrong, Wal Norquay, George Luke, Diana
Mogensen-Reynolds, Eric Aarons (some photocopied), Barrie
and Jenny Hadlow (photocopied), 1960-89 |
| 44 |
Letters from
Jim Wigley, c. 1961-78, together with clippings about,
and printed examples of, his work |
| 45 |
Letters from
Barrie and Jenny Hadlow, 1961-84 and to Jenny and Peter
Pinson, 1969-86 (mostly photocopied) |
| 46 |
Letters from
Eric Aarons, 1964-79 |
| 47 |
Correspondence
with Pat Graham, Zélie McLeod, Jenny and Peter Pinson,
Alan Marshall, Bernard Smith, 1964-86 |
| 48 |
Letters from
Bob Smith, 1966-89 |
| 49 |
Correspondence
with Maggie and Clarke Andreae, Golda and Keva Bronson,
1971-90 |
| 50 |
Letters to
Bob Smith (photocopied), 1975-85 |
| 51 |
Letters to
Alan McCulloch, Manning Clark, David Carter, together
with gallery directors and owners, 1981-90 |
Series 2 Business
correspondence and papers, 1940s-1987
Chiefly comprising financial
records and correspondence with galleries and dealers, this
series also contains a detailed listing of sales of
Counihans artworks in the period 1959 to 1984. Separate
files of correspondence record Counihans involvement in
Council of Adult Education classes, which he tutored in the early
1960s, and refer to the entry he prepared on footballer Roy
Cazaly for the Australian dictionary of biography. Other
folders document liaison with the Painters and Sculptors
Association of Australia, and contact with producers of the film
Painting the Town, a documentary about social-realist
artists of the 1930s and 1940s.
Other correspondence with gallery
directors and owners is interfiled in Series 1.
| Folders |
|
| 1 |
Taxation
matters, 1940s-1950s |
| 2 |
Liaison with
dealers and taxation matters, 1961-69 |
| 3 |
Liaison with
galleries and dealers, 1971-79 |
| 4 |
Sales and
accounts, 1959-84 |
| 5 |
Miscellaneous
business notes and papers, c.1960-83 |
| 6 |
Notes and
correspondence concerning Council of Adult Education
classes, 1962-65 |
| 7 |
Notes and
correspondence relating to Counihans entry on Roy
Cazaly for the Australian dictionary of biography,
c. 1975-76 |
| 8 |
Correspondence
with Kurt Barry, Don Connes, Kathleen Shelton, Painters
and Sculptors Association of Australia, David Rankin,
1979-84 |
| 9 |
Correspondence
and papers concerning community arts activities, |
| |
including
liaison with Community Media Association, South Australia
regarding a visual arts project, c. 1984-87 |
| 10 |
Correspondence
and papers relating to Painting the Town, a
film documenting social-realist painters of the 1930s and
1940s, 1985-87 |
| 11 |
Undated
business correspondence and catalogues, c. 1960s-1980s |
Series 3 Family correspondence
and papers, 1956-1986
This series mainly comprises
correspondence written from home and overseas by Noel and Pat
Counihan to their children Terry and Mick, from the early 1970s,
when their sons were aged in their early twenties, to 1986.
Another folder contains letters sent by Noel to his wife in
Melbourne during his visit to Europe in 1956. Also filed here are
a number of copied birth, marriage and death certificates
relating to Counihan, his mother, father and brother, and an
article about Counihans father published in the Weekly
Times in 1918.
| Folders |
|
| 1 |
Photocopied
family birth and death certificates, together with Weekly
Times article about Counihans father, J.H.
