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The Bar
The Bar
Artist	John Brack
Year	1954
Medium	oil on canvas
Dimensions	96.4 cm × 140.0 cm (38.0 in × 55.1 in)
Location	National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Website	ngv.vic.gov.au

The Bar is a 1954 painting by Australian artist John Brack. The subject of the painting directly references Édouard Manet's 1882 work A Bar at the Folies-Bergère.^[1] It depicts a barmaid working in an Australian pub at the time of the "six o'clock swill". As in Manet's work, the patrons of the bar are shown in a reflection behind the barmaid. The work is considered a companion piece to Brack's 1955 work Collins St., 5 pm.^[2]

A Melbourne art collector acquired The Bar for 90 guineas in 1954.^[1] In 2006, the painting sold for $3.12m, a then record price for an Australian artwork at auction.^[1] The anonymous buyer was later revealed to be David Walsh, owner of the Museum of Old and New Art in Hobart. He sold the painting to the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) for the same price in 2009.^[2]

The Bar, along with Brack's Collins St., 5 pm, is considered a highlight of the NGV's Australian art collection, and is on permanent display at the Ian Potter Centre in Melbourne's Federation Square.^[3]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c "Record price for painting, bar none". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax. 12 April 2006. Retrieved 27 November 2009.
^ ^a ^b "Gallery buys The Bar". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 19 March 2009. Retrieved 27 November 2009.
^ National Gallery Victoria Acquisition 2009