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Donald Friend
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Donald Stuart Leslie Friend (6 February 1915 – 16 August 1989) was an Australian artist and diarist who lived much of his life overseas. He has been the subject of controversy since the posthumous publication of diaries in which he wrote about how he sexually abused boys during his time in Bali.
Key Information
Early life
[edit]Born in Sydney, Friend grew up in the artistic circle of his bohemian mother and showed early talent both as an artist and as a writer. He studied with Sydney Long (1931) and Antonio Dattilo Rubbo (1934–1935), and later in London (1936–1937) at the Westminster School of Art with Mark Gertler and Bernard Meninsky. During World War II he served as a gunner with the AIF, and while stationed at Albury began a friendship with Russell Drysdale, which led to their joint discovery of Hill End, a quasi-abandoned gold mining village near Bathurst, New South Wales, which in the 1950s became something of an artists' colony. He also served as an official war artist in Labuan and Balikpapan in 1945.[2] After the war he lived for a time in the Sydney mansion-boarding house Merioola, exhibiting with the Merioola Group.
Much of Friend's life and career was spent outside Australia, in places as diverse as Nigeria (late 1930s, where he served as financial advisor to the Ogoga of Ikerre), Italy (several visits in the 1950s), Ceylon (now Sri Lanka; late 1950s – early 1960s), and Bali (from 1968 until his final return to Sydney in 1980).[3]
Career
[edit]Friend's critical reputation in the 1940s equalled those of William Dobell and Russell Drysdale, but by the time of his death it had sunk so low that his work was totally absent from the 1988 Australian Bicentennial exhibition, a show meant to include every artist of importance since white settlement.[citation needed]
Despite winning the Blake Prize for Religious Art in 1955, Friend made "no attempt to disguise the homoeroticism which underlay much of his work".[4] He was well known for studies of the young male nude,[5] including nude male children,[6] as well as his wit.[7] His facility as a draughtsman may have contributed to the undervaluing of his work, which art scholar Lou Klepac said "always looked too easy – decorative, flowing and natural". In the mid-1960s, Robert Hughes described him as "one of the two finest draughtsmen of the nude in Australia", and noted his humanism and lack of sentimentality, while still maintaining that he was not a major artist. Barry Pearce, however, writing in the study which accompanied Friend's posthumous retrospective at the Art Gallery of New South Wales in 1990, said that Hughes' judgement seemed harsh and called for a re-evaluation of Friend as an artist whose "contribution to the richness of Australian art is due for much greater recognition".
Friend published a number of illustrated books, almost all in limited editions.[citation needed]
Diaries
[edit]Friend's diaries were published posthumously in four volumes from 2001 to 2006 by the National Library of Australia.[8][9][10][11][12] He had kept a diary since the age of 14. It chronicled in half a million words a life peopled with such artists as Drysdale, Margaret Olley, Jeffrey Smart and Brett Whiteley.
Volume Four dealt in part with Friend's time in Bali in the 1960s and 1970s. Publicity claimed "[T]his volume confirms Friend's quicksilver creative brilliance and extraordinary insight. He is perhaps Australia's most important twentieth-century diarist".[13]
Friend openly wrote about his pederasty and paedophilia, depicting himself in his journal as "a middle-aged pederast who's going to seed".[14] His relationships were mostly with adolescent boys. But in the 1960s Friend wrote in his diary of a 10-year-old boy: "[He] spent the night with me. I hope life will continue forever to offer me delicious surprises ... and that I will always be delighted and surprised. He goes about the act of love with a charmingly self-possessed grace: gaily, affectionately, and enthusiastically. And in these matters he's very inventive and not at all sentimental for all the caresses."[15]
Some people have said that the "arts elite of Australia continue to deny any wrongdoing on Friend's part".[16][17][15] At least one of the victims named in the diary took legal action against the National Library of Australia for revealing his identity.[18]
Major collections
[edit]See also
[edit]Bibliography
[edit]- Donald Friend, Robert Hughes, Edwards and Shaw, Sydney, 1965
- Donald Friend The Australian Landscape and its Artists, Bay Books, Sydney 1977 pp. 58–59
- Donald Friend: Australian War Artist 1945, Gavin Fry and Colleen Fry, Currey O'Neill, Melbourne, 1982
- Donald Friend 1915–1989 Retrospective, Barry Pearce, 1990
- The Diaries of Donald Friend, Volume 1, Ed. Anne Gray, 2001, ISBN 0-642-10738-6
- The Diaries of Donald Friend, Volume 2, Ed. Paul Hetherington, 2003, ISBN 978-0-642-10765-7
- The Diaries of Donald Friend, Volume 3, Ed. Paul Hetherington, 2005, ISBN 978-0-642-27602-5
- The Diaries of Donald Friend, Volume 4, Ed. Paul Hetherington, 2006, ISBN 978-0-642-27644-5
- "The Lives of Donald Friend: Towards a Biography of an Australian Artist in an International Social Setting", Ian Britain, Meanjin, Melbourne March–May 2008
- The Donald Friend Diaries, Ed. Ian Britain, 2010, ISBN 978-1-921656-70-5
- Britain, Ian (2023). The Making of Donald Friend: Life & Art. Yarra & Hunter Arts Press. ISBN 9780646877990.
