Guide to the Papers of Noel Counihan

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MS 9107

National Library of Australia View Catalogue Record

Collection Summary

Creator
Noel Counihan
Title
Papers of Noel Counihan
Date Range
1931-1994
Collection Number
MS 9107
Extent
6.19 metres (33 boxes, 1 folio box, 1 map folio)
Language of Materials
English
Repository
National Library of Australia

Introduction

Scope and Contents

The collection documents aspects of Counihan's 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 Counihan's wife until 1994. Numbering amongst correspondents are family, artists, writers, dealers, models and gallery owners, as well as purchasers of Counihan's work who became friends. In terms of content the letters reflect not only Counihan's 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'.

Conditions Governing Access

Please refer to the collection's catalogue record for the access conditions (http://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn68604).

Conditions Governing Use

Copying and publishing of unpublished manuscript material is subject to copyright restrictions. For such material, written permission to publish must be obtained from the copyright holder(s). Copying of unpublished material for research purposes is permissible 50 years after the death of the creator of the material.

Preferred Citation

Items from this collection should be cited as '[Title or description of manuscript item], Papers of Noel Counihan, National Library of Australia, [class number, box number and series and/or file number]'.

Provenance

In addition to the large body of papers amassed by Noel Counihan during his lifetime, his widow Pat continued to maintain records of exhibitions, books, correspondence and articles concerning her husband's 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.

Readers can find further material which complements the Counihan Papers in other areas of the Library's 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 Library's Pictorial Collection also houses portraits by Counihan of Vance Palmer (PIC R3881 Con1757) and Alan McCulloch (PIC R11453), painted in 1953 and 1978 respectively.

Finding Aid Source(s)

Please note: This finding aid may comprise or contain descriptive information provided by donors, researchers and/or volunteers.

Collection Retrieval Advice

Please note: each consignment in this collection has a separate box number sequence (i.e. there may be multiple Box 1s). Please cite the relevant Class number as well as the Box number when requesting retrieval of material from the collection.

Biographical Note

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.

