Enter the Magicians – No. 404 of 550 – SOLD

Tiffany’s Research Notes on “Enter the Magicians”:

Norman Lindsay regarded “Enter the Magicians” as the etching that came the closest to the perfection that he sought and critics agree that it is the finest of all his etchings.

Original and Limited Edition Facsimile editions of this work are prized by collectors and highly sought after because of their rarity and value.

Norman provided his own interpretation of “Enter the Magicians” : The central female figure represents Life with her half-veiled face revealing the enigma of life. The two magicians either side of Life are artists whose function is to reveal life in all its human complexity. The tall dignified magician represents creative art and the smaller hunched magician represents the destructive element in art. The lizard-like animal within the five-pointed star is a Salamander, a symbol of fire. Water is portrayed by the dripping figures, who are Naiads or water-nymphs. The strong man/woman figure clasping the boy and girl represents the bi-sexual construction of the human race – man & woman, and the surrounding images suggest the Spectacle of life.

Original etchings of “Enter the Magicians” are represented in the collections of the National Gallery of Victoria, Art Gallery of South Australia, Ballarat Fine Art Gallery, Bendigo Art Gallery and proofs are in the collection of the Mitchell Library in Sydney.

The copper plate used to create the etching is on display at the National Trust Norman Lindsay Gallery & Museum.