References
[edit]- ^ Gray, Anne (2007). "Donald Stuart Leslie Friend (1915–1989)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Vol. 17. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISBN 978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN 1833-7538. OCLC 70677943.
- ^ "ART22857 – Japanese dead from suicide raid, Labuan". Australian War Memorial. Archived from the original on 1 April 2012. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
- ^ "Artist Biographies: Friend, Donald Stuart Leslie". Australian Art. Wayback Machine. 2007–2011. Archived from the original on 10 July 2007. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
- ^ "Donald Friend, Paintings for sale at Savill Galleries by this great Australian artist". Savill.com.au. 19 March 2005. Archived from the original on 8 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2011.
- ^ "Donald Friend – Three Nudes". Art-galleries-schubert.com.au. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2011.
- ^ "Donald Friend – Nude Studies, Bali". artnet.com.
- ^ "Donald Friend – Mrs Brodie and Little Angus". Art-galleries-schubert.com.au. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2011.
- ^ "The Donald Friend Diaries". National Library of Australia. 21 March 2002. Retrieved 18 October 2011.
- ^ Niall, Brenda 2002. Donald Friend's Theatre of Self. Review of "The Diaries of Donald Friend", Volume 1 by Anne Gray (ed). Australian Book Review, No 243, August, 24-25.
- ^ Sullivan, Shirley. "The diaries of Donald friend, volume 2." Archives and Manuscripts 32, no. 1 (2004): 151-152.
- ^ Thompson, John (30 November 2003). "John Thompson reviews 'The Diaries of Donald Friend, Volume 2' edited by Paul Hetherington". Australian Book Review. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
- ^ Ingram, Terry (14 July 2005). "Friendly fire aimed at 1960s art scene". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
- ^ "Diaries of Donald Friend, Volume 4". NLA Bookshop. Archived from the original on 17 March 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2011.
- ^ Paul Hetherington, ed. (2005). The Diaries of Donald Friend. Vol. 3. National Library of Australia.[page needed]
- ^ a b Antony Funnell (2 February 2017) [28 November 2016]. "Our favourite paedophile: Why is Donald Friend still celebrated?". Books and Arts. Radio National. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
- ^ "Screen Australia, The Screen Guide, A Loving Friend".
- ^ Michaela Boland (20 October 2017). "Art of Darkness". The Weekend Australian. republished as "Aussie spotlight on Donald Friend's paedophelia: He lived here in sixties". Archived 7 October 2018 at the Wayback Machine The Island. 29 October 2017. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
- ^ Michaela Boland (25 June 2018). "Donald Friend sexual abuse victim seeks compensation from National Library". ABC News.
- ^ "The Holmes à Court Collection". Holmes à Court Gallery. Archived from the original on 19 July 2008. Retrieved 13 January 2011.
External links
[edit]
Donald Friend
View on Grokipediafrom Grokipedia
Donald Stuart Leslie Friend (6 February 1915 – 17 August 1989) was an Australian painter, draughtsman, writer, and diarist whose career spanned depictions of male nudes, Balinese daily life, and classical motifs, establishing him as an early figure in modern Australian art.[1][2]
Born in Sydney to middle-class parents, Friend studied art locally under Sydney Long before traveling abroad, serving as an official war artist in 1945, and residing in Nigeria, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), Bali, and Europe, where he produced key works such as murals and the painting The Apocalypse of St John the Divine, earning the Blake Prize for Religious Art in 1955.[1][2]
His flamboyantly homosexual lifestyle included living with young houseboys during extended stays in Bali from 1967 to 1979, and he fathered one daughter from an extramarital affair in 1938.[1]
Friend's extensive diaries, spanning 1942 to 1987 and held by the National Library of Australia, candidly document his artistic evolution, travels, and ethical reflections, but also reveal his self-acknowledged paedophilia and pederastic activities with boys, shocking posthumous readers upon edited publication between 2001 and 2006.[1][2]
These disclosures have fueled ongoing controversies regarding the valuation of his art separate from his personal conduct, with some institutions removing his portraits amid public backlash, though retrospectives like that at the Art Gallery of New South Wales in 1990 affirm his technical influence.[1]
Donald Friend's artistic oeuvre is characterized by figurative and narrative works, emphasizing drawings, watercolours, and paintings infused with satirical humour, sharp social observation, and decorative flair.[44] His style drew from classical traditions encountered during travels in Europe and was enriched by extended stays in Asia, including Bali and Sri Lanka, where he incorporated exotic motifs and sensuous human figures.[1] As an official war artist in 1945, Friend documented scenes from Labuan, Borneo, and Morotai, producing evocative drawings of war's impact on landscapes and villagers that highlighted his technical prowess in capturing ruin and resilience.[44] [5] Friend garnered several prestigious awards for his contributions to Australian art. In 1951, he received the Flotta Lauro travelling prize for his mural design Australiana, which facilitated further international study.[5] [1] The Blake Prize for religious art was awarded to him in 1955 for St John the Divine and Scenes from the Apocalypse, recognizing his interpretive depth in biblical themes.[1] [44] Additional honours included the Banbury Prize and, posthumously, the University of Sydney Union's medal in 1988 for services to art.[44] Notable commissions encompassed a six-meter-long mural depicting the ancient fort of Galle in Sri Lanka, exemplifying his skill in large-scale decorative work.