DateEvent
1913Born Jack Noel Counihan, Albert Park, Melbourne, 4 October
1930Studied, National Gallery Art School, Melbourne
1930sWorked as freelance pencil portraitist and press caricaturist
1931Joined Young Communist League; founding member Workers Art Club, Melbourne
1932Unemployed, supported by dole payment
1935-36Working trip through regional Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland with Judah Waten, drawing portraits and caricatures
1938Drew 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
1939-40Freelance work in New Zealand but deported for involvement in anti-conscription movement
1942Secretary, Artists' Unity Congress; exhibited in Contemporary Art Society anti-fascist exhibition, Melbourne
1943Spent five months recovering from tuberculosis
1944Drew miners at Wonthaggi coal fields, including studies made underground
1945Awarded prize in 'Australia at War' art exhibition
1945-49Staff artist for The Guardian, Melbourne
1947Miners series linocuts
1948Lithographs of metal workers; awarded Albury Prize
1949-52Travel studies and freelance artist in the United Kingdom, France, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Hungary and The Netherlands
1950-52Worked for World Trade Union Movement, London
1951Exhibitions London, Warsaw
1952-58Returned to Melbourne as staff artist for The Guardian
1954Exhibition Copenhagen
1956Four month visit to Italy, USSR and London
1956, 1957Twice winner of the Crouch Prize, Ballarat
1958McCaughey prize winner; awarded Victorian Artists Society drawing prize
1959Bronze medallist, International Graphics competition, Leipzig
1960Accompanied social realist exhibition to Moscow, Leningrad
1961-63Council member of Victorian Artists' Society
1967Initiated The Broad Sheet with Udo Sellbach and Ian Turner; participated in anti-war exhibition, Melbourne and Adelaide
1969Exhibitions of drawings and prints Poland, USSR; also visited Mexico, New York, England, Ireland, Italy, France, The Netherlands, Czechoslovakia, East Germany and India
1973Semi-retrospective exhibition National Gallery of Victoria and Commonwealth Gallery, London
1973-78President, Print Council of Australia
1974Occupancy, 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
1980Visited Opaul, France
1981Opaul series lithographs; suffered heart attack and stroke
1984-85Visited England, France, Italy, Spain, New Zealand
1986Died 5 July, Melbourne
1988Work represented in 'The Face of Australia' and 'The Great Australian Art Exhibition' bicentennial art shows
1991Retrospective exhibition 'Images of Working Life'
DateEvent
1913Born Jack Noel Counihan, Albert Park, Melbourne, 4 October
1930Studied, National Gallery Art School, Melbourne
1930sWorked as freelance pencil portraitist and press caricaturist
1931Joined Young Communist League; founding member Workers Art Club, Melbourne
1932Unemployed, supported by dole payment
1935-36Working trip through regional Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland with Judah Waten, drawing portraits and caricatures
1938Drew 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
1939-40Freelance work in New Zealand but deported for involvement in anti-conscription movement
1942Secretary, Artists' Unity Congress; exhibited in Contemporary Art Society anti-fascist exhibition, Melbourne
1943Spent five months recovering from tuberculosis
1944Drew miners at Wonthaggi coal fields, including studies made underground
1945Awarded prize in 'Australia at War' art exhibition
1945-49Staff artist for The Guardian, Melbourne
1947Miners series linocuts
1948Lithographs of metal workers; awarded Albury Prize
1949-52Travel studies and freelance artist in the United Kingdom, France, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Hungary and The Netherlands
1950-52Worked for World Trade Union Movement, London
1951Exhibitions London, Warsaw
1952-58Returned to Melbourne as staff artist for The Guardian
1954Exhibition Copenhagen
1956Four month visit to Italy, USSR and London
1956, 1957Twice winner of the Crouch Prize, Ballarat
1958McCaughey prize winner; awarded Victorian Artists Society drawing prize
1959Bronze medallist, International Graphics competition, Leipzig
1960Accompanied social realist exhibition to Moscow, Leningrad
1961-63Council member of Victorian Artists' Society
1967Initiated The Broad Sheet with Udo Sellbach and Ian Turner; participated in anti-war exhibition, Melbourne and Adelaide
1969Exhibitions of drawings and prints Poland, USSR; also visited Mexico, New York, England, Ireland, Italy, France, The Netherlands, Czechoslovakia, East Germany and India
1973Semi-retrospective exhibition National Gallery of Victoria and Commonwealth Gallery, London
1973-78President, Print Council of Australia
1974Occupancy, 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
1980Visited Opaul, France
1981Opaul series lithographs; suffered heart attack and stroke
1984-85Visited England, France, Italy, Spain, New Zealand
1986Died 5 July, Melbourne
1988Work represented in 'The Face of Australia' and 'The Great Australian Art Exhibition' bicentennial art shows
1991Retrospective exhibition 'Images of Working Life'

Item Descriptions

Class MS 9107. Original consignment

Documents aspects of Noel Counihan's career from the 1930s to 1994. In addition to the large body of papers amassed by Counihan during his lifetime, also includes records maintained by his widow after his death.

Contained in 30 boxes, 1 fol. box, 1 map folio.

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 Counihan's early girlfriends Zélie McLeod (née Pimlott). Located with the letters of George Luke are illustrations for Marshall's stories, caricatures and discussions of Marshall by Counihan and Luke, as well as material about Luke's sculptures. The folders concerning Jim Wigley contain cuttings, catalogues and examples of Wigley's book illustrations.

Other letters relating to Counihan's business activities are filed in Series 2, and to his family affairs in Series 3. The main sequence of correspondence conducted with Counihan's associates by his wife after 1986 is contained in Series 13.