Counihan |
| 2 |
Letters from
Noel to Pat Counihan, 1956 |
| 3 |
Letters to
Terry and Mick Counihan from Noel and Pat Counihan, 1969;
letter from Noel to Pat Counihan, 1960 |
| 4 |
Letters from
Noel and Pat Counihan to their children, 1973-75 |
| 5 |
Letters from
Noel and Pat Counihan to their children, 1976-78, 1980-86 |
Series 4 Diaries, 1949-1975
A series of pocket appointment
diaries kept by Counihan in the period 1949-75, which contain
brief entries written in his own hand. Also of interest is a
diary/notebook used by Counihan during his visit to Poland in
1949, which contains more detailed notes on galleries visited,
observations on other artists and their work, as well as some pen
sketches and names and addresses of Polish contacts.
| Folders |
|
| 1 |
Diary and
notebook of Counihans visit to Poland, 1949 |
| 2 |
Appointment
diaries: 1949-52, 1954-59 |
| 3 |
Appointment
diaries: 1960, 1961?, 1962 (two diaries), 1963-66 |
| 4 |
Appointment
diaries: 1967 (two diaries), 1968-1974, 1975 (two
diaries) |
Series 5 Artwork, 1930s-1994
Chiefly published or copied
representations of Counihans artwork, particularly cartoons
and caricatures which were printed in a range of Australian and
overseas newspapers and magazines from the 1930s to 1960s. The
extent of his subject matter was wide, and in addition to his
political themes, Counihan also became well known for his
representations of cricketers and footballers.
Also of importance in this series
is a list of paintings executed by Counihan between the 1940s and
1970s, together with a summary of value of work left in his
estate in 1986. In addition, other folders contain an envelope of
unpublished illustrations for comic stories by Alan Marshall, a
file of book covers featuring Counihans art, illustrations
of Australian wineries, calendar prints of his paintings and
advertisements for Club razor blades, Vaseline hair cream and
Richmond Brewery pilsener.
| Folders |
|
| 1 |
Clippings of
caricatures from the Brisbane Telegraph, Sunday Sun,
Referee, The Land, Wireless Weekly, Musical News and The
Bulletin, 1930s |
| 2 |
Clippings of
cartoons from The Argus camera supplement, 1933-34 |
| 3 |
Cartoon
clippings from Table Talk, 1935, 1937-38 |
| 4 |
Cartoon
clippings from The Bulletin, 1933-43 |
| 5 |
Clippings of
cartoons and illustrations from Australasian Post
and The Argus, 1952, 1953, 1955, 1958, 1960, 1964 |
| 6-8 |
Photocopy
file of miscellaneous cartoons, 1933-59 |
| 9 |
Cartoons for
Musical News, 1935-38, Sun News Pictorial
and The Herald, 1937-39 |
| 10 |
Photocopied
caricatures from New Zealand Observer, 1939-41,
with index |
| 11 |
Clippings of
cartoons of Victorian football players published in The
Sun, 1940s; cartoons of horseracing identities
printed in The Beam, 1948, including caricature of
Counihan by George Gath |
| 12 |
60
Counihan cartoons from The Guardian;
caricatures of cricketers, 1940s; illustrations for comic
stories by Alan Marshall, 1946-48? |
| 13 |
Lists of
paintings by Counihan, 1940s-1970s, together with summary
of value of work left in his estate, 1986; copies and
cuttings of illustrations from The Guardian, 1940s |
| 14 |
Photocopy of
60 Counihan cartoons from The Guardian,
c. 1944-45 |
| 15 |
Printed book
cover illustrations, c. 1946-83 |
| 16 |
Album
containing clippings of cartoons, published in various
papers, including The Daily Mail, Radio Times,
Tribune, Australasian Post, 1950s |
| 17 |
London
cartoons, caricatures and illustrations, 1950-52 |
| 18 |
Clippings
and photo prints of cartoons from Mountain District
Free Press newspaper, 1952-58; caricatures from Australian
News-Review, 1952; illustrations for Club razor
blades advertisements, 1959; cartoons for C.O.R.
Merchandiser News, 1955-56; Vaseline hair cream
illustrations, 1955; caricatures for Richmond Brewery
pilsener, 1954 |
| 19 |
Illustrations
of Australian wineries, 1966 |
| 20 |
Commercial
calendars with prints of Counihans works, 1976-86,
together with copy of Achieving full employment,
with cover illustration by Counihan, 1994 |
| 21 |
Shire of
Morwell calendar, 1987 with print by Counihan |
Series 6 Exhibitions,
1932-1993
This series consists mainly of
invitation lists for Counihan exhibitions, held from the 1950s
through to 1993. Also of interest are a sequence of lists
containing comprehensive details of exhibitions and reviews of
Counihans works between the years 1932 and 1985. A folder
containing more detailed papers regarding Counihans London
and Russian exhibitions is filed at the end of the series.
