# Justin O'Brien artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/justin-o-brien/
Profile generated: 2026-05-26T12:46:21.426Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Nationality: Australian
- Common media: painting

## About Justin O'Brien

Justin Maurice O'Brien (1917–1996) was an Australian painter recognized as a significant figure in twentieth-century Australian art. Active from the mid-century onward, O'Brien worked across painting and drawing, with a practice that encompassed religious and figurative subjects. He gained national prominence in 1951 when he received the inaugural Blake Prize for religious art, one of Australia's most distinguished art awards. His work is documented in major Australian public collections and is referenced by leading international authority files including the Getty Union List of Artist Names, VIAF, and the RKD (Netherlands Institute for Art History). With over two hundred auction records, O'Brien's paintings continue to appear regularly in the secondary market, particularly through Australian auction houses.

## Common works and media

O'Brien is primarily known as a painter. Works encountered at auction and in collections include oil paintings, watercolours, gouaches, and drawings. Religious and figurative subjects are represented in his practice. Collectors may also encounter works on paper and studies. As with many twentieth-century Australian artists, prints or reproductions may circulate alongside original works, so attribution and medium verification are important steps in appraisal.

## Market and appraisal context

Justin O'Brien's work circulates primarily in Australian and select international auction markets. Key factors that may influence appraisal include medium (oil, watercolour, gouache), subject matter, provenance, condition, and whether the work can be securely attributed through signature or documentation. His 1951 Blake Prize win provides institutional recognition that collectors and appraisers often reference. Auction results should be compared against comparable lots accounting for date, size, and subject. Works with strong provenance linking to the artist or notable collections tend to carry more weight in valuation.

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine artist identity research from authority files and institutional sources with auction records, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots when those records are available. For Justin O'Brien, identity data is grounded in the Getty ULAN, VIAF, RKD, and Wikidata authority records, supplemented by biographical context from Wikipedia. Market observations reference available auction-house data and institutional recognition.

## Sources

- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q20825692
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justin_O'Brien
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500099594
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/96417872/
- RKD (Netherlands Institute for Art History): https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/60205
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n85359433