Tucker, Albert (1914-1999), was a pioneer Australian Expressionist and Surrealist painter. Tucker’s most famous work is a series of more than 30 paintings called Images of Modern Evil (1943-1947). The paintings are Tucker’s angry indictment of a society he saw as corrupt and debased. The series portrays a nightmarish and threatening night world with a central image of a grotesque female form. Tucker’s portraits of murderers and other criminals are comparable with those of the German Expressionists. From 1947 to 1960, Tucker lived and worked in Europe, Japan, and the United States, continuing his themes of violence and sexuality.
After Tucker returned to Australia, he turned to subject matter in Australian history, notably bushranging and exploring, as well as painting the harsh Australian landscape. Tucker’s pioneers seem to be cut from wood rather than painted, and his colorful parrots hurtle through the air like solid objects. This sculptural quality has enabled some of his work to be translated successfully into bronze. During the 1980’s, Tucker painted many self-portraits as well as portraits of Australian writers and artists.
Albert Lee Tucker was born on Dec. 29, 1914, in Melbourne. He had little formal art training and was largely self-taught. He died on Oct. 23, 1999.