Correspondence and other papers
relating to the posthumous exhibition of Counihans work at
the Broken Hill City Art Gallery and the 1991 travelling
exhibition Images of Working Life are filed in Series
13.
| Folders |
|
| 1 |
Annual lists
of exhibitions and reviews, 1932-85 |
| 2 |
Invitation
lists for Counihan exhibitions, 1950s-1980s |
| 3 |
Invitation
lists for Counihan exhibitions, 1973-91 |
| 4 |
Invitation
lists for Counihan exhibitions, 1974-93 |
| 5 |
Papers
relating to overseas exhibitions, including London,
1973-74, USSR, 1960 and print exhibition from USSR |
Series 7 Catalogues and
reviews, 1932-1994
A comprehensive run of articles,
reviews, catalogues and invitations relating to Counihan and his
interests, arranged by his wife into a chronological sequence of
files. The relationship of each item to Counihans career
varies: some folders include written pieces by the artist, others
his published illustrations, whilst a further body of material
comprises reviews of his work.
| Folders |
|
| 1-2 |
Articles/reviews/catalogues/invitations,
1932-49 |
| 3-5 |
Articles/reviews/catalogues/invitations,
1949-51 |
| 6 |
Articles/reviews/catalogues/invitations,
1952 |
| 7 |
Articles/reviews/catalogues/invitations,
1954-56 |
| 8 |
Articles/reviews/catalogues/invitations,
1957-58 |
| 9 |
Articles/reviews/catalogues/invitations,
1959 |
| 10 |
Articles/reviews/catalogues/invitations,
1960 |
| 11 |
Articles/reviews/catalogues/invitations,
1961 |
| 12 |
Articles/reviews/catalogues/invitations,
1962 |
| 13 |
Articles/reviews/catalogues/invitations,
1963-64 |
| 14-16 |
Articles/reviews/catalogues/invitations,
1965-67 |
| 17-20 |
Articles/reviews/catalogues/invitations,
1968-70 |
| 21-24 |
Articles/reviews/catalogues/invitations,
1971-74 |
| 25-28 |
Articles/reviews/catalogues/invitations,
1975-77 |
| 29-30 |
Articles/reviews/catalogues/invitations,
1978-79 |
| 31-34 |
Articles/reviews/catalogues/invitations,
1980-81 |
| 35-38 |
Articles/reviews/catalogues/invitations,
1982-83 |
| 39-42 |
Articles/reviews/catalogues/invitations,
1984-85 |
| 43-46 |
Articles/reviews/catalogues/invitations,
1986 |
| 47-50 |
Articles/reviews/catalogues/invitations,
1986-87 |
| 51-53 |
Articles/reviews/catalogues/invitations,
1988 |
| 54-58 |
Articles/reviews/catalogues/invitations,
1989 |
| 59-60 |
Articles/reviews/catalogues/invitations,
1990 |
| 61-63 |
Articles/reviews/catalogues/invitations,
1991 |
| 64-67 |
Articles/reviews/catalogues/invitations,
1992 |
| 68-71 |
Articles/reviews/catalogues/invitations,
1993 |
| 72-74 |
Articles/reviews/catalogues/invitations,
1994 |
Series 8 Writings by Noel
Counihan, 1930s-c. 1990
In addition to his artistic
output, from early in his career Counihan was a regular
contributor of articles and reviews to a number of Australian and
overseas newspapers and journals. As a freelance writer, he
submitted numerous pieces on aspects of Australian art, as well
as preparing the regular Art affairs column for The
Guardian, 1962-67 and the Tribune, 1967-68.
