Les Kossatz
sculpture, drawing 
 
28 July - 22 August, 2007

The New Pope's Red Shoes

 

 

 


Les Kossatz has a record of tackling universal themes and mysteries. He has always been interested in signs, emblems and symbols, and more especially, their spiritual connections.

Mysteries, yes: but the works themselves are very specific. For example, his evocation of the loaves and fishes miracle (albeit with severed fish- head and sliced, that is broken, bread); or his famous sheep variations (Henry Moore said, "There is something Biblical about sheep") that seem like surrogates for human sacrifice, with some implications about the shepherd as well.

We take for granted now that everything this artist makes is informed by an exemplary technical and conceptual integrity. Whether tanning hides for his own leather, casting his own metal, working with prints, computer images or paint, he always seems to have the right means for the most complex visual problems.

He deals with philosophical assumptions through apt (and sometimes witty) visual analogy, and by making beautiful things have a life of their own as well as having a job of commentary to do.

From a catalogue essay by Ronald Millar, March 2006

 

 

 

5 Card Hand

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dysfunctional Temple

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Temple Mount II

 

 

 

 

 

 

Suitcase  

House of Cards

 

Les Kossatz is a prominent Australian sculptor whose work is in the collections of the Australian National Gallery, state and regional galleries; and in private collections in Australia and overseas. His first major commission, in his twenties, was for the stained glass windows at the Monash
University Chapel, Melbourne. Other significant public commissions include the ceremonial doors for the High Court of Australia, the Eternal Flame at the Australian War Memorial, "Coming & Going" for the Ian Potter Foundation at the National Gallery of Victoria and "Curtain Call" for the lawns at Darling Harbour, Sydney. He has worked and studied in Europe and America and taught sculpture at Monash University for the last fifteen years. He led a design team for the Korean War Memorial in Canberra, completed in April 2000. A major retrospective of his work is planned for 2008 at the Heide Park and Art Gallery, Melbourne.

 

 

  Les Kossatz
Born Melbourne, Australia, 1943. TSTC (Art) Melbourne Teacher's College, 1964
Diploma of fine Art, RMIT, Melbourne, 1965
Lecturer in Painting, RMIT 1969-90 Edinburgh College of Art 1974
Study trip to Mount Athos, Greece, and Moscow, Leningrad and Tbilisi, USSR, 1988
Study trip (Bond University commission), Pennsylvania, USA, 1988
Worked in Edward Kienholz studio, Berlin, West Germany, 1990
Studio Houston Texas, USA, 1991
Lecturer Monash University sculpture and drawing 1991- 6
Head of sculpture Monash University 1996 - 2000, continued lecturing 2001- 2005 and 
became a Research Fellow of the university in 2006.
 

 Represented
Alexander von
            Humbolt Foundation, Germany 

            Armidale City Art Gallery, NSW 

            Art Gallery of WA, Perth 

            Artbank 

            Australian National Gallery, Canberra 

            Comalco Collection 

            Dalby Art Gallery, QLD 

            Deakin University, Geelong, Vic 

            Heinz Collection, UK 

            Monash University Collection 

            National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne 

            New Parliament House Collection, Canberra 

            Newcastle City Art Gallery, NSW 

            Northern Territory Museum & Art Gallery, Darwin 

            Philip Morris Collection, Canberra 

            Power Institute, Sydney 

            Print Council of Australia, Melbourne 

            Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane 

            Queen Victoria Museum & Art Gallery, Launceston 

            Regional galleries (Victoria): Ballarat, Benalla, Geelong, Hamilton,
            Latrobe Valley, Shepparton.

 Public Commissions 

            
1968
1979 
.
.
1980 
1985 
1986 
1987 
1998 
2000

Monash
            University Chapel, Vic 

            Victorian Ministry of the Arts, Tram 

            High Court of Australia, Canberra, Ceremonial doors 

            High Court of Australia, Canberra, Coats of Arms 

            Ian Potter Foundation, NGV, sculpture "Coming & Going"


            Australian Chancery, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia 

            Australian War Memorial, Canberra, Eternal Flame 

            Darling Harbour Authority, Sydney, sculpture "Curtain Call"


            Australian National Korean War Memorial, Canberra 

            Arts ACT, Canberra, sculpture "Ainslie's Sheep"