[45] His works are held in major public collections, including 57 pieces at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, the National Gallery of Australia, and the Queensland Art Gallery, where Adam and Eve stands as a significant decorative achievement.[5] [46] Exhibitions such as his critically praised solo show at Macquarie Galleries in 1948 underscored early recognition of his portraiture and draftsmanship.[18] Posthumous retrospectives, including a major survey at the Art Gallery of New South Wales in 1990 and a mini-retrospective in Brisbane in 1989, affirmed his enduring influence on figurative art.[44] [5] Critics have lauded Friend's technical genius and wit, with art historian Robert Hughes praising his war drawings in 1965 and Barry Pearce highlighting his overall oeuvre in 1990.[1] Biographer Anne Gray emphasized the sensuality and decorative quality of his drawings, positioning him as a leading figurative artist whose travels fostered a unique synthesis of Western and Eastern aesthetics.[1] In Sri Lanka, his brief residency elevated local art and architectural decoration, leaving a visual legacy that inspired subsequent practitioners.[46] Despite personal controversies, Friend's technical mastery and narrative innovation continue to draw acclaim in scholarly assessments of mid-20th-century Australian art.[5][1]
Early Life and Education
Family Background and Childhood
Donald Stuart Leslie Friend was born on 6 February 1915 in Cremorne, Sydney, New South Wales, as the second of four children to Sydney-born parents Leslie William Moses, a grazier, and Gwendolyn Emily Lawson.[1] [3] Around 1920, following a quarrel, the family adopted his mother's maiden name, Friend, with his father becoming Leslie William Friend.[1] His maternal grandfather, James R. Lawson, had founded the art auction house James R. Lawson & Sons, contributing to the family's relatively prosperous and privileged status.[4] Friend grew up in the artistic circles surrounding his bohemian mother, Gwendolyn, who fostered an environment of cultural exposure.[5] He displayed early talent as both an artist and writer within this milieu.[5] Among his siblings was a sister, Gwen Friend, who later authored a memoir recounting their shared family experiences.[6] During childhood, Friend attended Tudor House preparatory school in Moss Vale, Cranbrook School, and Sydney Grammar School.[1] He began studying art under draughtsman Sydney Long and learned etching techniques, marking initial formal engagement with artistic practice.[1] In 1931, after leaving school, he briefly worked on the family property Glendon near Warialda, New South Wales, before running away in 1932 with his mother's support to travel through Queensland and the Torres Strait Islands, returning to Sydney in 1934.[1]Initial Art Training in Sydney
Donald Friend commenced his formal art training in Sydney in 1930 at the Royal Art Society, studying under the etcher and painter Sydney Long.[7][1] Long, a proponent of Australian impressionism and woodblock printing, instructed Friend in etching techniques, leading to Friend's production of early works including a bookplate in 1931.[5] In 1933, Friend enrolled in the classes of Antonio Dattilo Rubbo, an Italian-born instructor known for his emphasis on life drawing and tonal modeling at his independent Sydney studio, which operated alongside the Royal Art Society.[8][9] Rubbo's method, derived from European academic traditions, focused on direct observation and expressive brushwork, influencing Friend's foundational skills in figure and landscape depiction through 1935.[10] These studies equipped Friend with practical proficiency in draftsmanship before his departure for overseas travels.[1]Early Travels and Formative Influences
European Studies and Exposure (1934–1936)
In 1936, Donald Friend departed Australia for London, where he enrolled at the Westminster School of Art to advance his formal training.[1] There, he studied under the painters Mark Gertler and Bernard Meninsky, both of whom emphasized draughtsmanship and modernist approaches influenced by post-impressionism and expressionism.[1] [5] This immersion marked Friend's direct engagement with European artistic circles, contrasting with his prior informal studies in Sydney. The Westminster curriculum exposed Friend to contemporary European techniques, fostering his interest in figurative drawing and narrative composition.[1] During this period, he encountered works by masters such as Paul Gauguin, Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, El Greco, and Hieronymus Bosch, which shaped his evolving style toward exoticism and bold figuration.[1] London's vibrant art scene provided opportunities for sketching urban life and observing diverse influences, though Friend's stay was brief, lasting approximately one year before further travels.[7] No records indicate extensive European travels or studies prior to 1936, with Friend's activities from 1934 to 1935 centered on Australian training under Antonio Dattilo Rubbo.[1] This London phase thus represented his initial substantive exposure to Europe's cultural milieu, informing his later synthesis of local and international motifs.[5]Nigerian and African Sojourns (1930s)
