This ink and wash sketch conveys an uncertain mood that's characteristic of Joy Hester's work. Clasping a shapeless doll to her chest, a child's introverted gaze contrasts with her inanimate companion, whose eyes focus forward to command the viewer's attention. It's a push and pull relationship which lends this overtly simple work such expressive force. Executed in 1948, it's possible this child's slightly haunted eyes have something to say about the horrors of war. Not directly perhaps, but through relationships within a society struggling to repair itself. Joy Hester was an important contributor to the modernist group which centred around the patronage of John and Sunday Reed. The Auction estimate (Aus $7,000-10,000).
Price realised at auction: Aus $9,818. 18 Hammer Price + BP