 
Private Commissions 
 

            
1987- 8
.
1980
1984 
.
1985 
1989 
.
1990 
.
1992 
1993 
2006

Print
            Council of Australia 

            Australian Labor Party, Bodford Terrace print portfolio 

            Victorian Arts Centre Trust, sculpture "Hard Slide"


            Hamilton Heritage Festival, Tapestry 

            Comalco 

            Realities Gallery 

            Klaus Groenke Collection, Idaho, USA, sculpture "Tally of
            Seasons Past" 

            Kienholz Collection, USA, sculpture 

            Gibson Collection, Melbourne 

            Veterinary Research Institute, Melbourne, sculpture 

            Magnus, Nankervis & Curl, Sydney, sculpture 

            Downie Collection, Launceston 

            Smorgon family, Melbourne

 
Solo Exhibitions 
 

            
1967 
1968 
1969 
1970 
1972 
1975 
1975 
1975 
1976 
1977 
1977 
1983 
1984 
1984 
1885 
1985 
1988 
1988 
1989 
1995 
1995 
1995 
.
2003 
2005 
.
.
2006
2007


            
Strines Gallery, Melbourne 
Strines Gallery, Melbourne 
Strines Gallery, Melbourne 
Gallery I Eleven, Brisbane 
Gallery I Eleven, Brisbane 
Desborough Galleries, Perth 
Sweeney Reed Gallery, Melbourne 
Rudy Komon Gallery, Sydney 
Crossley Gallery, Melbourne 
Abraxas, Canberra 
Institute of Modern Art, Brisbane 
Realities Gallery, Melbourne 
Quentin Gallery, Perth (Festival of Perth) 
Latrobe Valley Arts Centre, Vic 
Hamilton City Art Gallery, Vic 
Robin Gibson Gallery, Sydney 
Bicentenary Touring Exhibition 
Northern Territory Museum & Art Gallery, Darwin 
Kienholz Gallery, Idaho, USA 
ANU Drill Hall Gallery, Canberra 
Michel Sourgnes Fine Art, Brisbane 
Robin Gibson Gallery, Sydney 
Lyall Burton Gallery, Melbourne  
Hidden Layers: Kakadu, Penny School Gallery, Maldon, Vic 
Les Kossatz: Music Satchels, Woodbine Fine Art, Malmsbury, Vic 
Postcards, Baillieu Library, University of Melbourne 
Les Kossatz: Sheep, McClelland Gallery, Langwarrin, Vic 
Connecting Concepts, Deakin University, Stonnington Stables Gallery, Melbourne
Robin Gibson Gallery, Sydney 



 
Group Exhibitions 
 

            
1964 
1965 
1966 
1966 
1970 
1970 
1972 
1972 
1973 
1976 
1977 
1977 
1977 
1978 
1978 
1978 
1979 
1980 
1980 
1981 
1981 
1981 
1982 
1982 
1982 
1984 
1984 
1984 
1984
1984
1984 
1984 
1985 
1985 
1985 
1985 
1985 
1985
1986 
1986 
1987 
1987 
1987 
1987 
1987 
1987 
1988 
1988
.
1988
1988 
1988 
1988 
1989 
1991 
1992 
1992 
1992 
1992 
1992 
1993 
1993 
1994 
1995 
1995 
1996 
1997 
1997 
1997 
1999
1999
2002 
2003 
2003 
2003 
2003 
2006