This series includes handwritten
draft notes and typescript manuscripts of Counihans many
writings, including rough notes and typed memoirs of his
childhood and adolescence. In the early 1960s Counihan began
researching and writing a history of Russian art which resulted
in a manuscript but was never published. Also featured here are
proposals signed by Australian artists in 1941 for an
Artists Congress to oppose fascism.
| Folders |
|
| 1 |
Typescript
biography (memoirs of the artists
childhood and adolescence), together with readers
report by Sue Hosking, 1987 |
| 2 |
Rough notes
for memoirs |
| 3 |
Typescript
manuscript of history of Russian art, c. 1961 |
| 4-6 |
Draft notes
and typescript manuscripts for history of Russian art |
| 7 |
Draft notes
and papers for history of Russian art |
| 8 |
Draft and
printed articles and reviews, c. 1940s, including signed
proposals for an Artists Congress to oppose
fascism, 1941 |
| 9 |
Draft and
published articles, c. 1944-49 |
| 10 |
Draft and
printed articles, notes, reviews, c. 1950s |
| 11 |
Printed and
draft notes and correspondence concerning gaoling of
Mexican painter David Alfaro Siquerios, 1952-64 |
| 12 |
Notes and
articles, 1958-65, including notes on other artists and
aesthetics, teaching and politics |
| 13 |
Draft and
printed articles, notes and reviews, 1960-61, including
material concerning 1960 exhibitions in Moscow and
Leningrad |
| 14 |
Draft,
photocopies and printed articles and reviews, 1960-early
1970s |
| 15 |
Copies of
quotations, c. 1960-64 |
| 16 |
Draft
articles and reviews, 1962-63 (some printed) |
| 17 |
Printed
articles from Counihans monthly column Art
affairs, published in The Guardian, 1962-67
and Tribune, 1967-68, including some drafts |
| 18 |
Draft and
printed articles, 1964 |
| 19 |
Draft and
printed speeches and articles, 1965, including draft
pamphlet Changing aspects of the Australian art
market |
| 20 |
Draft and
printed reviews and articles, 1965-66 |
| 21 |
Draft and
printed notes, speeches and invitations, c. 1971-79,
including notes by Pat Counihan on her husbands
life in the 1930s, c. 1990? |
| 22 |
Draft and
printed articles, notes and reviews, c. 1981-85 |
| 23 |
Speeches by
and about Counihan, 1983, together with photocopies of
galley proofs, tracings and other papers in relation to
his illustrations for The barrackers bible.
Melbourne : McPhee Gribble, 1983 |
Series 9 Print Council of
Australia, 1967-1982
Following a renewed interest in
printmaking in Australia, and the appointment of a number of
international printmakers to the staff of the Royal Melbourne
Institute of Technology, the Print Council of Australia was
formed in Melbourne in 1966. Counihan became a foundation member
of the Council, later serving as President between 1973 and 1978.
A major part of the Councils effort concentrated on the
organisation and touring of print exhibitions in Australia and
overseas each year.
This series contains a folder of
notes and official papers documenting various PCA activities and
exhibitions with which Counihan was involved in the period,
1967-82.
| Folder |
|
| 1 |
Agenda,
notes and papers concerning Print Council of Australia
exhibitions and activities, 1967-82 |
Series 10 Victorian
Printmakers Group, 1979-1983
The Victorian Printmakers Group
was formed in 1976 by an interim committee of which Counihan was
a member. By the next year the Group achieved its principal aim
of establishing a fully equipped print workshop for Melbourne
artists. The studio opened initially in premises in Carlton, but
the Group disbanded when a subsequent joint venture with the
Craft Association of Victoria to develop a central craft centre
failed due to factional disputes.
Filed here are a number of notes
and other official papers documenting Counihans association
with the VPG. For papers concerning Counihans activities
with the Victorian Print Workshop see Series 11.
| Folder |
|
| 1 |
Notes,
correspondence, agendas and minutes, 1979-83 |
Series 11 Victorian Print
Workshop Advisory Committee, 1981-1986
In 1981 the former Victorian
Printmakers Group successfully reformed as the Victorian Print
Workshop, located in the Meat Market Craft Centre in North
Melbourne. Counihan was a member of the Workshops Advisory
Committee until his death, and a folder of papers associated with
his official duties is filed here.