In 1936, while studying in London, Friend met Ladipo, a Nigerian man from Ikerre who became his model and lover, inspiring a fascination with West African culture that prompted his relocation to Nigeria in 1938.[1] Upon arrival, he initially stayed in Lagos before moving inland to Ikerre in Ekiti province, where he resided in the compound of the local ruler, the Ogoga.[4] There, Friend served as an adviser to the Ogoga, immersing himself in Yoruba daily life, customs, and artistic traditions amid the province's rural environment.[1][4] During his approximately two-year stay until 1940, Friend collaborated with the local casters' guild, experimenting with traditional lost-wax bronze casting techniques to produce sculptures, marking an early departure from his European-influenced style toward incorporation of African forms and motifs.[4] He documented Yoruba stories, rituals, and social dynamics through sketches and observations, prioritizing direct engagement with indigenous practices over imposition of Western artistic frameworks.[4] This period honed his interest in exoticism and narrative figuration, evident in later works reflecting African-inspired vigor and sensuality, though he produced few surviving pieces from the sojourn itself due to the experimental nature of his output.[1] Friend's African experience, fueled by personal attachment to Ladipo and broader exposure to London's African diaspora nightlife, represented a deliberate pursuit of cultural authenticity and erotic adventure, contrasting the formal academism of his prior European training.[1] Letters to his mother from this era reveal enthusiasm for the continent's vibrancy but also challenges like isolation and health issues, culminating in his return to Australia amid escalating global tensions preceding World War II.[11]Military Service in World War II
Enlistment and Service as Gunner
Donald Friend enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on 29 June 1942, receiving service number NX96987, and was assigned to the 2nd Australian Field Artillery Training Regiment as a gunner.[7][1] During his initial posting at Albury, New South Wales, he formed a significant friendship with artist Russell Drysdale, which influenced their later joint exhibition in 1945.[5] In 1943, while stationed in North Queensland, Friend volunteered as a subject in military experiments testing anti-malarial treatments and other field conditions, reflecting his willingness to contribute beyond standard duties.[1] His service primarily involved artillery training and operations within Australia, without deployment to combat theaters as a gunner, spanning approximately four years until the war's end.[9] Throughout this period, Friend maintained artistic output, producing illustrated works such as Gunner's Diary (1943), a personal account of army life blending text and drawings that captured the routines and absurdities of military service.[12] This self-published diary highlighted his observational skills amid the constraints of regimental life, though it remained a private endeavor rather than official documentation at the time.[12]Wartime Art and Publications
During his enlistment in the Australian Imperial Force on 29 June 1942 as a gunner, Donald Friend documented the tedium of military routine through pen-and-ink drawings and diary entries focused on soldier life in training camps and the south Pacific theater.[1] These works captured barracks scenes, interpersonal dynamics among troops, and the monotony of service, reflecting Friend's personal observations rather than combat glorification.[7] Extracts from his field diary, accompanied by his illustrations, were published as Gunner's Diary in 1943 by Ure Smith in Sydney, comprising 56 pages of text and artwork that highlighted the artist's emerging satirical style amid wartime constraints.[13] In February 1945, Friend received a commission as an official Australian war artist, shifting his focus to documenting the conflict's closing phases in Southeast Asia.[1] He produced 53 paintings and 143 drawings for the Australian War Memorial, emphasizing intimate, human-scale vignettes over grand battles, including scenes from Balikpapan, Borneo, following operations there in July 1945.[14] These pieces, executed in watercolors, inks, and gouaches, conveyed a subjective lens on liberation efforts and troop movements, prioritizing psychological realism drawn from direct immersion.[7] Friend's wartime reflections extended to Painter's Journal, published in 1946 by Ure Smith, which expanded on his diaries with 144 pages of illustrations and prose covering service experiences from Australian bases to Pacific deployments.[15] The volume integrated sketches of daily military existence with broader artistic commentary, underscoring Friend's view of war as a backdrop for personal and creative endurance rather than heroism.[1] Later analyses, such as in Donald Friend: Australian War Artist 1945 (1982), reproduced selections from this output, affirming its value as a non-traditional record of Allied campaigns in the region.[7]Artistic Career
Post-War Return to Australia and Early Exhibitions
Following the conclusion of his official war artist appointment in March 1946, Donald Friend returned to Sydney and settled into Merioola, a bohemian boarding house in the Sydney suburb of Woollahra that served as a vibrant hub for post-war artists.[1] There, he associated with the Merioola Group, a collective of creative figures including Loudon Sainthill and Justin O'Brien, whose communal living fostered collaborative artistic exchanges amid the austere conditions of the era.[1] Friend's wartime sketches from Morotai and Borneo were exhibited and compiled into the publication Painter's Journal that same year, marking an early post-war dissemination of his experiences.[1] In 1947, Friend acquired a wattle-and-daub cottage in the abandoned gold-mining town of Hill End, New South Wales, where he resided with companion Donald Murray and produced numerous landscapes and figure studies capturing the site's weathered structures and stark gullies.[1] These works reflected a shift toward more introspective, regionally inspired themes, contrasting his earlier international influences. The Merioola Group's inaugural exhibition, featuring contributions from Friend and peers, was held that year at Myer Mural Hall in Melbourne, showcasing the collective's diverse output to a broader Australian audience.[16] Friend's individual prominence grew with a solo exhibition of paintings and drawings at Macquarie Galleries in Sydney from 2 to 14 June 1948, which received critical acclaim for its restrained portraits and vibrant compositions drawn from his recent Australian sojourns.[17][18] This showing solidified his domestic reputation, bridging his wartime documentation with emerging post-war motifs of Australian vernacular life.[18]Balinese Period and Stylistic Evolution (1950s–1960s)
