Australia Day 1988 - Tall Ships in Sydney Harbour
Artist
John Steven Dews
(b 1949)
Date1988
Object number00048120
NameOil painting
MediumOil on canvas, painted wood and plaster frame
DimensionsImage: 593 x 900 mm
Overall (frame): 745 x 1050 x 58 mm
Overall (frame): 745 x 1050 x 58 mm
ClassificationsArt
Credit LineANMM Collection Gift from NSW Maritime
DescriptionOil painting titled Australia Day 1988 - Tall Ships in Sydney Harbour, depicting a crowded Sydney Harbour on Australia Day 1988 with tall ships surrounded by various vessels including tug boats, yachts, dinghys and motor boats.HistoryThe subject of Dews paintings - the 'First Fleet reenactment' and the celebrations for Australia Day in 1988 were controversial yet widely attended and significant historical commemorations. The 200th anniversary of the establishment of the Colony of New South Wales on 26th January 1788 was preceded by significant government event and commemorative funding across the country.
Events on the 26th January 1988 focused on Sydney Harbour and the arrival of a 'reenactment' of the First Fleet by a group of tall ships. The reenactment was met with dramatic foreshore protests by Indigenous Australians and their supporters. The activities on Sydney Harbour were regarded in the press at the time as 'Australia's biggest party'.
SignificanceJohn Steven Dews graphic, photo-realist style of ship painting and maritime scenes has led him to become one of Britain's leading maritime artists. The subject of Dews paintings - the 'First Fleet reenactment' and the celebrations for Australia Day in 1988 were controversial yet widely attended and significant historical commemorations.