For papers relating to the
Victorian Printmakers Group see Series 10.
| Folder |
|
| 1 |
Agendas,
minutes and correspondence, 1981-86 |
Series 12 Biographical
material, 1930s-1988
A varied grouping of notes,
clippings, writings and student theses covering different aspects
of and episodes in Counihans life, including photocopied
pages from ASIO and Australian Federal Police files which were
used to monitor his activities.
Amongst other material, the
series contains some important notes by Pat Counihan on events on
her husbands life and a description of his personal library
in the early 1940s. Also of interest are papers about the
self-styled grand tour Counihan undertook with Judah
Waten of regional Australia in 1935-36. During their travels
through Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland, Counihan
sketched portraits and caricatures of local identities, whilst
Waten acted as his manager.
In addition, a folder of notes
and newspaper reports document a speech made by Counihan from an
iron cage in Sydney Road, Brunswick in May 1933. The
artists plea for freedom of expression attracted large
crowds, as well as numerous police who forced their way into the
cage with a battering ram. Counihan was arrested and placed in
remand at Pentridge Prison, but the charges against him were
later quashed in court.
| Folders |
|
| 1 |
Typescript
notes and clippings about Counihans speech from an
iron cage in 1933, c. 1973 |
| 2 |
Photocopied
newspaper extracts concerning grand tour of
country areas, 1935-36, and associated notes and
correspondence, 1991 |
| 3 |
Photocopied
pages from ASIO and Australian Federal Police files on
Counihan, 1939-54, together with associated
correspondence, 1985-88 |
| 4 |
Chronological
notes by Pat Counihan on events in her husbands
life, 1941-85 |
| 5 |
Miscellaneous
notes, clippings, correspondence, 1944-86, including:
list of cartoons drawn by Counihan in the 1930s; liaison
with Soviet Embassy regarding Moscow exhibition, 1959;
notes by Pat Counihan on books held by Noel Counihan when
she met him in 1940 |
| 6 |
Miscellaneous
notes and writings, c. 1960s-1980s, including:
biographical notes and thoughts on artistic development;
the Contemporary Art Society; Marxism and art;
Counihans studio, c. 1960s-1980s |
| 7 |
Student
essays and theses about, or which mention,
Counihans work, c. 1960s-1986 |
| 8 |
Correspondence
with, and writings by, students, c. 1960s-1988 |
| 9 |
Photocopy of
typescript thesis by D.C. McNeill A history of the
Contemporary Art Society of Melbourne, 1938-1947,
1976 |
| 10 |
Bound
typescript thesis by Sally Clague Noel Counihan :
his politics and his art, 1930-45, c. 1983 |
| 11 |
Bound
typescript thesis by Meralyn Bulle Noel Counihan ,
artist and humanitarian, 1987 |
| 12 |
Typescript
footnotes from unidentified thesis; typescript thesis by
Nikki Kaufman Painters of the dispossessed and
oppressed : Yosl Bergner and Noel Counihan, 1988,
with colour photo of Noel and Pat Counihan |
Series 13 Posthumous
correspondence, exhibitions and papers, 1986-1994
After Counihans death in
1986, his wife Pat received numerous letters of condolence which
are filed here with a list of correspondents. In subsequent years
she continued to maintain contact with many of their former
friends and associates, as well as liaising with curators about
posthumous exhibitions of Counihans work. Also of interest
is a folder of correspondence with David Carter relating to
research for his thesis A career in writing : Judah Waten
and the cultural politics of a literary career (1993).
