One of Preston’s late woodcuts, rarely seen outside institutional holdings. No copy has surfaced at auction in 35 years, while the National Gallery of Australia holds a distinctive blue-tinted version, adding weight to its scholarly significance. Its rarity, combined with the enduring appeal of the banksia motif, makes it one of the most desirable of Preston’s late-period prints.

Margaret Preston

The Banksia Tree [Old Banksia Tree], 1939

woodcut
edition of initialled “MP.” in block lower left; titled and signed in pencil in lower margin
24.8 × 24.8 cm (9.8 × 9.8 in), framed

LITERATURE

Butler, R., The Prints of Margaret Preston: A Catalogue Raisonné, 1987, cat. 221 (as The Banksia Tree / Old Banksia Tree);

National Gallery of Australia collection record (object entry for The Banksia Tree).

One of Preston’s late woodcuts, rarely seen outside institutional holdings. No copy has surfaced at auction in 35 years, while the National Gallery of Australia holds a distinctive blue-tinted version, adding weight to its scholarly significance. Its rarity, combined with the enduring appeal of the banksia motif, makes it one of the most desirable of Preston’s late-period prints.

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