Local artist's work set to go under the hammer
ART AND CULTURE
Port Douglas resident and artist Anthony Henjel will be richly remembered for his mastery when a large collection of his life’s work will be auctioned at a special event in his honour at the Port Douglas Community Centre on Saturday 12 October.
The auction will be preceded by an exhibit of his works from 1.00-6.00 pm. The auction will start at 6.00pm and should run for a few hours. There will be 34 works which will come under the hammer.
Proceeds from the auction will go towards Maternity Services at Mossman Hospital, something Mr Henjel requested in a unique way.
Prior to his death earlier this year, he created a self-made ad which included the following: “I leave all my works to be auctioned for the benefit of Mossman Hospital’s Maternity Ward … please be generous and leave a good legacy behind.”
Mossman Hospital does have maternity services, but does not have a maternity ward.
By passing on the value of his paintings, Tony’s sole vision and drive is to support the return of Maternity Services at Mossman Hospital.
A resident of Port Douglas for more than 20 years, he loved to portray his friends - musicians, artists, doctors and 'yachties' - using traditional oil portrait painting techniques.
Born in Tuzla, Yugoslavia, before the Second World War, Tony was tutored in the basic oil painting techniques used in portrait and landscape painting by his father.
After the war he attended Belgrade Academy of Fine Arts, where he learned how to draw people using various oil portrait painting techniques, until persuaded by his father to take up sign-writing as a trade.
From the time of his arrival to Australia in 1956, Tony continued his signwriting occupation as well as producing fine art portrait paintings, parallel interests which have been with him all his life.
To enhance the freshly painted walls of Mossman hospital a selection of Tony’s work will be soon displayed throughout the facility.
His wonderful and varied collection of past and latest works can be viewed on his Flickr page.
Three of Anthony Henjel's works which will be exhibited at the Community Centre on 12 October and then auctioned:
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