Robert Hannaford Explained

Robert Lyall "Alfie" Hannaford (born 9 November 1944) is an Australian realist artist notable for his drawings, paintings, portraits and sculptures. He is a great-great-great-grandson of Susannah Hannaford.

Early life, education, and family

Robert Lyall Hannaford[1] was born and grew up on his family's farm in the Gilbert Valley near Riverton, South Australia, attending Riverton Primary and High Schools. Born to Claude and Vera (née Hoare), he has two elder brothers (Ian, footballer and architect,[2] [3] and Donald) and a younger sister (Kay). He is a great-great-great-grandson of Susannah Hannaford.[4] [5] [6]

He won a number of art competitions at primary school, and painted his first landscape painting in oils at 14.

In 1960, aged 16, he moved to Adelaide to complete the last two years of schooling at Prince Alfred College.[5]

In 1962, Hannaford enrolled in life drawing and sculpture classes at the South Australian School of Art, but withdrew and became employed by an advertising agency. From that year, he boarded at Lincoln College, connected to the University of Adelaide, and contributed cartoons to the college magazine as well as the student newspaper, On Dit.[7]

He attended the Ballarat Technical Art School in 1967 and 1968, which was then under the School of Mines in Ballarat. He won the AME Bale Art Scholarship from 1969 until 1973.[1] This provided living expenses and a dwelling in Kew, Melbourne, complete with a large art library and studio. During these years he studied art theory and history informally, and also received a number of portrait commissions, while continuing to paint other types of work. The scholarship paid for travel for study, and he visited Canberra and Sydney to attend exhibitions, and also spent two months of each year in South Australia, focusing on landscape painting.[7]

He returned to South Australia in 1974, living in Riverton, Adelaide, Kangaroo Island, and from 1980 - 87, the Adelaide suburb of West Hindmarsh.

Career

Although largely self-taught, Hannaford benefited from the mentoring of South Australian artists Hans Heysen and Ivor Hele.[5] He worked as political cartoonist for the Adelaide Advertiser from 1964 to 1967 (between Pat Oliphant and Michael Atchison), before becoming a full-time artist in 1970.[6] [1]

Primarily known as a portrait artist, depicting the likes of Dame Joan Sutherland, Donald Bradman, Paul Keating, and Bob Hawke, he is also known for his landscapes, still lifes, nudes, and sculptures. He has commented on his portraiture that: "Portraiture is an exploration of character that goes beyond photography. It is an ongoing thing over a long period of time. You get elements of various emotions that can be sensed in the painting."

Hannaford first entered the Archibald Prize in 1991 with a portrait of Hugh Stretton. The portrait was shortlisted, and won the 1991/1992 People's Choice Award. To 2018, 26 of his entries had been finalists in 21 of the competitions, and he had been a three-time winner of the People's Choice Award  - in 1992, 1996 and 1998.[5]

"Black Chicks Talking" Project

"Black Chicks Talking" was a project conceived by the actor Leah Purcell and her partner Bain Stewart, and developed by their production company Bungabura Productions. At the invitation of Stewart, in the period 1999 to 2002 Hannaford painted 10 portraits of noted Indigenous Australian women to support the project which had been presented to Hannaford as an initiative to raise funds for a mentoring scheme for young Indigenous people. There was later a court case about the disputed ownership of the portraits.[8] In order to keep the portraits together as a group, they were donated to the Tweed River Gallery.[9]

The ten subjects of the portraits are:[9]

Recognition, honours and awards

Personal life

Hannaford met Kate Gilfillan in 1964 and they married in 1968. They moved to Melbourne in 1969, living there for four years, where their two children Tom and Georgina were born.[5] They divorced in 1976.

He has two daughters born in the 1980s: Aisha and Tsering who is also a notable South Australian artist.[19] Her mother is shoemaker Shirley Andris.[20] Like her father, she specialises in portraiture, landscapes and still life, and has been a finalist for the Archibald prize.[21]

In February 2006 Hannaford was diagnosed with tongue and throat cancer, but was declared in remission by the end of the year. During this time he painted Self Portrait with Tubes, showing himself naked, with a feeding tube sticking out of his stomach.[7]

Hannaford married Alison Mitchell in October 2007.

Hannaford bought a disused farmhouse and outbuildings at Peters Hill, near Riverton, and commenced converting them into a dwelling and studio, where he was living with his wife, artist Alison Mitchell. They were married in 2007.[22] They own and operate Riverton Light Gallery[23] and have exhibited in collaborative exhibitions.[24]

Selected works

Commissions

Other portraits on public display

Archibald Prize

Finalist

Hannaford's work has been selected as an Archibald Prize finalist many times:

Archibald Salon des Refusés

The Archibald Salon des Refusés is an exhibition which shows Archibald Prize entries that have been selected to hang in the prize exhibition.

