Anne Hall was part of the Heide circle, of which Charles Blackman, Sidney Nolan and Hall’s husband, John Perceval were also members. Like them, she pursued a Figurative Expressionist style, smudging objective and subjective truths. In a way unique to her however, Hall cuts to the nucleus of her subject, laying bare their soul.

In Untitled (Hidden Portrait), Hall distorts a man’s face. Her subject is obscured by black impressions, as though trapped by a part of themselves. His eyes recall a caught animal: wild, pleading and speaking a language we do not know. This is less a portrait and more an unflinching character study.

Like Joy Hester and Mirka Mora, Hall forged a compelling female voice in an otherwise male dominated space. That her career was at times overshadowed by her marriage is a testament to Modernism’s issues with gender parity. Now, collected by The National Gallery of Australia, the Ian Potter Museum and Geelong Gallery, her absence is being redressed.

For collectors of Modernist Australian art and those searching for a unique insight into the Antipodean movement, Hall is a vital find.

Further reading:

Anne Marie HALL (1945 - )
'Untitled (Hidden Portrait)'
mixed media on paper
Image Size: 56 x 38 cm
Dimensions: 56 x 38 cm
Comes with Letter of Provenance

Condition: Very Good: Describes a work of art’s image As New, but may show some small signs of surrounding wear. There are no tears to paper margin or disruption to paint surface. Image is in Fine condition.

© The Artist or Assignee