Taprobane Collection

Aubrey Collette (1920 – 1992)

‘A perspicacious judge of art in all its manifestations…’ (G. Claessen)

An artist increasingly popular as a Sri Lankan cartoonist was enjoyed by many, though, would not have been satisfied with every political attitude he was to take. His work was originally seen in the ‘Times of Ceylon’ and later in the ‘Observer’ and ‘Daily News’.

He gave a sharp edge to his drawings which cut deeply but never maliciously. Collette was gifted with the art of observation: in the early days to be noticed by Collette was in itself an honour.

Collette’s ‘1954 FACES’ which was published in that year is a collection of seventy-three pastel studies of prominent Sri Lankan personalities. These portraits were also seen at an exhibition at the Colombo Art Gallery. Another book ‘Sun Tan: The Asian Sensation’ was published in 1985 by the Times Books International.

His subjects were mainly politicians and people in public places. The remarkable talent of Collette was the ability to summarise these figues not just for their appearance but for what they truly were. Dr. G. P. Malalasekera wore his OBE perpetually pinned on to his white shirt; C.W.W. Kannangara held aloft the pearl of great price of free education – small symbols that marked their special conceit.

His work was happiliy recived in Australia, Malaysia and other places mainly because it tapped the universal foibles they symbolize and not merely lay open with surgical precision of the individual personality he caricatured.

The portraits of George Keyt, Ivan Peries and others of the 43 Group are indeed works of a master achieved with accuracy of line, economy and an unfailing touch of affection and humour.

Extracted from Rodrigo (2001-9) and Weeraratne (1993)

Name of ExhibitionYearPlace
43 Group 2nd Exhibition1944Darley Road, Colombo
43 Group 3rd Exhibition1945Darley Road, Colombo
43 Group 4th Exhibition1946Darley Road, Colombo
43 Group 5th Exhibition1947Guildford Crescent, Colombo
43 Group 6th Exhibition1948Guildford Crescent, Colombo
43 Group 7th Exhibition1949Colombo
43 Group 8th Exhibition1950The Art Gallery, Guildford Crescent, Colombo
43 Group Contemporary Ceylonese Painting1952Imperial Institute, London
Exposition de L’Art Contemporain De Ceylon1953Paris
Exhibition of Contemporary Painters from Ceylon1954The Heffer Gallery, Cambridge
6 Contemporary Ceyloneses Painters1954Artists International Association Gallery, London
43 Group 10th Exhibition1955The Art Gallery, Colombo
43 Group 10th Exhibition1956The Art Gallery, Vennice
Exhibition of Contemporary Paintings and Drawings from Ceylon1956Arts Council Gallery, Cambridge
43 Group 11th Exhibition1956The Art Gallery, Guildford Crescent, Colombo
43 Group 12th Exhibition1957The Art Gallery, Guildford Crescent, Colombo
43 Group 13th Exhibition1959The Art Gallery, Guildford Crescent, Colombo
A Loan Exhibition of Commonwealth1960Norwich Castle Museum, UK
43 Group 14th Exhibition1964The Art Gallery, Guildford Crescent, Colombo
43 Group exhibition to honor George Keyt1991Colombo
Sketch book2008Sapumal Foundation, Colombo 07
Exhibition of the ’43 Group and Other Artists by The Taprobane Collection2017Nelum Arts Centre, Colombo
Name of BookYear of PublicationAuthorPrinter
Ceylon since Soulbury – Part 11948Aubrey ColletteThe Times of Ceylon
1954 Faces1954Aubrey Collette-
Sun Tan: The Asian Sensation1985Aubrey ColletteTimes Books International

Other Publicaitons the Artist has been mentioned in

Name of BookYear of PublicationAuthorPrinter
Art in Sri Lanka – The Anton Wickramasinghe Collection1988Albert DharmasiriANCL – Lake House
43 Group1993Neville WeereratneLantana Publishing
50 years in Cartoons1998Compiled by six authorsAssociated Newspapers of of Ceylon Ltd
Visions of an Island – Rare works from Sri Lanka in The Christopher Ondaatje Collection1999Neville WeereratneHarper Collins Publishers Ltd
Moods and Modes – 50 years of Sri Lankan Painting1999Martin Russel, Nihal Rodrigo, Ellen Dissanayake, S.B. DissanayakeGeorge Keyt Foundation / Aitken Spence
J.R. in Cartoons2002Prematilleke Mapitigama & Piyasiri NahawattaSridevi Printers (Pvt) Ltd
Artful Resistance – Contemporary Art from Sri Lanka2010Edited by Sylvia S. Kasprycki and Doris I StambraSKF Publishers
Supplement to the Sapumal Foundation2018Rohan De SoysaThe Sapumal Foundation
The Heritage I, II, III Albert DharmasiriR. Rajamahendran

Ref :Col 29

Title :Untitled

Signed :Lower Left

Year :1946

Measurements in Cms :75 x 56.5

Material Used :Oil on Canvas

Ref :Col 26

Title :Senator Singleton

Signed :Lower Right

Measurements in Cms :15.5 x 13

Material Used :Indian Ink Heightened with Water Colour on Paper

Ref :Col 1

Title :It’s Bumby by Bus, “The road to success isn’t smooth” Sir Cyril Soysa

Signed :Lower Right

Measurements in Cms :28 – 38 cms

Material Used :Indian Ink on Card

Ref :Col 2

Title :Milestones, First six year plan and second six year plan of the UNP

Signed :Lower Right

Measurements in Cms :28 x 38

Material Used :Indian Ink on Card

Ref :Col 3

Title :Those Were the Days

Signed :Lower Right

Measurements in Cms :28 x 38

Material Used :Indian Ink on Card

Ref :Col 04

Title :Dicks with a Difference

Signed :Lower Right

Measurements in Cms :28 x 38

Material Used :Indian Ink on Card

Ref :Col 5

Title :Six Change Bowlers

Signed :Lower Right

Measurements in Cms :20 x 56

Material Used :Indian Ink on Card

Ref :Col 6

Title :Pageant of Lanka

Signed :Lower Right

Measurements in Cms :27 x 34

Material Used :Indian Ink on Card

Ref :COL 27

Title :The 1943 Group

Signed :Lower Right

Measurements in Cms :28.5 x 39

Material Used :Water Colour and Ink on Paper

YearInstituteQualification
1991newa
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