            
Young Minds, Museum of Modern Art & Design, Melbourne 
Young Melbourne Painters, Gallery A, Sydney 
Five Melbourne Painters, Rudy Komon Gallery, Sydney 
Gallery A, Melbourne 
Victorian Arts Society, Melbourne 
Fourth Sculpture Triennial, Mildura, Vic 
Osborne Polak Gallery, Melbourne 
Victorian Contemporary Sculpture, Geelong Art Gallery, Vic;  
Realities Gallery, Melbourne  
Sydney Biennale 
Realities Gallery, Melbourne  
Owen Dixon Chambers, Melbourne 
Print Council of Australia (Japan) 
McClelland Gallery, Vic. 
Western Pacific Print Biennale 
Images, Victorian College of the Arts, Melbourne 
Fifteen Australian Printmakers, Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane 
RMIT Gallery, Melbourne 
Druckma Press Collection, Melbourne University Gallery 
20th Anniversary Exhibition, Rudy Komon Gallery, Sydney 
Realities Gallery, Melbourne 
Quentin Gallery, Perth 
Australian Printmakers 1945-81, McClelland Gallery, Vic. 
Twelve Melbourne Printmakers, Oxford University Gallery, UK;
Bayreuth University Gallery, Germany 
Realities Gallery, Melbourne 
Acquisitions & Alternatives, Monash University Gallery, Melbourne 
Animal Imagery in Contemporary Art, Ballarat Fine Art Gallery, Vic
Benalla Gallery, Vic
Wollongong Gallery, NSW 
Aichi Culture Centre, Japan
Ogisu Memorial Museum, Japan; Toyohashi City  Museum, Japan 
Ninth Mildura Sculpture Triennial, Mildura, Vic. 
Australian Sculpture 1975-85, Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide 
McClelland Gallery, Vic 
Victorian Print Workshop, Melbourne 
Realities Gallery, Melbourne 
Irreverent Sculpture, Monash University Gallery, Melbourne 
Oz Drawing, Holdsworth Gallery, Sydney 
Making Monash, Monash University Gallery, Melbourne 
Diversity in Australian Art, Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane
Museum of Modern Art,  Saitama, Japan 
Australian Art 1960-86, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne 
Third Australian Sculpture Triennal, Heide Park and Art Gallery, Melbourne 
Personal Views, Westpac Gallery, Victorian Arts Centre, Melbourne 
Australian Masters, Solander Gallery, Canberra 
Artcraft, Bicentennial National Exhibition 
First Australian Contemporary Art Fair, Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne, 
for  Realities Gallery, 
Melbourne and Robin Gibson Gallery, Sydney 
Sculpture 88, Gallery 460, Gosford, NSW  
Episode 1, Chisholm Institute, Melbourne 
Australian Tapestries, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne 
Robin Gibson Gallery, Sydney 
Diverse Visions, Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane 
Realities Gallery, Melbourne 
Australian Masters, Solander Gallery, Canberra 
Quiet Industry & Good Conduct, State Library of Victoria, Melbourne 
Sculpture 4, Robin Gibson Gallery, Sydney 
A Tribute to Anthony Pryor, Realities Gallery, Melbourne 
Sur-real, Monash University Studios, Melbourne, in conjunction with the 
Fifth Australian Sculpture Triennial 
Wool in the Australian Imagination, Hyde Park Barracks, Sydney 
Chapman Gallery, Canberra 
Robin Gibson Gallery, Sydney 
Gallery Artists, Lyall Burton Gallery, Melbourne 
Preview 1997, Lyall Burton Gallery, Melbourne 
Heidelberg Medical Centre Arts Program, Melbourne 
The Faculty Gallery, Monash University, Melbourne 
Artists in the Field - a Retrospective, Museum & Art Gallery  Northern Territory,  Darwin 
Defiance Gallery, Sydney 
Making it New, Heide Museum of Modern Art, Melbourne 
McClelland Survey, Langwarrin, Vic 
This Was the Future, RMIT Gallery, Melbourne 
 Travelling the Roundabout, University of the Academy Gallery, Launceston, Tas 
 Elizabeth Arthur Fine Art, Hamilton, Vic 
The Sound of the Sky, Museum & Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin



 
 Selected Bibliography 
 
James Mollison, Art in Australia,
            Vol 5 No 4, 1969 

            Mervyn Horton, Present Day Art in Australia, Ure Smith, 1969


            Kim Bonython, Modern Australian Painting 1970-75, Rigby, 1976


            Jenny Zimmer, 'Kossatz-Sheep-Mana', Aspect, Vol 3.5, 1978 

            Ken Scarlett, Australian Sculptors, Nelson, 1980 

            Janet McKenzie, Drawing in Australia, Macmillan, 1986 

            Susanna Gaertner, 'Letter from Australia', Journal of Art, 9/91,
            New York, 1991 

            Alan McCulloch & Susan McCulloch, Encyclopedia of Australian
            Art, Allen & Unwin, 1991 

            Sasha Grishin, Contemporary Australian Printmaking, Craftsman
            House, 1994 

            Sasha Grishin, Relics, ANU Drill Hall Gallery, 1995 

            Michael Hedger, Public Sculpture in Australia, Craftsman House/G+B
            International, 1995 

            Caroline Field, 'On the Wings of an Eagle,' World Sculpture News,
            Vol 11 No 2, Spring 2005

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