Correspondence, 1930s-1940s (File 1) - Box 1
Correspondence, 1949 (File 2) - Box 1
Correspondence, 1950-54 (File 3) - Box 1
Correspondence, 1955-57 (File 4) - Box 1
Correspondence, 1958-59 (File 5) - Box 1
Correspondence, 1960 (File 6) - Box 1
Correspondence, 1961 (File 7) - Box 1
Correspondence, 1962 (File 8) - Box 1
Correspondence, 1963 (File 9) - Box 2
Correspondence, 1964 (File 10) - Box 2
Correspondence, 1965 (File 11) - Box 2
Correspondence, 1966 (File 12) - Box 2
Correspondence, 1967 (File 13) - Box 2
Correspondence, 1968 (File 14) - Box 2
Correspondence, 1969 (File 15) - Box 2
Correspondence, 1970 (File 16) - Box 2
Correspondence, 1971 (File 17) - Box 3
Correspondence, 1972 (File 18) - Box 3
Correspondence, 1973 (File 19) - Box 3
Correspondence, 1974 (File 20) - Box 3
Correspondence, 1975 (File 21) - Box 3
Correspondence, 1976 (File 22) - Box 3
Correspondence, 1977 (File 23) - Box 3
Correspondence, 1978 (File 24) - Box 4
Correspondence, 1979 (File 25) - Box 4
Correspondence, 1980 (File 26) - Box 4
Correspondence, 1981 (File 27-28) - Box 4
Correspondence, 1982 (File 29) - Box 4
Correspondence, 1983 (File 30) - Box 4
Correspondence, 1984 (File 31) - Box 5
Correspondence, 1985 (File 32) - Box 5
Correspondence, 1986 (File 33-34) - Box 5
Undated correspondence (File 35) - Box 5
Correspondence with Krystyna Usarek (mostly photocopied), Anne Campbell-Dixon, Cal Younger and others, 1949-86 (File 36) - Box 5
Correspondence with Edmund Kurtz, Jack Lindsay, Frank Zaborovsky, 1954-90 (File 37) - Box 5
Letters from George Luke, 1958-81, together with papers and photographs relating to his work (File 38) - Box 6
Letters from Herbert McClintock, c. 1959-64, together with newspaper clippings, 1954, 1980 and exhibition catalogue for McClintock retrospective (File 39) - Box 6
Letters written to Lloyd Rees, Jack Beasley, Alan McCulloch, Lilian Renard, Eric Westbrook and others (original and photocopied), 1959-80 (File 40) - Box 6
Letters from George Luke, 1960-68 (File 41-42) - Box 6
Correspondence with Gré Armstrong, Wal Norquay, George Luke, Diana Mogensen-Reynolds, Eric Aarons (some photocopied), Barrie and Jenny Hadlow (photocopied), 1960-89 (File 43) - Box 6
Letters from Jim Wigley, c. 1961-78, together with clippings about, and printed examples of, his work (File 44) - Box 6
Letters from Barrie and Jenny Hadlow, 1961-84 and to Jenny and Peter Pinson, 1969-86 (mostly photocopied) (File 45) - Box 7
Letters from Eric Aarons, 1964-79 (File 46) - Box 7
Correspondence with Pat Graham, Zélie McLeod, Jenny and Peter Pinson, Alan Marshall, Bernard Smith, 1964-86 (File 47) - Box 7
Letters from Bob Smith, 1966-89 (File 48) - Box 7
Correspondence with Maggie and Clarke Andreae, Golda and Keva Bronson, 1971-90 (File 49) - Box 7
Letters to Bob Smith (photocopied), 1975-85 (File 50) - Box 7
Letters to Alan McCulloch, Manning Clark, David Carter, together with gallery directors and owners, 1981-90 (File 51) - Box 7

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 Counihan's artworks in the period 1959 to 1984. Separate files of correspondence record Counihan's 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.

Taxation matters, 1940s-1950s (File 1) - Box 8
Liaison with dealers and taxation matters, 1961-69 (File 2) - Box 8
Liaison with galleries and dealers, 1971-79 (File 3) - Box 8
Sales and accounts, 1959-84 (File 4) - Box 8
Miscellaneous business notes and papers, c.1960-83 (File 5) - Box 8
Notes and correspondence concerning Council of Adult Education classes, 1962-65 (File 6) - Box 8
Notes and correspondence relating to Counihan's entry on Roy Cazaly for the Australian dictionary of biography, c. 1975-76 (File 7) - Box 8
Correspondence with Kurt Barry, Don Connes, Kathleen Shelton, Painters and Sculptors Association of Australia, David Rankin, 1979-84 (File 8) - Box 8
Correspondence and papers concerning community arts activities, including liaison with Community Media Association, South Australia regarding a visual arts project, c. 1984-87 (File 9) - Box 9
Correspondence and papers relating to 'Painting the Town', a film documenting social-realist painters of the 1930s and 1940s, 1985-87 (File 10) - Box 9
Undated business correspondence and catalogues, c. 1960s-1980s (File 11) - Box 9

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 Counihan's father published in the Weekly Times in 1918.

Photocopied family birth and death certificates, together with Weekly Times article about Counihan's father, J.H. Counihan (File 1) - Box 9
Letters from Noel to Pat Counihan, 1956 (File 2) - Box 9
Letters to Terry and Mick Counihan from Noel and Pat Counihan, 1969; letter from Noel to Pat Counihan, 1960 (File 3) - Box 9
Letters from Noel and Pat Counihan to their children, 1973-75 (File 4) - Box 9
Letters from Noel and Pat Counihan to their children, 1976-78, 1980-86 (File 5) - Box 9

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.

