A rarely seen oil painting created by Norman Lindsay in the 1940s was on Thursday unveiled at the Faulconbridge gallery dedicated to the famous artist, but who it belongs to remains a mystery.
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The painting Woman with Satyr, is on loan for a year from NSW Police to the Norman Lindsay Gallery.
The painting was rediscovered in storage at the Art Gallery of NSW in 2010, and documents with it indicated NSW Police had lent the painting to the art gallery in 1980.
In 2010 NSW Police launched Operation Matisse, to try and locate the owner of the artwork.
“Several months of investigation revealed that at one stage the painting belonged to a prominent art-collecting family in Sydney’s eastern suburbs,” said Blue Mountains Police local area command Superintendent Darryl Jobson.
But that’s where the trail ran cold. The search for the owner continues. It’s not known if the artwork, worth between $30,000 to $40,000 belonged to someone in the Blue Mountains or maybe further afield.
It has been hanging at the Western Plains Cultural Centre in Dubbo for the past year, on loan from the police. Supt Jobson said it would remain in the police’s possession until the owner was found.
On Thursday, the painting was unveiled at the gallery, before a small crowd keen to get the first look at the classic Lindsay work.
One of the gallery directors, Amanda Trevillion said, “It looks very good there over the fireplace. It looks as if it’s come home.”
Norman Lindsay’s granddaughter Helen Glad was unable to attend the unveiling, but sent in some comments about Lindsay’s fascination with satyrs.
“Satyrs were one of Dionysus’ companions who was a favourite of Lindsay due to the unrestrained pleasure he gained as the god of grapes and wine … but as Lindsay was a non-drinker for most of his adult life, it was probably the theatre which developed from the Dionysian festivals which he found more interesting.
“Satyrs were ready for every physical pleasure around wine and women.”
The painting will be on show at the gallery for the next 12 months.