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Robert Hannafords My Gallipoli . Parliament of Australia . 11 February 2024 . 1 August 2024.
  2. Web site: Turner . Matt . Triple Port premiership player, renowned architect dies . adelaidenow . 10 March 2022 . 1 August 2024.
  3. Web site: Architect who transformed centre of Adelaide dies aged 82 . . 11 March 2022 . 1 August 2024.
  4. OH 812 - Full transcript of an interview with Robert Hannaford by Rob Linn for the Eminent Australians Oral History Project. Robert . Hannaford. Rob. Linn. 14 March 2007 . 53 . . Eminent Australians Oral History Project - JD Somerville Oral History Collection . 1 August 2024 .
  5. John Neylon, "Chronology". pp154-160 in Sally Foster (2016) Robert Hannaford, Art Gallery of South Australia,
  6. Web site: Biography . Artist profile . RL Hannaford . 12 February 2017.
  7. Web site: Robert Hannaford :: biography . Judy. Szekeres. Design and Art Australia Online . 12 February 2013 . 1 August 2024.
  8. Web site: Portrait of the artist as a wrung man . Kim Arlington . 8 February 2011 . The Sydney Morning Herald. 2017-03-17 .
  9. https://www.roberthannaford.com.au/portraits Portraits
  10. http://www.roberthannaford.com.au/portraitsP/images/Bill-3x4-1980.jpg Image
  11. http://www.roberthannaford.com.au/portraitsP/portraits.html Portraits
  12. Web site: Archibald Prize Archibald 1991/92 work: Portrait of Hugh Stretton by Robert Hannaford . 2024-08-14 . Art Gallery of New South Wales . en.
  13. Web site: Archibald Prize Archibald 1996 work: Self-portrait by Robert Hannaford . 2024-08-14 . Art Gallery of New South Wales . en.
  14. Web site: Archibald Prize Archibald 1998 work: Rolf Prince by Robert Hannaford . 2024-08-14 . Art Gallery of New South Wales . en.
  15. Web site: Mitzevich . Mitch . 2016-06-30 . The turbulent world of the art prize . 2024-08-14 . InDaily . en.
  16. https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/1114895 Centenary Medal
  17. https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/1150049 Member of the Order of Australia
  18. Web site: Painter, sculptor Robert Hannaford receives Ruby Awards for lifetime in oils and bronze . Patrick McDonald . 5 December 2014 . The Advertiser . 2017-03-17 .
  19. http://tseringhannaford.com.au/ Tsering Hannaford
  20. Book: The Little Black Book . Jessica Dames . 1999 . Wakefield Press . 20 . 1-86254-469-7.
  21. Web site: Llewellyn . Jane . Profile: Tsering Hannaford . The Adelaide Review . 18 March 2015 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150402185632/http://www.adelaidereview.com.au/arts/article/profile-tsering-hannaford . 2 April 2015.
  22. Web site: Archibald Prize Archibald 2008 work: Alison Mitchell by Robert Hannaford . Art Gallery of NSW . 1 August 2024.
  23. https://thedirtsa.com.au/at-home-with-alison-mitchell-and-robert-hannaford/
  24. Web site: Collaborating - Robert Hannaford + Alison Mitchell Hannaford .
  25. http://www.roberthannaford.com.au/portraits/portraits.html Early portraits
  26. Web site: 18 April 2010 . Roy Rene at home in Hindley Street . . 14 July 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20111002191158/http://www.postcards-sa.com.au/features2010/roy_rene.html . 2 October 2011.
  27. Web site: Stephen Codrington . 26 April 2018 . Portrait . Stephen Codrington – The Website.
  28. https://www.adelaide.edu.au/lumen/issues/58361/news58394.html Three generations of commitment to Education
  29. http://www.roberthannaford.com.au/portraitsP/images/Hugh-Stretton-4x5-1995.jpg Image
  30. https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/prizes/archibald/1991-92/ Winner: People's Choice 1991/92
  31. https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/prizes/archibald/1993/ Archibald Finalists for 1993
  32. https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/prizes/archibald/1994/ Archibald Finalists for 1994
  33. https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/prizes/archibald/1995/ Archibald Finalists for 1995
  34. https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/prizes/archibald/1996/ Winner: People's Choice 1996
  35. https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/prizes/archibald/1996/ Archibald Finalists for 1996
  36. https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/prizes/archibald/1997/ Archibald Finalists for 1997
  37. https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/prizes/archibald/1998/ Archibald Finalists for 1998
  38. https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/prizes/archibald/1998/ Winner: People's Choice 1998
  39. https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/prizes/archibald/1999/ Archibald Finalists for 1999
  40. https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/prizes/archibald/2001/ Archibald Finalists for 2001
  41. https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/prizes/archibald/2002/ Archibald Finalists for 2002
  42. https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/prizes/archibald/2003/22982/ Rabbi Apple
  43. https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/prizes/archibald/2004/27929/ Sef-portrait
  44. https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/prizes/archibald/2005/28092/ Bob Brown
  45. https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/prizes/archibald/2006/28281/ Tim Flannery
  46. https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/prizes/archibald/2007/28468/ Tubes
  47. https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/prizes/archibald/2008/28623/ Alison Mitchell
  48. https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/prizes/archibald/2009/28767/ Self-portrait
  49. https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/prizes/archibald/2010/29073/ Malcolm Fraser
  50. https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/prizes/archibald/2015/29614/ Self-portrait
  51. https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/prizes/archibald/2017/29837/ Michael Chaney
  52. https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/prizes/archibald/2018/29938/ Self-portrait
  53. Web site: Why the Archibald is about more than just winning . . 18 May 2022 . Jane. Llewellyn. 18 May 2022.
  54. http://biglamington.blogspot.com.au/2011/05/salon-des-refuses-at-sh-ervin-10-may.html Salon des refuses at SH Ervin
  55. http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/entertainment/archibald-art-runs-in-the-family/news-story/fc34c7ec2216670dbaf6ba3492a8e719 Archibald art runs in the family
  56. Web site: Archibald rejects find new home . Andrew Taylor . 12 July 2014 . The Sydney Morning Herald.
  57. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-07-15/the-exhibition-of-rejects-features-archibald-best-of-the-rest/5599094 Exhibition of Rejects features Archibald Prize 'best of the rest' entries
  58. Web site: Stars of the Salon des Refuses . John McDonald . 6 August 2016 . The Sydney Morning Herald.

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