Diary and notebook of Counihan's visit to Poland, 1949 (File 1) - Box 10
Appointment diaries, 1949-52, 1954-59 (File 2) - Box 10
Appointment diaries: 1960, 1961?, 1962 (two diaries), 1963-66 (File 3) - Box 10
Appointment diaries: 1967 (two diaries), 1968-1974, 1975 (two diaries) (File 4) - Box 10

Series 5. Artwork, 1930s-1994

Chiefly published or copied representations of Counihan's 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 Counihan's art, illustrations of Australian wineries, calendar prints of his paintings and advertisements for Club razor blades, Vaseline hair cream and Richmond Brewery pilsener.

Clippings of caricatures from the Brisbane Telegraph, Sunday Sun, Referee, The Land, Wireless Weekly, Musical News and The Bulletin, 1930s (File 1) - Box 10
Clippings of cartoons from The Argus camera supplement, 1933-34 (File 2) - Folio-Box 1
Cartoon clippings from Table Talk, 1935, 1937-38 (File 3) - Folio-Box 1
Cartoon clippings from The Bulletin, 1933-43 (File 4) - Folio-Box 1
Clippings of cartoons and illustrations from Australasian Post and The Argus, 1952, 1953, 1955, 1958, 1960, 1964 (File 5) - Folio-Box 1
Photocopy file of miscellaneous cartoons, 1933-59 (File 6-8) - Box 10, 11
Cartoons for Musical News, 1935-38, Sun News Pictorial and The Herald, 1937-39 (File 9) - Box 11
Photocopied caricatures from New Zealand Observer, 1939-41, with index (File 10) - Box 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 (File 11) - Box 11
60 Counihan cartoons from 'The Guardian'; caricatures of cricketers, 1940s; illustrations for comic stories by Alan Marshall, 1946-48? (File 12) - Box 11
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 (File 13) - Box 11
Photocopy of 60 Counihan cartoons from 'The Guardian', c. 1944-45 (File 14) - Folio-Box 1
Printed book cover illustrations, c. 1946-83 (File 15) - Box 12 + Folio-Box 1
Album containing clippings of cartoons, published in various papers, including The Daily Mail, Radio Times, Tribune, Australasian Post, 1950s (File 16) - Box 12
London cartoons, caricatures and illustrations, 1950-52 (File 17) - Box 12 + Folio-Box 1
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 (File 18) - Box 12
Illustrations of Australian wineries, 1966 (File 19) - Box 12
Commercial calendars with prints of Counihan's works, 1976-86, together with copy of Achieving full employment, with cover illustration by Counihan, 1994 (File 20) - Folio-Box 1
Shire of Morwell calendar, 1987 with print by Counihan (File 21) - Folio-Box 2

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 Counihan's works between the years 1932 and 1985. A folder containing more detailed papers regarding Counihan's London and Russian exhibitions is filed at the end of the series.

Correspondence and other papers relating to the posthumous exhibition of Counihan's work at the Broken Hill City Art Gallery and the 1991 travelling exhibition 'Images of Working Life' are filed in Series 13.

Annual lists of exhibitions and reviews, 1932-85 (File 1) - Box 12
Invitation lists for Counihan exhibitions, 1950s-1980s (File 2) - Box 12
Invitation lists for Counihan exhibitions, 1973-91 (File 3) - Box 12
Invitation lists for Counihan exhibitions, 1974-93 (File 4) - Box 12
Papers relating to overseas exhibitions, including London, 1973-74, USSR, 1960 and print exhibition from USSR (File 5) - Box 12

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 Counihan's 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.