In 1953, following travels in Europe and Nigeria, Donald Friend returned to Australia, where he painted landscapes at Hill End and collaborated with artists like Russell Drysdale in Sydney.[1] His style during the early 1950s retained figurative elements from wartime experiences, emphasizing human forms with dramatic compositions, though increasingly incorporating decorative patterns influenced by prior African and Mediterranean exposures.[1] In 1955, he received the Blake Prize for religious art, recognizing works that blended classical humanism with symbolic narrative.[5] From 1957 to 1962, Friend resided in Ceylon (modern Sri Lanka), immersing himself in South Asian culture and producing murals, watercolours, and drawings that marked a shift toward ornate, tropical motifs and fluid line work.[1] [5] This period's output, including large-scale wall paintings depicting local scenes and figures, demonstrated evolving stylistic integration of Eastern aesthetics—vibrant colors, rhythmic patterns, and eroticized nudes—foreshadowing fuller adoption in later Asian sojourns.[1] Upon returning to Australia in 1962, he continued exhibiting domestically, refining a draughtsmanship praised for its precision in rendering the human body without sentimentality.[5] By the mid-1960s, Friend's watercolours showed transitional vigor, blending Australian restraint with anticipatory oriental exuberance, as seen in self-portraits and figurative studies produced before his 1966 discovery of Bali.[1] This evolution emphasized less austere compositions, prioritizing decorative harmony and cultural syncretism over earlier narrative intensity, setting the foundation for the exotic, pattern-rich style that defined his subsequent Balinese works from 1967 onward.[1] [5]Italian Period and Later Works (1967–1989)
In 1967, Donald Friend relocated to Bali, Indonesia, establishing residence at Batujimbar in Sanur, where he remained until 1979.[1] This period marked a prolific phase in his career, characterized by exotic watercolours incorporating oriental patterns and motifs drawn from Balinese culture, though these works exhibited less vigour compared to his earlier European and Australian output.[1] Friend's Bali estate became a hub for artistic production, featuring murals, drawings, and paintings that blended decorative elements with narrative scenes of local life, often infused with erotic undertones reflective of his personal interests.[5] Friend published several illustrated books during his Balinese years, including Donald Friend in Bali (1972), a collection of writings and images from his time there; Save Me from the Shark (1973), a picaresque novel; The Cosmic Turtle (1976); Birds from the Magic Mountain (1977); Coogan’s Gully (1979); and Bumbooziana (1979), showcasing his dual role as artist and author.[1] These publications often featured his own illustrations, emphasizing mythological and satirical themes executed in ink, watercolour, and gouache.[5] Facing health issues and conflicts with Balinese authorities, Friend departed Indonesia in 1979, initially settling in Melbourne with companions Attilio and Ailsa Guarracino before moving to Sydney's Woollahra suburb in 1981.[1] In Australia, his artistic focus shifted to still lifes, interiors, and window views, employing sumptuous colours and dramatic compositions that evoked a sense of opulent domesticity.[1] Notable works from this phase included detailed renderings of fruits, vases, and architectural elements, continuing his preference for linear draughtsmanship and vibrant palettes honed over decades of travel.[5] Friend continued publishing post-Bali, with titles such as The Farce of Sodom (1980), An Alphabet of Owls Et Cetera (1981), Songs of the Vagabond Scholars (1982), and Art in a Classless Society & Viceversa (1985), many self-illustrated and exploring literary and visual satire.[1] He died on 17 August 1989 at his Woollahra home, aged 74, after which a retrospective exhibition of his oeuvre was mounted at the Art Gallery of New South Wales in 1990.[1][5]Personal Life and Relationships
Long-Term Residences and Lifestyle
Following World War II, Friend resided at Merioola, a bohemian boarding house in Woollahra, Sydney, which served as a hub for artistic activity.[5] In 1947, he occupied a wattle and daub miner's cottage at Hill End, New South Wales, shared with companion Donald Murray.[1] From 1957 to 1962, he maintained a residence in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka).[1] Friend's extended stay in Bali, Indonesia, spanned 1967 to 1979 at Batujimbar in Sanur, a one-hectare estate he developed featuring pavilions designed with input from architect Geoffrey Bawa starting in 1970.[5] [1] The property included Balinese artworks, a gamelan orchestra, and gardens tended by staff.[1] In 1979, he relocated to Melbourne, residing with Attilio and Ailsa Guarracino, before returning to Sydney in 1981 and living in Woollahra until his death on 17 August 1989.[1] Although Friend traveled to Italy intermittently from 1949 onward, including time in a Florence studio at Via Jacopo di Diacceto 6, no evidence indicates a fixed long-term residence there.[5] [19] His lifestyle reflected a bohemian ethos, marked by immersion in artistic circles, lively conversation, and occasional practical jokes, as observed in his Sydney and Hill End periods.[1] In Bali, daily routines centered on creative pursuits, supported by houseboys and gardeners that afforded a luxurious routine of painting, writing, and hosting.[1] Friend's restlessness drove frequent relocations, prioritizing environments conducive to his prolific output in art and diaries.[5]Sexuality and Interpersonal Dynamics