A small amount of additional
post-1986 correspondence of Pat Counihan can be found in Series 1
and 2.
| Folder |
|
| 1-2 |
Cards and
condolence messages received after Counihans 1981
illness and 1986 death, including signed funeral
attendance book |
| 3-7 |
Letters and
cards of condolence received after Counihans death |
| 8 |
Letters and
cards of condolence received after Counihans death,
together with a list of correspondents |
| 9 |
Correspondence
with Pat Counihan, 1987 |
| 10 |
Correspondence
with Pat Counihan, 1988 |
| 11 |
Correspondence
with Pat Counihan, 1989 |
| 12 |
Correspondence
with Pat Counihan, 1990 |
| 13 |
Correspondence
with Pat Counihan, 1991 |
| 14 |
Correspondence
with Pat Counihan, 1992 |
| 15 |
Correspondence
with David Carter relating to his research on Judah
Waten, 1986-92 |
| 16 |
Correspondence
and papers concerning Broken Hill City Art Gallery
posthumous exhibition, 1989-91 |
| 17 |
Notes and
papers relating to Images of Working Life
exhibition, c. 1991 |
| 18 |
Notes and
papers relating to Images of Working Life
exhibition, c. 1991, including exhibition catalogue |
| 19 |
Correspondence
and notes concerning proposed Australian Film Commission
sponsored documentary about Counihan, 1992 |
Series 14 Photographs, c.
1930-1991
A small collection of black and
white photographs, mostly depicting Counihan and his artworks. In
addition to the images filed here, a colour photograph of Noel
and Pat Counihan, c. 1985 is located in Series 12.
| Folder |
|
| 1 |
Photographs
and prints of Counihan and his work, c. 1930-86, together
with photo of Pat Counihan, 1991 |
Series 15 Publications,
1974-1993
Biographical and other published
compendiums of Counihan and his artwork.
| Volumes |
|
| 1 |
Dimmack,
Max. Noel Counihan. Carlton, Vic. : Melbourne
University Press, 1974. |
| 2 |
Lindesay,
Vane (ed.). Noel Counihan caricatures. Hawthorn,
Vic. : Hutchinson, 1985. |
| 3 |
McKenzie,
Janet. Noel Counihan. Kenthurst, NSW : Kangaroo
Press, 1986. |
| 4 |
Smith,
Bernard. Noel Counihan : artist and revolutionary.
Melbourne : Oxford University Press, 1993. |
| 5 |
Smith,
Robert. Noel Counihan prints, 1931-1981 : a catalogue
raisonné. Sydney, NSW : Hale & Iremonger, c.
1981. |
| Series |
Folders |
Box |
| 1 |
1-8 |
1 |
| 1 |
9-16 |
2 |
| 1 |
17-23 |
3 |
| 1 |
24-30 |
4 |
| 1 |
31-37 |
5 |
| 1 |
38-44 |
6 |
| 1 |
45-51 |
7 |
| 2 |
1-8 |
8 |
| 2 |
9-11 |
9 |
| 3 |
1-5 |
9 |
| 4 |
1-4 |
10 |
| 5 |
1 |
10 |
| 5 |
2-5 |
Folio 1 |
| 5 |
6 |
10 |
| 5 |
7-13 |
11 |
| 5 |
15 |
Folio 1 |
| 5 |
15-19 |
12 |
| 5 |
17 |
Folio 1 |
| 5 |
20 |
Folio 1 |
| 5 |
21 |
Folio 2 |
| 5 |
|
Folio 1 |
| 6 |
1-5 |
12 |
| 7 |
1-8 |
13 |
| 7 |
5 |
Folio 1 |
| 7 |
9-15 |
14 |
| 7 |
16-23 |
15 |
| 7 |
20 |
Folio 1 |
| 7 |
24-30 |
16 |
| 7 |
31-37 |
17 |
| 7 |
38-44 |
18 |
| 7 |
45-51 |
19 |
| 7 |
52-58 |
20 |
| 7 |
59-65 |
21 |
| 7 |
66-72 |
22 |
| 7 |
73-74 |
23 |
| 8 |
1-5 |
23 |
| 8 |
6-12 |
24 |
| 8 |
13-20 |
25 |
| 8 |
21-23 |
26 |
| 9 |
1 |
26 |
| 10 |
1 |
Folio 1 |
| 11 |
1 |
26 |
| 12 |
1-3 |
26 |
| 12 |
4-11 |
27 |
| 12 |
12 |
28 |
| 13 |
1-7 |
28 |
| 13 |
8-16 |
29 |
| 13 |
17-19 |
30 |
| 14 |
1 |
30 |
| 15 |
1-5 |
30 |
|