Articles/reviews/catalogues/invitations, 1932-49 (File 1-2) - Box 13
Articles/reviews/catalogues/invitations, 1949-51 (File 3-5) - Box 13 + Folio-Box 1
Articles/reviews/catalogues/invitations, 1952 (File 6) - Box 13
Articles/reviews/catalogues/invitations, 1954-56 (File 7) - Box 13
Articles/reviews/catalogues/invitations, 1957-58 (File 8) - Box 13
Articles/reviews/catalogues/invitations, 1959 (File 9) - Box 14
Articles/reviews/catalogues/invitations, 1960 (File 10) - Box 14
Articles/reviews/catalogues/invitations, 1961 (File 11) - Box 14
Articles/reviews/catalogues/invitations, 1962 (File 12) - Box 14
Articles/reviews/catalogues/invitations, 1963-64 (File 13) - Box 14
Articles/reviews/catalogues/invitations, 1965-67 (File 14-16) - Box 14, 15
Articles/reviews/catalogues/invitations, 1968-70 (File 17-20) - Box 15 + Folio-Box 1
Articles/reviews/catalogues/invitations, 1971-74 (File 21-24) - Box 15, 16
Articles/reviews/catalogues/invitations, 1975-77 (File 25-28) - Box 16
Articles/reviews/catalogues/invitations, 1978-79 (File 29-30) - Box 16
Articles/reviews/catalogues/invitations, 1980-81 (File 31-34) - Box 17
Articles/reviews/catalogues/invitations, 1982-83 (File 35-38) - Box 17, 18
Articles/reviews/catalogues/invitations, 1984-85 (File 39-42) - Box 18
Articles/reviews/catalogues/invitations, 1986 (File 43-46) - Box 18, 19
Articles/reviews/catalogues/invitations, 1986-87 (File 47-50) - Box 19
Articles/reviews/catalogues/invitations, 1988 (File 51-53) - Box 19, 20
Articles/reviews/catalogues/invitations, 1989 (File 54-58) - Box 20
Articles/reviews/catalogues/invitations, 1990 (File 59-60) - Box 21
Articles/reviews/catalogues/invitations, 1991 (File 61-63) - Box 21
Articles/reviews/catalogues/invitations, 1992 (File 64-67) - Box 21, 22
Articles/reviews/catalogues/invitations, 1993 (File 68-71) - Box 22
Articles/reviews/catalogues/invitations, 1994 (File 72-74) - Box 22, 23

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 Counihan's 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.

Typescript 'biography' (memoirs of the artist's childhood and adolescence), together with reader's report by Sue Hosking, 1987 (File 1) - Box 23
Rough notes for memoirs (File 2) - Box 23
Typescript manuscript of history of Russian art, c. 1961 (File 3) - Box 23
Draft notes and typescript manuscripts for history of Russian art (File 4-6) - Box 23, 24
Draft notes and papers for history of Russian art (File 7) - Box 24
Draft and printed articles and reviews, c. 1940s, including signed proposals for an Artists' Congress to oppose fascism, 1941 (File 8) - Box 24
Draft and published articles, c. 1944-49 (File 9) - Box 24
Draft and printed articles, notes, reviews, c. 1950s (File 10) - Box 24
Printed and draft notes and correspondence concerning gaoling of Mexican painter David Alfaro Siquerios, 1952-64 (File 11) - Box 24
Notes and articles, 1958-65, including notes on other artists and aesthetics, teaching and politics (File 12) - Box 24
Draft and printed articles, notes and reviews, 1960-61, including material concerning 1960 exhibitions in Moscow and Leningrad (File 13) - Box 25
Draft, photocopies and printed articles and reviews, 1960-early 1970s (File 14) - Box 25
Copies of quotations, c. 1960-64 (File 15) - Box 25
Draft articles and reviews, 1962-63 (some printed) (File 16) - Box 25
Printed articles from Counihan's monthly column 'Art affairs', published in The Guardian, 1962-67 and Tribune, 1967-68, including some drafts (File 17) - Box 25
Draft and printed articles, 1964 (File 18) - Box 25
Draft and printed speeches and articles, 1965, including draft pamphlet 'Changing aspects of the Australian art market' (File 19) - Box 25
Draft and printed reviews and articles, 1965-66 (File 20) - Box 25
Draft and printed notes, speeches and invitations, c. 1971-79, including notes by Pat Counihan on her husband's life in the 1930s, c. 1990? (File 21) - Box 26
Draft and printed articles, notes and reviews, c. 1981-85 (File 22) - Box 26
Speeches by and about Counihan, 1983, together with photocopies of galley proofs, tracings and other papers in relation to his illustrations for The barracker's bible. Melbourne : McPhee Gribble, 1983 (File 23) - Box 26

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 Council's 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.

Agenda, notes and papers concerning Print Council of Australia exhibitions and activities, 1967-82 (File 1) - Box 26

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 Counihan's association with the VPG. For papers concerning Counihan's activities with the Victorian Print Workshop see Series 11.

Notes, correspondence, agendas and minutes, 1979-83 (File 1) - Folio-Box 1

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 Workshop's 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.