Donald Friend was flamboyantly homosexual, centering much of his art on the male nude and expressing disinterest in painting women due to his orientation.[1][9] His personal writings candidly detailed sexual desires and encounters with men across continents, reflecting a hedonistic pursuit of love and intimacy that he equated with artistic inspiration.[20] While primarily oriented toward males, Friend had one documented heterosexual affair in London in 1938 with the mistress of artist R. E. A. Wilson, resulting in a daughter born that year.[1] Friend's romantic and sexual relationships often intertwined with his travels and artistic pursuits, featuring companions who served as models, lovers, and household aides. In 1936–1939, he fell in love with Ladipo, a Nigerian man met in London nightclubs, traveling to Nigeria in 1938 and living there in 1939 while teaching art and using Ladipo as a model.[1][9] Post-war, he cohabited with Donald Murray at a Hill End cottage in 1947.[1] From 1949 onward, Attilio Guarracino, an Italian peasant encountered during travels, became an enduring partner and friend, later joining Friend in Melbourne in 1979.[1][9] In Bali from 1967 to 1979, Friend established a luxurious household with male houseboys, fostering intimate bonds that blended affection, sexual relations, and practical support amid a promiscuous lifestyle.[1] Interpersonal dynamics in Friend's relationships revealed a charismatic yet prickly personality, marked by biting wit, arrogance, and practical jokes, which strained but did not sever key friendships like that with painter Russell Drysdale.[1] He often fled unfulfilling affairs, prioritizing creative freedom and upper-middle-class comforts, while providing financial patronage to companions in exchange for loyalty, posing, and domestic roles.[1] These arrangements underscored power imbalances, with Friend as benefactor and muse-director, integrating lovers into his oeuvre—such as unrequited affections toward Colin Brown in 1946, inspiring paintings like Colin—yet revealing emotional volatility through jealousy, theft disputes, and sentimental attachments in his diaries.[9]Writings and Diaries
Published Books and Illustrations
Donald Friend authored and self-illustrated numerous books, predominantly issued in limited editions, encompassing travel accounts, fictional narratives, satirical works, and cultural observations drawn from his experiences in Australia, Bali, and Italy.[1] These publications often featured his distinctive line drawings, integrating text and imagery to evoke whimsy, eroticism, and social commentary.[21] His early post-war efforts included Hillendiana (1956), a social history of the New South Wales gold-mining town of Hill End, reflecting his time there in the 1940s.[1] Later, during his Balinese residency, he produced Donald Friend in Bali (1972), chronicling his immersion in island life, followed by Save Me from the Shark (1973), a picaresque novel, and The Cosmic Turtle (1976), which celebrated Balinese customs and mythology.[1] Birds from the Magic Mountain (1977) offered an inventive catalog of real and imagined Indonesian avifauna, blending natural history with fantasy.[1] In the late 1970s and 1980s, Friend's output turned toward more eclectic and provocative themes. Coogan's Gully (1979) served as a guide for young readers on bushranging, ecology, and witchcraft, set in an Australian rural context.[1] Bumbooziana (1979), an elaborately illustrated manuscript book, depicted an exotic, erotic odyssey through foreign locales with handwritten text encircling vivid, explicit drawings of sensual encounters.[1][22] Subsequent works included The Farce of Sodom (1980), an illustrated rendition of the Marquis de Sade's play; An Alphabet of Owls Et Cetera (1981); Songs of the Vagabond Scholars (1982); and Art in a Classless Society & Viceversa (1985), a pointed satire critiquing the Australian art establishment.[1] Beyond his own texts, Friend contributed illustrations to collaborative projects, such as Kangaroo Tales: Australian Stories for Children (edited by Rosemary Wrightson), featuring his drawings to accompany folklore and narratives for juvenile audiences.[23] These books, valued for their artisanal production and Friend's fluid, narrative-driven artwork, circulated primarily among collectors due to their restricted print runs.[21]| Title | Year | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Hillendiana | 1956 | Social history of Hill End, New South Wales.[1] |
| Donald Friend in Bali | 1972 | Personal account of Balinese experiences.[1] |
| Save Me from the Shark | 1973 | Picaresque novel.[1] |
| The Cosmic Turtle | 1976 | Celebration of Balinese life and culture.[1] |
| Birds from the Magic Mountain | 1977 | Factual and fictional Indonesian birds.[1] |
| Coogan's Gully | 1979 | Guide to bushranging, ecology, and witchcraft for young readers.[1] |
| Bumbooziana | 1979 | Erotic illustrated manuscript of global sensual adventures.[1][22] |
| The Farce of Sodom | 1980 | Illustrated edition of de Sade's play.[1] |
| An Alphabet of Owls Et Cetera | 1981 | Alphabetical illustrated compendium.[1] |
| Songs of the Vagabond Scholars | 1982 | Collection of medieval-inspired verses with drawings.[1] |
| Art in a Classless Society & Viceversa | 1985 | Satire on the Australian art scene.[1] |
The Comprehensive Diaries (1966–1989)
The diaries spanning 1966 to 1989, forming the latter portion of Volume 3 and the entirety of Volume 4 in the posthumously published The Diaries of Donald Friend (edited by Anne Gray and Paul Hetherington, National Library of Australia, 2005–2006), offer an exhaustive chronicle of Friend's mature years, marked by relocation, cultural immersion, and artistic productivity. Beginning with his first visit to Bali in 1966 at age 51, the entries capture his rapid decision to settle there permanently by 1967, where he purchased land in Sanur and oversaw the construction of a traditional-style compound known as the Donald Friend Museum House, completed by 1972. These volumes, comprising thousands of pages across multiple original notebooks, interweave meticulous daily observations with sketches, watercolors, and ink drawings that Friend incorporated directly into the text, reflecting his dual identity as artist and chronicler.