Art Brokerage: Australian artist Charles Blackman was born in Sydney (1928) and studied at East Sydney Technical College before starting work as a press artist for the Sydney Sun newspaper. It was not until he travelled to Melbourne in 1952 and became involved in the more sympathetic, figurative movement there that Charles Blackman's work gained direction and attracted attention for its individuality. In 1960 Blackman won the Helena Rubinstein Scholarship and following this spent some years in London where he enjoyed notable success. Blackman's symbolic-styled paintings feature recurring images of children, flowers and cats, and scenes inspired by Alice in Wonderland. Among his most famous images are those from his 1950's Schoolgirl series which convey both feelings of vulnerability and menace. Art critic and writer Jean Campbell writes of Blackman's warm humanity and a tender awareness of the everyday personal relationships and of the vulnerability of the human condition - especially that of children. Charles Blackman has exhibited extensively in Australia and overseas. His work also appears in many corporate and private collection in Australia and overseas. He was awarded an OBE in 1977 for services to the Arts.