Bush Parrots (1967)

I’m delighted to offer this prestigious work  “Bush Parrots” by Albert Tucker. Original paintings by Tucker rarely surface on the art market – only a handful of Tucker oils are currently available in Australia. The offering of “Bush Parrots” provides an astute art investor and collector a unique opportunity to secure a magnificent work by one of our nation’s most iconic artists.

“Bush Parrots” was painted in 1967 after Tucker had returned to live in Australia in the early 1960’s following a long absence living and painting overseas. Tucker’s success from the sale of his paintings enabled him to purchase 5 acres of bush in Hurstbridge, a still largely rural area about an hour north-east of Melbourne. From his Studio on the second floor of the simple cottage on his block he looked out into a canopy of much loved Manna Gums, watching at arm’s length the colourful parrots that inhabited the trees. In Tucker’s imagery, parrots became both an emblem of beauty and a symbol of cruelty with their spanner beaks and chilling screech.

After having been away for decades, the Australian bush had a profound effect on Tucker’s imagery and he pursued a new direction in his art. He found the bush “very powerful” – he recalls that it “gripped his imagination, being so full of wonderful colours and wildlife”. Tucker revelled in the richness of the colour, leaves and birdlife, portraying the parrots and the massive Eucalypt trunks with their peeling bark and large burls.

A new interest in lush colour emerged, inspired by the beautiful King Parrots. We see this in “Bush Parrots” with glorious colour being a dominant theme. The landscape glows from the brilliant yellow and orange light emanating from the sun, which highlights the fiery flash of red feathers across the parrots’ backs as they flit through the trees – a striking and very attractive painting by Albert Tucker.