Vassilieff and His Art

Danila Vassilieff, a passionate, freedom-loving Cossack who burst upon the Australian art scene in the mid-1930s is, in this book, posited as the missing link in the story of 20th century painting in Australia. The author suggests that the emotionalism and originality of his art, and his unconventional lifestyle, had a leavening effect on the art of Nolan, Tucker, Hester, Percival, Blackman, and Arthur Boyd, giving the artists courage to paint their original visions in a society largely unready for them. Vassilieff's immediate and imaginative response to the Australian landscape deepened this impact.

This critical survey of Vassilieff's painting and sculpture is richly illustrated and fully documented with catalogues of his creative output in both areas. It also provides the moving story of a legendary character who died poverty-stricken, in 1958, at the age of 60. His struggle to prove himself as an individual and an artist has all the ingredients of a novel.

About the Author
Felicity St John Moore is an Hon Fellow in the Department of Fine Art at the University of Melbourne. She spent seven years on the foundation curatorial staff (education) of the Australian National Gallery in Canberra before curating some major exhibitions at the National Gallery of Victoria.

Felicity St John Moore has been a devoted scholar of Vassilieff's life and work over many years, and in this book seeks to highlight the story of Vassilieff's influence on Australian art in the 1940s.