[24][25] In Bali, from 1967 to approximately 1980, Friend's writings emphasize his fascination with Hindu-Balinese rituals, gamelan music, dance performances, and the island's pre-tourist tranquility amid Indonesia's political upheavals, including the 1965–1966 anti-communist purges. He documented commissions for local carvings and paintings, interactions with apprentices and household staff, and excursions to remote villages, often philosophizing on themes of beauty, transience, and eroticism drawn from classical sources like Ovid and Hindu mythology. The prose, laced with acerbic wit and literary allusions, reveals Friend's self-conscious styling as a latter-day Renaissance figure, experimenting with prose poetry and dramatic dialogue within entries. Volume 4, spanning roughly 1967 to 1988, extends to over 700 pages in print, underscoring the density of his record-keeping during this phase of prolific output, including sales of works to international collectors.[26][27] Returning to Sydney in 1980 amid health concerns and Bali's encroaching commercialization, the final entries shift to introspections on aging, financial affairs, and sporadic travels, including brief returns to Italy. Friend noted his prostate cancer diagnosis in 1988 and dictated portions as his handwriting faltered, culminating in entries mere days before his death on August 17, 1989, at age 74. These later passages convey a stoic acceptance of mortality, interspersed with critiques of Australian cultural institutions and regrets over unfinished projects. Collectively, the 1966–1989 diaries—drawn from Friend's donation of over 40 original volumes to the National Library of Australia in the 1980s—stand as a primary source for his artistic evolution, blending empirical detail with subjective candor, though their unfiltered nature has prompted scholarly debate on editorial choices in publication.[2][25]Controversies and Ethical Critiques
Disclosures of Pedophilic Behavior in Diaries
Friend's comprehensive diaries, covering the period from 1966 to 1989 and published in four volumes by the National Library of Australia between 2001 and 2006, include explicit accounts of his sexual activities with underage boys, particularly during his extended stays in Bali.[28][29] These entries detail encounters initiated by Friend with pre-adolescent and adolescent males, often employed as household staff, models, or companions, whom he housed at his residences.[30] The writings portray such interactions as sources of personal gratification, with Friend expressing enthusiasm for the participants' youth and perceived innocence, including descriptions of "passionate and expert love" from boys like Dolog in early 1967 and repeated overnight stays involving sexual acts.[31] Specific disclosures reference boys as young as nine or ten years old, with Friend documenting physical intimacies, nude posing sessions leading to sexual activity, and payments or gifts exchanged in contexts of power imbalance, such as with night watchmen or village youths.[29][32] For example, entries from 1973 describe a night watchman offering services for 50,000 rupees, culminating in "wild abandonment" during intercourse, while later notes from 1988 mention drawing a 14-year-old model provided by an associate.[31] Friend's language often frames these as mutual or culturally normative in Bali, contrasting them favorably with Western constraints, and includes no expressions of regret or ethical concern.[30] The diaries name individual boys, such as Kantra, Dolog, Sado, and Gusti, linking specific sexual episodes to dates like 29 December 1966 (an invitation to sleep together) and 28 September 1967 (early morning fondling).[28] This level of detail has enabled later identification of victims, including one Balinese man who, as a child, was abused and sought compensation from the National Library in 2018 after Volume 4 revealed his experiences publicly.[28] While Friend's accounts emphasize aesthetic and erotic appeal—referring to "brown angels" or "charmingly self-possessed grace" in lovemaking—they substantiate pedophilic patterns through repeated documentation of prepubescent involvement, distinguishing from mere adult homosexuality.[33][31]Public Backlash and Institutional Responses
Following the publication of excerpts from Donald Friend's diaries in 2006 and fuller editions in subsequent years, which detailed his sexual abuse of young boys in Bali and elsewhere, public outrage intensified in Australia, particularly after media coverage highlighted the explicit nature of the accounts.[30] Community members and commentators expressed revulsion, with one 2016 analysis noting Australia's strong societal aversion to pedophilia yet questioning the art world's reluctance to fully disavow Friend's legacy.[33] This sentiment fueled calls for reevaluation of his works in public spaces, emphasizing that his admissions were not isolated but systematic over decades.[30] In November 2016, the Tweed Regional Gallery in New South Wales removed a photographic portrait of Friend and accompanying biography from display following direct community complaints, with gallery director Nathan Kay issuing a public apology for the oversight in contextualizing the artist's pedophilic actions.[34] Similarly, in May 2017, Tamworth Regional Gallery withdrew 12 Friend works from a bequest of 64 pieces by collector Pat Rowley, citing ethical concerns over exhibiting art by a confirmed child abuser.[35] That June, a Woollahra gallery in Sydney halted the auction and display of a Friend drawing depicting a child sex scene after public outcry described it as "chilling" and inappropriate.[36] Institutions began adopting formal policies amid broader #MeToo-era scrutiny. In 2019, Queensland's government urged galleries statewide to implement ethical guidelines for handling works by artists with moral failings, explicitly referencing Friend alongside others like Dennis Nona; the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA) responded by updating acquisition and display protocols to address such cases.[37] [38] The National Library of Australia faced legal action in June 2018 from a Balinese victim seeking compensation for distress caused by a published diary excerpt naming him, highlighting institutional accountability for disseminating Friend's unredacted confessions.[28] Despite these measures, some venues like QAGOMA continued selective exhibitions with added context on Friend's abuses, prompting ongoing debates about partial versus total disassociation.[39]Arguments for Separating Art from Artist
