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Alan Bond self portrait

Date1999

Object number00055075

NamePainting

MediumOil on canvas, timber

DimensionsOverall: 881 × 730 × 20 mm
Image: 746 × 593 mm

ClassificationsArt

Credit LineANMM Collection

Terms

DescriptionA self portrait of business man and sailor Alan Bond. Bond has depicted himself wearing a black jacket and a blue and red tie over a blue background. The painting is signed and dated on the lower left corner reading 'A BOND 99'. Many people take up painting as a hobby. Businessman and yachtsman Alan Bond had been a keen collector of art before he also tried his own hand at painting, and over the years he produced a modest output.HistoryAlan Bond (1938-2015) came out from the UK and settled in Perth WA where his entrepreneurial business approach created a large portfolio of real estate and companies which he continued to buy and sell until Bond Corporation owned some of Australia’s largest companies in the 1980s. A number of deals were financially unsound and he was declared bankrupt in the late 1980s. He became a keen sailor after he acquired a yacht as part of a deal, and then commissioned his own large ocean racing yacht APOLLO, designed by Ben Lexcen. This began a lifelong professional relationship and personal friendship with Lexcen. He designed the yachts for Bonds Americas Cup campaigns from 1974 to 1987. After spending time in jail in relation to his business dealings Bond went back to the UK for a period and returned to Australia for his last few years, gradually rebuilding some of his former business empire and wealth. SignificanceThis is an example of Bond's painting abilities and the pose and expression reflects his own view of his own importance and standing. despit the fact that he had been declared bankrupt a few years earlier.