Lot 34. JOHN OLSEN (1928-2023)

"Haiku Moments Watch I" 1993

Oil on Board
30x61cm
Initialled JO Lower Right
Prov: Label verso Sherman Galleries, Exhibited 1993. Related work, Business Man Getting Ready for Work 2003, sold Menzies Auctions 2021.
Private Collection Adelaide

Frame size: 49x79cm

Condition: Work is in lovely condition, with no concerns, visible faults or problems to report. Frame has marks, scratches and or damage and would require future repair/attention or replacement.

$7,000-9,000

Painted in 1993 and exhibited at Sherman Galleries under the title Haiku Moments, Watch I, the present work belongs to a series in which John Olsen celebrated the quiet significance of everyday life. Borrowing the notion of the Japanese haik, a brief yet evocative observation, Olsen transformed familiar objects into moments of reflection, revealing the poetry and humour embedded within ordinary experience. Rather than monumental subjects, these intimate works invited viewers to pause and consider the rituals and rhythms that shape daily life.

The wristwatch became one such enduring motif. A decade later, Olsen returned to the subject in his celebrated painting Businessman Getting Ready for Work (2003), where the watch reappears as part of a larger narrative exploring the routines of contemporary life. Seen in this context, Haiku Moments, Watch I represents an important early exploration of an idea that remained with the artist for many years. Executed with Olsen’s unmistakable vitality and expressive line, the work exemplifies his lifelong ability to elevate the commonplace into something lyrical, insightful and unmistakably Australian.