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Lot description
ARTHUR BOYD 1920 - 1999 Nebuchadnezzar and a Windmill, 1967 oil on canvas 109 x 114 cm; 118.5 x 123.5 cm (framed) signed ‘Arthur Boyd' front lower right; inscription verso on frame ‘A Boyd' PROVENANCE Arthur Boyd, London, United Kingdom Rudy Komon Art Gallery, New South Wales, Cat No. 1973 Australian Galleries, Victoria The Collection of Dame Marie Bashir AD CVO and Sir Nicholas Shehadie AC OBE, Sydney, New South Wales EXHIBITED Arthur Boyd: The Complete Artist, 8 - 24 April 1968, Bonython Art Gallery, Adelaide, Cat No. 26 Arthur Boyd: Recent Paintings. 28 June - 5 July 1968, Australian Galleries, Melbourne, Cat No. 26 Twelfth Anniversary Exhibition, 8 December 1971 - 26 January 1972, Rudy Komon Art Gallery, Sydney This painting draws on the biblical figure of Nebuchadnezzar, whom Arthur Boyd reimagines within a sun burnt Australian Country, despite the work being made while he was living in London. In this body of work from the mid to late 1960s, the king is depicted as a distorted, almost beast-like figure, roaming the landscape rather than ruling it. The source lies in the Book of Daniel, where Nebuchadnezzar is cast out and lives like an animal, a transformation Boyd extends by rendering him as something closer to a creature than a man, at times taking on a hulking, almost Godzilla-like presence. The figure moves across the terrain with a sense of unease, its form heavy and unsettled against the open ground. A windmill stands within the scene, introducing a familiar element of rural life and anchoring the image within a recognisable setting. This combination of biblical subject and Australian environment creates a tension between story and place, where neither fully resolves. © ARTHUR BOYD / Copyright Agency, 2026