Agendas, minutes and correspondence, 1981-86 (File 1) - Box 26

Series 12. Biographical material, 1930s-1988

A varied grouping of notes, clippings, writings and student theses covering different aspects of and episodes in Counihan's 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 husband's 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 artist's 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.

Typescript notes and clippings about Counihan's speech from an iron cage in 1933, c. 1973 (File 1) - Box 26
Photocopied newspaper extracts concerning 'grand tour' of country areas, 1935-36, and associated notes and correspondence, 1991 (File 2) - Box 26
Photocopied pages from ASIO and Australian Federal Police files on Counihan, 1939-54, together with associated correspondence, 1985-88 (File 3) - Box 26
Chronological notes by Pat Counihan on events in her husband's life, 1941-85 (File 4) - Box 27
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 (File 5) - Box 27
Miscellaneous notes and writings, c. 1960s-1980s, including: biographical notes and thoughts on artistic development; the Contemporary Art Society; Marxism and art; Counihan's studio, c. 1960s-1980s (File 6) - Box 27
Student essays and theses about, or which mention, Counihan's work, c. 1960s-1986 (File 7) - Box 27
Correspondence with, and writings by, students, c. 1960s-1988 (File 8) - Box 27
Photocopy of typescript thesis by D.C. McNeill 'A history of the Contemporary Art Society of Melbourne, 1938-1947', 1976 (File 9) - Box 27
Bound typescript thesis by Sally Clague 'Noel Counihan : his politics and his art, 1930-45', c. 1983 (File 10) - Box 27
Bound typescript thesis by MeralynBulle 'Noel Counihan , artist and humanitarian', 1987 (File 11) - Box 27
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 (File 12) - Box 28

Series 13. Posthumous correspondence, exhibitions and papers, 1986-1994

After Counihan's 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 Counihan's 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.

Cards and condolence messages received after Counihan's 1981 illness and 1986 death, including signed funeral attendance book (File 1-2) - Box 28
Letters and cards of condolence received after Counihan's death (File 3-7) - Box 28
Letters and cards of condolence received after Counihan's death, together with a list of correspondents (File 8) - Box 29
Correspondence with Pat Counihan, 1987 (File 9) - Box 29
Correspondence with Pat Counihan, 1988 (File 10) - Box 29
Correspondence with Pat Counihan, 1989 (File 11) - Box 29
Correspondence with Pat Counihan, 1990 (File 12) - Box 29
Correspondence with Pat Counihan, 1991 (File 13) - Box 29
Correspondence with Pat Counihan, 1992 (File 14) - Box 29
Correspondence with David Carter relating to his research on Judah Waten, 1986-92 (File 15) - Box 29
Correspondence and papers concerning Broken Hill City Art Gallery posthumous exhibition, 1989-91 (File 16) - Box 29
Notes and papers relating to 'Images of Working Life' exhibition, c. 1991 (File 17) - Box 30
Notes and papers relating to 'Images of Working Life' exhibition, c. 1991, including exhibition catalogue (File 18) - Box 30
Correspondence and notes concerning proposed Australian Film Commission sponsored documentary about Counihan, 1992 (File 19) - Box 30

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.

Photographs and prints of Counihan and his work, c. 1930-86, together with photo of Pat Counihan, 1991 (File 1) - Box 30

Series 15. Publications, 1974-1993

Biographical and other published compendiums of Counihan and his artwork.

Dimmack, Max. Noel Counihan. Carlton, Vic. : Melbourne University Press, 1974 (File 1) - Box 30
Lindesay, Vane (ed.). Noel Counihan caricatures. Hawthorn, Vic. : Hutchinson, 1985 (File 2) - Box 30
McKenzie, Janet. Noel Counihan. Kenthurst, NSW : Kangaroo Press, 1986 (File 3) - Box 30
Smith, Bernard. Noel Counihan : artist and revolutionary. Melbourne : Oxford University Press, 1993 (File 4) - Box 30
Smith, Robert. Noel Counihanprints, 1931-1981 : a catalogue raisonné. Sydney, NSW :Hale (File 5) - Box 30

Class Acc00.073. Consignment added 2000

Comprises financial papers and taxation forms, including tax documents, 1963-1967, 1970-1971 and 1974-1975, bank statements, 1975-1983, receipts, 1953-1956, and miscellaneous bills, 1978-1979.

Contained in 3 boxes.


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