Lot 1367 , Edwin Tanner (1920-1980) Engineerium interior, 35.5 x 39.5in.

Edwin Tanner (1920-1980)
oil on canvas laid on board,
Engineerium interior,
signed and dated '57, remnant of Blake Prize entry label verso,
35.5 x 39.5in.
Estimate £12,000-18,000

Edwin Tanner was born in Wales in 1920, the son of a miner, his family migrated to Australia in 1923. As a student he excelled at higher mathematics, going on to study structural and civil engineering, as well as training in carpentry and as a civil pilot. In the 1950s he moved to Hobart, working for the Hydro-Electric Commission, later moving to Melbourne where, in 1960, he set up in private practice as a consulting engineer.
After this point he maintained the two professions, while also studying philosophy. His paintings show the influence of his earlier career - Tanner has been described as a 'mathematical expressionist' due to his use of geometric lines and depiction of technical forms, sometimes compared by the critics to Paul Klee.
In 1954 to public outcry the National Gallery of Victoria purchased his work The Civil Servant, an image of a grey office with no one at work, just an empty desk. This was followed by a series of works influenced by the world around him; shipyards and factories, all depicted with incomprehensible machinery and the humans reduced to mere cyphers.
Tanner's work was regularly exhibited in both Sydney and Melbourne. Ten years after his death, in 1980, a retrospective exhibition was organised at the Monash University Gallery. His works are included in the collections of all the Australian state galleries and a number of important public and private collections.


Overall honest untouched condition, oil on a thin gauze-like fabric laid on to hardboard.
Paint a little dirty, impasto showing in the centre. A few tiny white specks around the edges.
Plain painted wood frame
Backing had been sealed in with paper
Remnant of Exhibition label verso


Shipping to Australia we recommend have 2 approximate quotes as follows.
Alban Shipping info@albanshipping.co.uk with DHL - Express - £817.14 plus insurance 1% of the value.
or
Mailboxes - £693.00 plus 1.5% insurance of the value.


Descriptions provided in both printed and on-line catalogue formats do not include condition reports. The absence of a condition statement does not imply that the lot is in perfect condition or completely free from wear and tear, imperfections or the effects of aging. Interested bidders are strongly encouraged to request a condition report on any lots upon which they intend to bid, prior to placing a bid. All transactions are governed by Gorringes Conditions of Sale.

Sold for £16,000