This is one of Robin Wallace-Crabbe’s nudes, painted in 1968.

Wallace-Crabbe is one of Australia’s most respected painters, but he is so much more.  He is also a thriving writer, cartoonist, art reviewer and as were to find out, also an amazingly generous and interesting person ….

We picked this painting up in a vintage store about seven years ago.  We paid a very modest sum.  We were in awe that we could pick up a piece by such a well known artist, for a price that was cheaper than what we would have to shell out for a work by even a very emerging artist.

Wondering what its title might have been, I contacted Robin after a quick internet search.  At the time we were living in the Pacific.  I mentioned to him that we had a book called “Studio” by art historian and reviewer – John McDonald – and that our young daughter had always stopped at his (Robin’s) works in that book and lingered over them.  I think it was the photographic images of the nude models she was particularly interested in.  Upon purchasing this piece, however, she had exclaimed “it is boring” and that she preferred his other works.  I am not sure why I mentioned this to him, but I suspect I was trying to lighten the email and decided it was not offensive to mention a negative critique by a young child.

Robin responded!  It was unexpected;  am not sure why, but I think that coming from a very working glass background, I am always inclined to put anyone with any accomplishments on a pedestal and I truly didn’t think he would bother to reply.  He was the epitome of charming and endearing and responded that he could not remember the title, but imagined it would have been quite a pompous one as he was young at the time.  He was particularly interested to hear of our daughter’s response to the work and attached a number of images of works he had in his studio at the time, inviting her to select one as a gift from him.  Seriously.  She did select one – “Girl with red shoe” – and it duly arrived wrapped in butcher’s paper with Robin having written small sentiments to her from him, all over the paper.

I must get in touch with Robin now that we are back in Canberra (he shares time between houses here and a small country town about an hour away) to thank him properly, and in person, for the lovely gift all those years ago.