Advocates for evaluating Donald Friend's art independently of his documented pedophilic actions contend that the works possess intrinsic aesthetic and historical value, separable from the creator's moral character. Friend's figurative style, characterized by precise draughtsmanship and vibrant depictions of Balinese landscapes, daily life, and mythological narratives, has been recognized as a significant contribution to mid-20th-century Australian art, offering documentary insights into cross-cultural dynamics during his residencies abroad.[40] This perspective holds that erasing such output would deprive cultural understanding, as the art captures historical contexts like post-war expatriate experiences in Southeast Asia, independent of personal ethics.[41] Philosophical aestheticism supports this separation by positing that an artwork's value derives solely from its formal qualities—line, color, composition—rather than the artist's biography or embedded moral content.[30] In Friend's case, proponents argue much of his oeuvre, including early Italian-influenced pieces and narrative illustrations, exemplifies technical mastery without direct endorsement of misconduct, allowing appreciation focused on skill rather than intent.[40] Auction records affirm this, with Friend's paintings routinely selling for tens to hundreds of thousands of Australian dollars as of 2023, indicating sustained collector regard for aesthetic merit amid controversies.[42] Contextual exhibition practices enable informed engagement without endorsement, as articulated by gallery directors who view removal as censorship equivalent to historical revisionism. For instance, Susi Muddiman of Tweed Regional Gallery maintained that moral judgments on artists risk suppressing art-historical narratives, advocating display alongside biographical context to educate viewers.[30] Biographer Ian Britain echoes this, warning that institutional exclusion of Friend "writes him out of art history," constituting self-censorship that obscures Australia's artistic evolution and invites public debate on preservation.[41] Similarly, curator Paul Hetherington described Friend's diaries and related works as a "rare documentary resource" on 20th-century artistic minds, prioritizing educational utility over punitive erasure.[40] Such arguments extend to broader cultural preservation, noting that many historically acclaimed artists exhibited personal flaws without forfeiting legacy; Friend's exclusion, critics of separation counter, uniquely targets due to explicit diary admissions, yet defenders insist contextualization mitigates this by distinguishing creation from consumption.[43] Ultimately, this position maintains that art's endurance relies on rigorous scrutiny of its forms and contexts, not retroactive moral purity tests, ensuring future generations access unfiltered heritage.[40]Legacy and Reception
Artistic Achievements and Critical Acclaim
Donald Friend's artistic oeuvre is characterized by figurative and narrative works, emphasizing drawings, watercolours, and paintings infused with satirical humour, sharp social observation, and decorative flair.[44] His style drew from classical traditions encountered during travels in Europe and was enriched by extended stays in Asia, including Bali and Sri Lanka, where he incorporated exotic motifs and sensuous human figures.[1] As an official war artist in 1945, Friend documented scenes from Labuan, Borneo, and Morotai, producing evocative drawings of war's impact on landscapes and villagers that highlighted his technical prowess in capturing ruin and resilience.[44] [5] Friend garnered several prestigious awards for his contributions to Australian art. In 1951, he received the Flotta Lauro travelling prize for his mural design Australiana, which facilitated further international study.[5] [1] The Blake Prize for religious art was awarded to him in 1955 for St John the Divine and Scenes from the Apocalypse, recognizing his interpretive depth in biblical themes.[1] [44] Additional honours included the Banbury Prize and, posthumously, the University of Sydney Union's medal in 1988 for services to art.[44] Notable commissions encompassed a six-meter-long mural depicting the ancient fort of Galle in Sri Lanka, exemplifying his skill in large-scale decorative work.[45] His works are held in major public collections, including 57 pieces at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, the National Gallery of Australia, and the Queensland Art Gallery, where Adam and Eve stands as a significant decorative achievement.[5] [46] Exhibitions such as his critically praised solo show at Macquarie Galleries in 1948 underscored early recognition of his portraiture and draftsmanship.[18] Posthumous retrospectives, including a major survey at the Art Gallery of New South Wales in 1990 and a mini-retrospective in Brisbane in 1989, affirmed his enduring influence on figurative art.[44] [5] Critics have lauded Friend's technical genius and wit, with art historian Robert Hughes praising his war drawings in 1965 and Barry Pearce highlighting his overall oeuvre in 1990.[1] Biographer Anne Gray emphasized the sensuality and decorative quality of his drawings, positioning him as a leading figurative artist whose travels fostered a unique synthesis of Western and Eastern aesthetics.[1] In Sri Lanka, his brief residency elevated local art and architectural decoration, leaving a visual legacy that inspired subsequent practitioners.[46] Despite personal controversies, Friend's technical mastery and narrative innovation continue to draw acclaim in scholarly assessments of mid-20th-century Australian art.[5][1]