This is a wonderful and vibrant RARE Vintage Mid Century Modern Koala Australia Oil Painting on canvas, by renowned American wildlife painter, Phil Prentice (b. 1930.) This piece depicts a cute and finely rendered koala bear, clinging to the top of a Eucalyptus tree. The background of this work is a series of bold modernist vertical stripes in various shades of green. Signed: "Phil Prentice" in the center lower half of the image. This piece likely dates to the late 1960's - 1970's. Approximately 13 x 25 inches (including frame.) Actual artwork is approximately 12 x 24 inches. Very good condition for age, with some light scuffing and edge wear to the original period vintage frame. If you were alive during the 1970's, you undoubtedly saw many of Prentice's artworks in the forms of prints, refrigerator magnets, calendars, etc. He was a very big name during the 60's - 70's. His original artworks, and especially those of animals, very seldomly come up for sale and are quite expensive when they do surface. This painting is Priced to Sell. Acquired from an old estate in Los Angeles, California. If you like what you see, I encourage you to make an Offer. Please check out my other listings for more wonderful and unique artworks!
About the Artist:
Born: 1930Known for: Painting
Phil Prentice By Ken South
Herbert Hoover was the 31st US President in 1930. 1,350 banks closed due to the previous
year’s crash. Betty Boop made her debut, while Haile Selassie became the Emperor of Ethiopia
and, in NYC, the Chrysler Building opened.
Plus, on August 21st of that year, Mr. April was born in Muncie, Indiana, joining his parents and
older brother. Soon after, the family moved to Auburn, IN where his dad worked for General
Motors. By 1941 the family had moved to Dayton, OH where Mr. A completed grade and middle
school, and attended Oakwood HS, but graduated from another HS in 1948 in Rockville Center,
NY.
Mr. A was an engineering major at Otterbein College in Ohio and later in 1950 an art major at
the Pratt Institute in NYC. The following year he joined the US Air Force and served for three
years, including being stationed in US occupied, Japan. Upon returning to the states, he studied
at the ArtCenter of Design in Pasadena, CA. From 1954 to 1969 he worked as a draftsman at
the Hughes Aircraft Company in Culver City, CA. During this time, in 1958, Mr. A met his
partner of 52 years, Ernie, who headed the Screen Extras Guild for several years.
While stationed on Long Island, NY, in 1952, Mr. A began his education as a gay man. He was
hoping to go to officer training school to become a pilot but was warned that officers were
particular targets during the McCarthyism era. He spent his time-off in NYC where he met lots
of gay theatre people and sons of diplomats, even his first gay male couple! He also found his
first boyfriend while still in the Air Force.
By 1966, at the Laguna Beach, CA, ‘Festival of Arts’ he started a new career. Specializing in wildlife portraits, he and a business partner attended conventions and art shows all over the US,
selling his art. Up until 1976 he collaborated with an agent and an association of big game
hunters to promote his work. With contacts from a friend, he became associated with the
Donald Art Company in NYC to sell his art prints. In the midst of a disagreement, his
disgruntled agent “outed” him to his customers which caused him serious financial business
complications. However, his career as an artist moved on. His work was featured in galleries in
Santa Fe, NM and Scottsdale, AZ, He was commissioned to paint Ronald Reagan’s horse;
completed, but because of White House gift’s policy, it was never delivered. At a low point in his
art career, his partner Ernie made connections for him to become a court artist for the movies.
In 1988 he became associated with the University of Nevada, theatre program. He also enjoyed
joining the Las Vegas Gay Men’s Chorus!
In 2010, Ernie, Mr. A’s beloved partner of 52 years, passed away with a heart attack. By 2012 it
was time to move to South Florida. He first lived as a housemate with a gay couple, friends he
met on a cruise. Then, in 2018, at Coffee and Conversation at the Equality Center, he met his
current partner, Doug and moved to his place in Palm Aire
Phil Prentice
Phil Prentice was born in 1930 in Muncie Indiana. At the age of 12 he received a scholarship at the Dayton Art Institute to study under Cartoonist Al Capp and Milton Caniff. He went on to study in 1950 at the Pratt Art Institute, Brooklyn, New York. After a three year tour of duty in the Air Force he then studied at the Art Center School, Los Angeles. His decision that drafting was not going to be his career, led to his decision in 1966 to move into fine arts. Prentice was invited to show at the Festival of Arts in Laguna Beach, California. He became well known throughout the animal art world for his outstanding detailed oils of animals indigenous to Africa. The U.S. Information Agency named Prentice one of the leading wildlife artists in the United States. In 1972 the Donald Art Company began reproducing Mr. Prentice’s wildlife paintings. In 1974 Mr. Prentice had a one-man exhibition at the Columbus Ohio Gallery of Fine Art and was the fourth internationally known wildlife artist to be exhibited in that Museum. (Article appeared in Columbus Dispatch, November 3, 1974) In 1977 he was one of the top ten American Wildlife artists invited to the First World Wildlife Congress held in Johannesburg, South Africa. His paintings are reproduced around the world, notably Japan, England and the United States. In 1978 Mr. Prentice became a charter member of the Wildlife Artists International. He exhibited his art at both the First (1978) and Second (1979) Annual Convention of the Wildlife Artists International held in Scottsdale, Arizona. Southwest Art published (September 1979) an article about Mr. Prentice that displayed several of his early works.
Animals and wildlife were not his only art interests. Mr. Prentice always enjoyed the outdoors, and he made many Southwest landscapes in both oil and acrylic. He also had interest American native cultures. Inspired by a photograph given to him by Senator Barry Goldwater, Mr. Prentice created his Navaho man. This stunning portrait painting was reproduced as a limited-edition print and the entire edition was sold. He also had interest in the performing arts. Ballet figures in motion were particularly interesting to him. He did several small acrylics of dancers in various ballet poses.
As he aged, his interests were directed to the human male figure. You can see in the Mixed Art Gallery his first attempts at capturing the human figure. The Swimmer, the Runner are examples of this transition. As he developed this new interest, in his mind, he wanted to show the human figure in motion with wings. His emphases was to show the flow and movement of the wing as it related to the human figure. His gentle brush stroke, and fantastic realism, that was evident in many of his wildlife paintings are evident in his interpretation of the wing. The drama and movement become evident as you view these dramatic depictions in the Human Winged Figure Gallery.
Today, Phil Prentice at age 90, has ceased his art career. He no longer paints, but directs his interests to living a wonderful, retired life in South Florida. Mr. Prentice surrounds himself with friends, remains active in the gay culture of South Florida. He is actively trying to sell his remaining collection of original oil and acrylic paintings. Occasionally individuals will see some of Mr. Prentice’s art on Ebay or Craig’s list but these are normally prints of his original paintings. Many collectors and galleries have his originals.